Unit2
Ch. 1
1
2
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Ch. 2
14
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Lesson 14: Websites for a Purpose

Overview

Question of the Day: What are the different reasons people make websites?

In this lesson, students explore the different reasons people make websites. They first think of different reasons that they visit websites, then investigate web sites that have been created to address a particular problem. After deciding what different purposes those websites might serve for the creators, they begin to think about the problem that they might want to solve with a web site. At the end of the lesson, students form the groups that they will be in for their chapter projects.

Purpose

This lessons transitions students from thinking about websites as a form of personal expression to considering how websites might serve broader purposes for their creators. It also serves as a soft introduction to the chapter project, in which students will work in teams to create websites to solve a problem of their choosing.

Assessment Opportunities

  1. Identify the reasons someone might create a given website

    Check the table in the activity guide for reasonable purposes for each websites.

Agenda

Lesson Modifications

Warm Up

Activity

Forming Groups

Wrap Up (5 mins)

View on Code Studio

Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • Identify the reasons someone might create a given website

Links

Heads Up! Please make a copy of any documents you plan to share with students.

For the Teachers

For the Students

Support

Report a Bug

Forum

Teaching Guide

Lesson Modifications

Attention, teachers! If you are teaching virtually or in a socially-distanced classroom, please see these modifications for Unit 2.

Warm Up

Teaching Tip

Websites vs. Apps: You may find that students don't think that they actually visit websites very frequently, because they use apps instead. If you encounter this, encourage students to consider whether those apps might also have website versions. Facebook, for example, might be used more frequently from an app, but it originally started as a website, and can still be accessed from the web.

The Last Website you Visited

Prompt: What was the last website you visited? Why did you go to that website?

Discussion Goal

Goal: The goal of having this discussion is to pull out that websites share information and that people go to websites for a particular purpose.

Discuss: Have students share out the last website they visited. Make sure students share why they went to that website and whether the website provided what they were looking for.

Remarks

We came up with a lot of reasons why we visit websites, but that's only one side of the picture. The people who make websites also have their own reasons for doing so. In the next activity, you're going to start thinking about the purposes that various websites serve for both the user and the creator.

Question of the Day: What are the different reasons people make websites?

Activity

Purpose of Websites

Group: Put students in pairs.

Distribute: Pass out a copy of the activity guide to each student.

Direct students to the "Sample Websites" level on Code Studio.

Teaching Tip

They don't need to necessarily get it "right" for each site, but they should demonstrate that they have considered the potential purposes that a website might serve for the creator. If students struggle to identify the purpose of a site, consider asking the following prompts:

  • Does the website creator want the user to do something?
  • Does the website try to convince the user of something in particular?
  • What problem is the website addressing?
  • What impact does the creator want the website to have?

Exploring Websites

Sample Websites

This activity guide asks students to consider what purposes some sample web pages might serve. Student pairs select two sites that interest them and for each discuss:

  • Why people might use that site (what purpose does it serve users?)
  • Why the creators might have made that site (what purpose does it serve the creators?)

Encourage students to be as detailed as possible when brainstorming the purposes of these sites.

Discussion Goal

The goal of this discussion is to prepare students to think of websites as a tool to solve problems and effect change. As students discuss the prompt, encourage them to imagine why they might create a site similar to those in the examples, and what problems they might address with a site.

Discuss: Once everyone has had a chance to brainstorm about their sites, give the class a chance to discuss their thoughts on the sample websites.

If students haven't had time to brainstorm reasons they might make a website, allow them to do so before moving on to form their groups.

Forming Groups

Teaching Tip

There are many considerations when forming groups for a long-term project. Depending on your class, you may choose to assign groups, allow students to form their own groups, or another approach that works best for your class. However you decide to group students, it will be important that they have their groups for the beginning of the next class session.

Remarks

Over the next few classes, you'll have a chance to work in a group to create your own website to help solve a problem.

Share: Ask students to share out the different problems that they could address with a website and display their answers in the front of the classroom.

Group: Based on the natural discussion of how students reacted to the different topics, groupings may have started to emerge. Allow students to form groups of 3-4, or assign them into groups.

Wrap Up (5 mins)

Discussion Goal

As students share out their mottos or logos, encourage them to explain how their values are reflected in them, highlighting the importance of effective collaboration and a focus on shared goals.

Question of the Day: What are the different reasons people make websites?

Prompt: Your team will work together over the next few lessons to create a website to address a problem. Together, come up with a team motto or logo design that will remind you (1) why the problem is important to solve (2) how you will work together well as a team.

Share: Allow teams to share out their designs and mottos.

  • Lesson Overview
  • 1
  • (click tabs to see student view)
View on Code Studio

Teaching Tip

Student Instructions

  • Top Websites
  • 2
  • (click tabs to see student view)
View on Code Studio

Student Instructions

Problem Solving Websites

Here are some websites that were created to solve a problem. Choose two sites and use them to complete the activity guide.

Standards Alignment

View full course alignment

CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards (2017)

IC - Impacts of Computing
  • 2-IC-20 - Compare tradeoffs associated with computing technologies that affect people's everyday activities and career options.