Sixth graders look behind the invisible connection that puts the internet on their phones and laptops, learning how a router turns data into radio waves and back, and why the signal fades across a house.
Students will be able to…
Your phone reaches the internet with no cable attached. Something invisible carries the data through the air. What is it, and how does a router make it work?
Project this and open each card to explore radio waves, the router, and how Wi-Fi reaches the internet.
Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.
Your phone reaches the internet with no cable attached. Something invisible is carrying the data through the air. What is it, and how does it work?
Students explore how Wi-Fi works.
Students follow data from device to internet.
Students diagram a home network.
Students reflect on Wi-Fi.
Aligned to the CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards and ISTE Standards for Students.
Model how information is broken into packets, sent, and received across networks.
Explain how devices use signals to connect and exchange information.
Explain how to keep a wireless network secure.
Computational Thinker: model how a system moves and uses data.
Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.
Have students draw a device, router, and the internet, add arrows for the data, and mark where the signal is weak, so the invisible connection becomes visible. A printable Wi-Fi worksheet is in the Computer Science library.
Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.
A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.
A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.