Overview

This lesson introduces a formal binary system for encoding information, the ASCII system for representing letters and other characters. At the beginning of the lesson the teacher introduces the fact that computers must represent information using either "on" or "off". The class is then introduced to the ASCII system for representing text using binary symbols and practices using this system before encoding their own messages using ASCII.

Vocab

• ASCII - American Standard Code for Information Interchange; the universally recognized raw text format that any computer can understand
• Binary - A way of representing information using only two options.
• Bit - A contraction of "Binary Digit"; the single unit of information in a computer, typically represented as a 0 or 1

Resources

• ASCII - Activity Guide (copy as MS Word, Google Doc)