Lesson Plan

• Describe the relationship between bits, bytes, and larger storage units.
• Differentiate between decimal (kB, MB, GB, TB) and binary (KiB, MiB, GiB, TiB) measurements.
• Convert between storage units using appropriate conversion factors.
• Calculate storage requirements for given data sets.
• Explain how compression impacts storage size and compute compression ratios.

• Projector and screen
• Whiteboard and markers
• Worksheet with conversion tables and practice problems
• Calculators (or spreadsheet software on laptops)
• Sample video file (≈2 GB) for compression demo
• Handout summarising decimal vs binary units

Start with the question, “If a 2 GB movie won’t fit on a USB stick that shows 1.8 GB free, why?” Connect to students’ prior knowledge of bits and bytes, then state that by the end of the lesson they will accurately convert storage units and explain how compression changes those numbers.

1. Do‑now (5'): Quick quiz on bits vs. bytes (exit‑ticket style).
2. Mini‑lecture (10'): Explain decimal vs. binary units; display conversion table.
3. Guided practice (12'): Pairs convert a series of sizes using the worksheet.
4. Demonstration (8'): Show original and compressed video file sizes; calculate compression ratio.
5. Independent activity (10'): Compute storage needed for 1 000 000 integers and other scenarios.
6. Check for understanding (5'): Exit ticket – write one key difference between kB and KiB.

Summarise the importance of distinguishing decimal and binary units and how compression alters storage calculations. Students complete an exit ticket summarising the lesson’s key point, and for homework they research the advertised versus actual capacity of a storage device they own.