Course on Internet

Collège de Péron (secondary school in France)

Classe de 6e (11 to12 years old pupils)

Proposed by Magali BON, French teacher librarian mbon@ac-lyon.fr

What is Internet? (1)

Objectives : Learning the origin/history of Internet Knowing the vocabulary of Internet

Prerequisite :Pupils should be familiar with the following ideas:

a digital document a key-word an author

What is Internet? (2)

Vocabulary that will be learnt : Internet / Web Network Server Browser Search engine

Teaching material : A paperboard A text (extracts of the book for children :

Internet, what a strange network ! by Françoise Virieux, 2009)

Pupils activity (1)

1. Brainstorming (5') : What is Internet? Where is it actually? What is the Web?

The teacher writes all their ideas on a paperboardNB : pupils often misunderstand the question and give the use we can make of Internet instead of really giving a definition of what it is... → this shows that they don't really know what is Internet.

Examples of pupils answers

Pupils activity (2)

2. Reading and understanding the first extract from « Internet, what a strange network » (15') :

The dialogue of the text is read by 3 pupils, then I ask them all : → what do we learn?

Make the pupils highlight the new vocabulary connected with Internet : network / Web.

Explain what is a « network » by comparing with- other communication systems (telephone, radio...)- the computer network of the CDI : each PC is

connected with the printer via the school server. Explain the history of Internet

Pupils activity (3)

3. Reading and understanding the second extract (10')

Make the pupils highlight the new vocabulary connected with Internet :

search engine / database / browser / software

Give the pupils the photocopy « Glossary of Internet » and ask them to complete it for the next course with the new vocabulary that they've just learnt.

4. Distribution of the lesson and homework (15') :

Read the lesson with them (cf appendix n°1) :A simplified history of InternetWhat do we need to connect to Internet?

Give the pupils the homework for the next course:Complete the glossary of Internet (cf. appendix n°2)Complete the sentences with the correct words (cf. appendix n°3)

Appendix n° 1a

1. Simplified history of the development of Internet :

During the 1960's : The American army wanted to create an information

system which can resist foreign attacks (it's the cold war period).

This network should be able to work even if it's partly destroyed: the

transmitted datas would take different ways if the normal route is blocked.

→ 1969 : creation of ARPANET (the US Army network)

Then the US army decided to open its network to universities : first the American universities, and

then the universities of the whole world, could be interconnected.→ 1995 : birth of Internet (the “university” branch of the network) while the army created its own network, by safety reasons. → Since then, Internet has spread in the whole world and any individual can access to it.

Appendix n° 1b

2. What do we need to have an access to Internet?

→ This is to make sure that pupils know that Internet is not free

A PC A mobile phone A graphic tablet

+ a modem + 3G or 4G connection + 3G or 4G connection

+ a fee to an Internet service provider (Free, Orange...)

Appendix n° 2

My glossary of Internet (example)

Browser : ..............................................................Data base : ............................................................Internet : ...............................................................Internet service provider : ....................................Network : ..............................................................Search engine : ......................................................Server : ..................................................................World wide web : ...................................................

Appendix n° 3

Be careful not to mix up everything!

Complete the following sentences with the right word among :browser / collaborative website / social network / search engine

1. A software that allows to go on Internet, like Mozilla Firefox, is a ....................................

2. A website, like Google, that allows to search into other websites is a .......................................

3. A website in which people can publish their own articles, like Wikipedia, is a ..................................................

4. A website which requires to be identified in order to access to it and that allows to have a network of contacts is called a ........................................