Compression, the process computers use to store information, is the focus of a resource that presents two different stories that describe the concept of compression by eliminating repeated letters and replacing them with a pointer. The lesson concludes with an explanation of why compression is important for computer skills and coding.

Concepts

computer code, compression, computers, coding

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Start the lesson by projecting a sentence that has blanks for repeating letters; ask the class to try to decode the sentence
• Play a game of secret message in which one classmate creates a message using text compression and another has to decode it
• Have the pupils use whiteout tape to mark out the letters on their worksheets

Classroom Considerations

• The text lines in the passages to be compressed are close to each other and may be difficult to cover

Pros

• Provides an easy-to-understand explanation of compression
• Can be used for a variety of grade levels

Cons

• Slightly dated material and explanations, such as reference to a wristwatch that would be able to store a lot of data
• More complicated activities do not have an answer key