History of Computers Lesson 1: Beads, Pebbles and Dust (the abacus) - printable lesson, ages 11-14
FREE sample lesson for ages 11 to 14: about 45 minutes, a 5-minute video, and some dried beans. A ready-to-teach lesson that follows our free video, step by step.
Watch the video first: History of Computers, episode 1.
Watch a part. Pause. Talk. Try it. Then press play again.
What you get (10-page printable PDF):
- A one-page guide for the grown-up, with the exact times to pause the video
- Key words, and a "think first" question
- Four pupil pages, one for each part of the video: what we just heard, two questions to talk about, and something to try
- A worksheet: a timeline, a counting board for pebble sums, and an abacus to label
- The story in four pictures, and an 8-question quiz
- All the answers, teaching notes, and the sources for every fact
For ages 11 to 14 (works from 9 with help). About 45 minutes. You need pencils and about 20 dried beans or counters.
Liked it? What comes next
- Lesson 2: The Shipwreck "Computer", $8: bronze gears from a Greek shipwreck and the first calculating machines.
- All 20 lessons, $129: about a term at one lesson a week. Bought one by one, lessons 2 to 20 cost $152.
Every drawing and every word is our own. The free video is at kitson-workshop.pages.dev/#history
Lesson 1 is free: it is our sample, so you can see how the lessons work before you buy any others. Use it as often as you like with your own classes, and print as many copies as your own pupils need. Please do not resell it or post the file publicly: share this page instead.
For educational purposes only.
