Lesson Plan

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Lesson Plan
Grade: Date: 17/01/2026
Subject: Information Communication Technology ICT
Lesson Topic: Know and understand identifying and justifying suitable hardware and software for the new system
Learning Objective/s:
  • Describe the role of hardware and software selection within the analysis and design phases of the systems life cycle.
  • Identify key hardware and software requirements for a given system scenario.
  • Apply a weighted decision matrix to compare alternative hardware and software options.
  • Justify the chosen solution based on cost, performance, compatibility and scalability criteria.
  • Evaluate the selected solution against a checklist of reliability, support and security considerations.
Materials Needed:
  • Projector and screen
  • Whiteboard and markers
  • Printed POS case‑study handout
  • Decision‑matrix worksheet
  • Laptops or tablets with spreadsheet software
  • Sample hardware spec sheets (CPU, RAM, storage)
  • Internet access for software research
 Introduction:
Begin with a quick poll: “What factors would you consider when buying a new computer for work?” Connect this to the previous lesson on the systems life cycle and explain that today learners will focus on the analysis and design phases to identify and justify hardware and software choices. Success criteria: students will list requirements, use a decision matrix and present a justified recommendation.
Lesson Structure:
  1. Do‑now (5’) – Students write three factors influencing hardware/software choice on sticky notes; share briefly.
  2. Mini‑lecture (10’) – Review SLC phases, highlight when hardware/software decisions are made; introduce key requirement categories.
  3. Guided practice (15’) – Whole class works through the POS case study; teacher models filling the requirement list on board.
  4. Group activity (20’) – Small groups complete a decision‑matrix worksheet comparing three hardware and three software options; calculate weighted scores.
  5. Peer review (10’) – Groups exchange matrices, discuss justification using the checklist; teacher circulates to probe reasoning.
  6. Whole‑class debrief (10’) – Selected groups present their recommended solution; class critiques based on cost, performance, scalability.
  7. Exit ticket (5’) – Individually write one justified hardware choice and one software choice for a new scenario provided.
Conclusion:
Summarise how systematic requirement gathering and a weighted matrix lead to transparent, justified decisions. Collect exit tickets as a retrieval check and assign homework to research an alternative POS system and prepare a brief justification using the same criteria.