GCSE ICT – help with planning
Unit 1 Teaching Block 3 Lesson Plans
TB3
Lesson 5 – Game play
Lesson
objectives
In this lesson students are learning about:
Time
 features of games consoles
 peripheral devices that can be used with game consoles
 the impact of bandwidth and latency on the user
experience when playing games online
Learning
outcomes
At the end of this lesson students will be able to:
 describe features of games consoles and relate them to
user needs
 describe peripheral devices that can be used with games
consoles
 describe the impact of bandwidth and latency on the user
experience when playing games online
Specification
coverage
1.1 The purpose and target audience for digital devices; ways
in which digital devices are used by individuals in their
daily lives
1.2 Features of digital devices; multi-functional devices
1.5 Methods of connecting devices
1.6 Peripheral devices that can be used with digital devices
2.5 The significance of bandwidth and latency, and their
impact on the ‘user experience’
Resources
Starter
Features of
Games
Consoles.doc
Remind the class that the Smiths want to play games with
each other and with friends outside the house.
Playing
Computer
Games.doc
Key
vocabulary
5 mins
Ask the class about their own game playing experience. Who
has played a full 3D game using controllers that follow a
player’s gestures? What type of games do they like? Is this the
same for boys and girls? If not, why not?
console
controller
firmware
multiplayer
TB3 Lesson Plan 5
Share lesson objectives
Introduce the lesson and share lesson objectives and learning
outcomes.
5 mins
GCSE ICT – help with planning
Unit 1 Teaching Block 3 Lesson Plans
TB3
Lesson 5 – Game play
Time
MMPG
Which games console?
15 mins
wand
Explain to the class that in this lesson they will be focusing on
games consoles (ones to use at home rather than on the
move).
Make sure they know what connectivity a games console must
have to allow the Smiths to play games with each other in the
house. (Bluetooth, WiFi or wired network connection)
Use this opportunity to talk about network performance. Tell
students that download speeds for consumers using WiFi are
on average 30% slower than fixed lines and explain why.
Talk about the concepts of bandwidth and latency and how
together they impact on network performance and game play.
5 mins
Explain why a wired connection to the router might be better
than a wireless one for game playing purposes.
Ask students to identify other online activities which might
suffer from the higher latency and greater loss of data
associated with a WiFi connection (e.g. video streaming,
online telephony).
Divide the class into groups. Ask each group to carry out a
product review of one console (Xbox 360, Playstation 3,
Nintendo Wii) by completing the relevant column in Features
of Games Consoles.doc. Which one would they recommend
and why?
25 mins
Take feedback from the class. What other options for game
playing are there (PC, smart phone)? How do they compare?
Plenary
5 mins
Remind students of the lesson objectives. Ask students to
write down on a sheet of paper one thing they have learnt
today and pass the paper to the person sitting next to them.
That person must add something new to the list and pass it
on.
Homework
TB3 Lesson Plan 5
Introduce the homework task, Playing Computer Games.doc.
Make sure students understand what they have to do.
30-60 mins