Are You Tech Savvy?

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

When you read a text about a topic, you can expect to find some special words that are specific to that topic. As you read, you may know the terms related to the topic, or you may not.

Sometimes you can figure out what they mean by the context: what the rest of the sentence or paragraph says.

You probably already know much about computers and the internet, but there may be some terms that you hear or use every day, and you've never really thought about what they mean.

As you read the following text about the internet, take note of the bold words, and think of how you would define them.

How the Internet Works

The internet is like a big club of computers worldwide, joined by cables and wireless connections.

They talk to each other using special words, like their own secret language called TCP/IP. When your computer joins the club, you can do cool things like find information and visit websites to play games, watch videos, and talk to your friends!

Imagine sending an email to your friend. When you call your friend, the phone sends the message your voice makes. When you send an email, the computer uses an online language to send the message.

Your computer must know your friend's email address to send the message. But be careful! Sometimes, strangers can send you messages you don't want, and that's called spam.

Now, think about looking for information online, like when doing a project about your hometown. It's not like a messy pile of books; it's more like a library with organized sections.

The internet has something called the World Wide Web that connects all the information neatly. It's like finding the right shelf in the library – first, you go to the non-fiction area, then to the history shelf, and finally, you reach the local history section.

That's how the internet keeps everything in order, making it easy to find what you need!

Write down all the bold words in the text. Write definitions for the ones you know.

If there are any you're unsure of, find them in these Computer Terms for Children. You may even want to check out the other terms listed!

Keep going in the Got It? section when you are ready!