Lesson Plan

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Lesson Plan
Grade: Date: 25/02/2026
Subject: Computer Science
Lesson Topic: Show understanding of and be able to represent character data in its internal binary form, depending on the character set used
Learning Objective/s:
  • Describe the purpose of character sets, code points, and encoding schemes.
  • Convert characters to binary using ASCII and Unicode (UTF‑8, UTF‑16) representations.
  • Apply the UTF‑8 encoding patterns to encode a given Unicode code point.
  • Compare ASCII, extended ASCII, and Unicode in terms of range and storage requirements.
  • Solve exam‑style conversion problems involving decimal, hexadecimal and binary forms.
Materials Needed:
  • Projector or interactive whiteboard
  • Slides with ASCII/Unicode tables
  • Handout worksheet with conversion exercises
  • Laptops with a simple text editor or IDE
  • Printable character‑set reference cards
  • Quiz cards for quick checks
 Introduction:
Begin with a quick poll: “How many of you have typed a message on your phone today?” Remind students that every keystroke is stored as binary data, linking to prior knowledge of binary numbers. Explain that by the end of the lesson they will be able to represent any character in its binary form using the appropriate encoding.
Lesson Structure:
  1. Do‑Now (5') – Students write the binary of the ASCII character ‘A’ and share; teacher checks understanding of 7‑bit ASCII.
  2. Mini‑lecture (10') – Overview of character sets, code points, ASCII vs Unicode, and UTF‑8/16/32 patterns using slides.
  3. Guided practice (12') – Work through the example of encoding ‘é’ in UTF‑8 together, filling a step‑by‑step worksheet.
  4. Pair activity (15') – Students convert a set of characters (e.g., #, Ω, 😀) into binary using chosen encodings; teacher circulates and provides feedback.
  5. Quick quiz (8') – Exit‑ticket style multiple‑choice questions on ASCII ranges and UTF‑8 leading‑byte patterns.
  6. Review & reflection (5') – Discuss common pitfalls and answer any remaining questions.
Conclusion:
Summarise that ASCII uses a fixed 7‑bit pattern while Unicode provides a universal code point with variable‑length encodings. Ask students to write one key takeaway on a sticky note as an exit ticket. Assign homework to encode a short sentence of their choice in both ASCII and UTF‑8 and bring the binary results to the next class.