What is the Internet?

Active learning helps students move past abstract ideas of the internet by letting them model physical and logical processes. When students become nodes in a network or trace data pathways, they build durable mental models of how digital communication actually works.

• Year 5
• Computing
• 3 activities
• 20 min–45 min

Learning Objectives

1. Explain that the internet is a global network connecting billions of devices.
2. Identify at least three different methods devices use to connect to the internet.
3. Describe the role of a home Wi-Fi router in connecting multiple devices to the internet.
4. Classify devices as either clients or servers within a network context.

Simulation Game

⏱ 45 min·Whole Class

Simulation Game: The Human Network

Assign students roles such as 'sender', 'router', and 'receiver'. Senders break a paper message into numbered 'packets' and routers must pass them along different paths to the receiver, who reassembles them. If a 'router' sits down to simulate a broken cable, students must find a new path.

Prepare & details

Explain what the internet is in simple terms.

Facilitation Tip: During The Human Network simulation, assign roles clearly and use a timer to reinforce how packets move in sequence rather than instantly.

Setup: Flexible space for group stations

Materials: Role cards with goals/resources, Game currency or tokens, Round tracker

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 30 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Undersea Cable Map

Using online interactive maps of submarine cables, small groups trace the path a signal might take from London to New York or Sydney. They identify potential 'choke points' where the internet might be vulnerable if a physical cable were damaged.

Prepare & details

Identify different ways devices like phones and computers connect to the internet.

Facilitation Tip: When using the Undersea Cable Map, provide a simple handout with key questions so students focus on finding specific routes rather than getting lost in the map’s complexity.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 20 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Protocol Design

Students work in pairs to invent a set of rules (a protocol) for sending a drawing to a friend using only a grid and coordinates. They test their rules with another pair to see if the drawing can be recreated accurately without seeing the original.

Prepare & details

Describe how a home Wi-Fi network allows multiple devices to get online.

Facilitation Tip: For Protocol Design, limit students to three rules so they experience the necessity of standardization without becoming overwhelmed.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Teaching This Topic

Teach this topic by starting concrete and moving abstract. Use physical models first to ground later discussions of protocols and services. Avoid analogies that suggest the internet is ‘in the air’ or ‘invisible’—emphasize cables, signals, and hardware from day one. Research shows students retain concepts better when they trace real pathways before discussing abstract layers.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students describing data as packets, identifying hardware roles in a network, and explaining why the internet is a physical system that supports multiple services. They should also articulate the difference between the internet and the World Wide Web using accurate terminology.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During The Human Network simulation, watch for students treating data as a continuous stream instead of discrete packets.

What to Teach Instead

After the simulation, ask students to recount how their packet was broken into smaller parts and reassembled. Use this moment to link their experience to real packet-switching.

Common Misconception

During the Undersea Cable Map activity, watch for students assuming all data travels wirelessly across oceans.

What to Teach Instead

Have students trace a specific cable route on the map and calculate the distance. Then show photos of the physical cable landing stations to emphasize the hardware involved.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

After The Human Network simulation, give students a card with the question: ‘What three steps did your packet take to reach the destination?’ Collect these to check understanding of packet movement and routing.

Quick Check

During the Undersea Cable Map activity, ask students to point to one undersea cable route and explain why it matters for global internet connections. Listen for mentions of physical infrastructure and latency.

Discussion Prompt

After Protocol Design, pose the question: ‘What would happen if each group designed its own protocol without rules?’ Guide the discussion toward the need for standard protocols like TCP/IP.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask students to research and present on a lesser-known internet service (e.g., DNS, VoIP) and explain how it uses the physical network.
• Scaffolding: Provide labeled diagrams of a packet with blank spaces for students to fill in source/destination addresses and data chunks.
• Deeper exploration: Have students calculate the approximate time it takes for a packet to travel from London to New York using real cable lengths and signal speeds.

Key Vocabulary

Network	A group of two or more computers or devices linked together so they can share resources and communicate.
Router	A device that forwards data packets between computer networks. In a home, it connects your devices to your internet service provider.
Wi-Fi	A wireless networking technology that allows devices to connect to the internet or communicate with each other wirelessly within a particular area.
Server	A computer or system that provides resources, data, services, or programs to other computers, known as clients, over a network.
Client	A computer or program that requests services or resources from a server over a network.