Warm Up (15 min)

Vocabulary

This lesson has one new and important word:

Binary - Say it with me: Bye-nair-ee

A way of representing information using only two options

Off and On

• If you've written a short message on the board in binary, call the students' attention to it and ask if anyone knows what it is or what it means.
  • Put the message aside and move on to prepping for the activity.
• You can start by asking the class if they have ever seen inside a computer.
  • What's in there?
  • This is a good place to actually show them the inside of a computer (or pictures of the inside of a computer).

• Wires carry information through the machine in the form of electricity.
  • The two options that a computer uses with respect to this electrical information are "off" and "on." Just like the lights in this room!
    • When computers represent information using only two options, it's called "Binary."
  • That theme of two options doesn't stop when the information gets to its destination.
• Computers also store information using binary.
  • Binary isn't always off and on.
    • Hard Disk Drives store information using magnetic positive and magnetic negative.
    • DVDs store information as either reflective or non-reflective.
  • How do you suppose we can convert real-life things that we want to store in a computer into binary?
    • Let's start with letters.
    • Use the Binary Bracelets - Worksheet to show how a computer might represent capital letters.
      • This is a good time to mention that each spot where you have a binary option is called a "binary digit" or "bit" for short.
      • Ask if anyone knows what a grouping of eight bits is called (it's a byte.)
      • Fun fact: A grouping of four bits is called a nibble.
      • Watch the Bits Versus Bytes - Student Video (~1 minute)
    • Go over a few examples of converting letters into binary, then back.
    • Afterward, write an encoded letter and give the class a few seconds to figure out what it is.
    • When the class can figure out that encoded letter on their own, you can move on to the activity.

Main Activity (20 min)

Binary Bracelets - Worksheet

You do not need to cover the whole of binary, like counting and converting numbers back and forth from decimal. This lesson is intended to be a fun introduction to how computers store information, not a frustrating lesson in bases.

Directions:

• Find the first letter of your first name on the activity sheet.
• Fill in the squares of a bracelet to match the pattern of the squares next to the letter that you selected.
• Cut the bracelet out.
• Tape the bracelet around your wrist to wear it!
• Share your bracelet with your classmates to see if they can figure out your letter.

After the activity, revisit the message that was on the board and see if your class can decypher it using what they've learned.

Wrap Up (5 min)

Flash Chat: What did we learn?

• What else do you think is represented as binary inside of a computer?
• How else might you represent binary instead of boxes that are filled or not filled?
• What was your favorite part about that activity?

Journaling

Having students write about what they learned, why it’s useful, and how they feel about it can help solidify any knowledge they obtained today and build a review sheet for them to look to in the future.

Journal Prompts:

• What was today’s lesson about?
• How did you feel during today’s lesson?
• Use the activity worksheet to write out the rest of your name or your favorite word in binary.
• Imagine a world where we spoke in binary, saying "on" or "off", but nothing else. Draw two characters trying to talk to each other in binary.

Assessment (15 min)

• Hand out the Binary Bracelets - Assessment and allow students to complete it independently after the instructions have been well explained.
• This should feel familiar, thanks to the previous activities.

Extended Learning

Use these activities to enhance student learning. They can be used as outside of class activities or other enrichment.

Binary Images

• There are several great resources on the web for taking this activity to the next level.
• If your students are interested in how images (or even music) can be represented as binary, you can find more details in Thinkersmith's Binary Baubles.