Lesson Plan

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Lesson Plan
Grade: Date: 17/01/2026
Subject: Computer Science
Lesson Topic: Understand and apply standard search and sort algorithms (e.g. linear search, bubble sort)
Learning Objective/s:
  • Describe the purpose and operation of linear search and bubble sort algorithms.
  • Explain the time and space complexity of linear search and bubble sort, including best‑case and worst‑case scenarios.
  • Apply linear search to locate a target value in an unsorted list.
  • Implement bubble sort to sort a list and trace its execution through successive passes.
  • Compare linear search and bubble sort with other algorithms and justify appropriate use cases.
Materials Needed:
  • Projector or interactive whiteboard
  • Slides with algorithm pseudocode and flowcharts
  • Worksheets containing practice lists and questions
  • Computers with a simple IDE or Python/Java environment
  • Printed handouts of pseudocode and complexity tables
  • Markers and whiteboard for live demos
 Introduction:
Begin with a quick real‑world scenario: searching for a name in a phone book and sorting a deck of cards. Review students’ prior understanding of algorithms, pseudocode and Big‑O notation. Explain that by the end of the lesson they will be able to demonstrate linear search and bubble sort, analyse their efficiency, and solve related practice problems.
Lesson Structure:
  1. Do‑now (5’) – Short quiz on algorithm characteristics and Big‑O basics.
  2. Mini‑lecture (10’) – Introduce linear search, walk through pseudocode and flowchart, discuss O(n) time and O(1) space.
  3. Guided practice (10’) – Whole class performs a linear search on a sample list, recording indices on the board.
  4. Mini‑lecture (10’) – Present bubble sort, demonstrate pseudocode and flowchart, highlight best‑case O(n) and worst‑case O(n²).
  5. Pair activity (15’) – Students execute bubble sort on the same list, writing the list after each pass and noting swaps.
  6. Comparison discussion (5’) – Compare the two algorithms using the summary table; discuss appropriate use cases.
  7. Check for understanding (5’) – Exit ticket: choose the right algorithm for a given scenario.
Conclusion:
Summarise how linear search provides a simple solution for unsorted data while bubble sort illustrates basic sorting mechanics and complexity trade‑offs. Collect the exit tickets to gauge understanding. Assign homework to implement both algorithms in code and test them with larger data sets. Remind students to explore binary search and more efficient sorts in the next lesson.