Lesson Plan

Year Level & Learning Area: Year 9 Digital

Date: Time:
Technologies
Room:

Topic: Data Compression

Curriculum links: Specific Objectives/Learning Goals:
Digital Technologies Knowledge and As a result of this lesson, students will be able to:
Understanding Understand the reasons to use data
compression
Different methods of manipulation, storage and
Identify different types of compression
transmission of data (ACTDIK035)
General Capabilities: Understand what types of data are
Literacy suitable for lossy compression and
Numeracy lossless compression
Information and communication technology (ICT) Apply the Huffman compression method
capability

Prior Learning: Resources/Materials required:

Students will be familiar with
downloading data and various types of
video and picture formats (e.g. jpeg,
mp3, png)
Access to whiteboard and whiteboard markers
Lesson plan
Access to computer
PowerPoint presentation
Huffman coding activity sheet

Provision for students at Educational Risk

Most students will be expected to follow the instructions step by step with the teacher;
however, if more advanced students are progressing at a faster rate, they can attempt the
extension question on the activity sheet.
Students known to require assistance will be partnered with more able students for support.

Lesson Steps
Time: Procedure Comment
Welcome students at the door.

3 min Introduction
Today we are going to look at Data Compression PPT slide 1

We use shortcuts all the time in daily life: a common

example is in texting.
Popular abbreviations can speed up communication, and
with no loss of meaning for those who are familiar with them.

Class Discussion (using texting shortcuts to generate interest PPT slide 2

5 min
and participation)
What abbreviations are used when texting? Write Answers on the
Ask students to suggest texting shortcuts and their meaning. whiteboard.

Possible answers:

Name: Scott Vidler Student Number: 22087002 Page | 1

 ASAP
GR8
LOL
2moro
TGIF
BTW

Teaching
4 min
Types of Compression and why they are used PPT slide 3
Lossy Compression PPT slide 4

Activity
4 min One student to read out the following text and teacher to explain
how the human mind can fill in the gaps or interpret missing
information and this is why audio, video and photos are suitable
for lossy compression

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it

PPT slide 5
deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are,
the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer
be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and
you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae
the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but
the wrod as a wlohe

Demonstration PPT slide 6

5 min Ask students to listen to the 2 song excerpts and ask them if
they can identify the original and the MP3.
Teacher to play audio from a cd and from an MP3.
Who could hear the difference?
Why would we want to compress music?
Possible answers are: for easy storage and downloading.

Teaching
PPT slide 7
5 min Lossless compression
Huffman compression algorithm PPT slides 8 - 24

What is missing when we are comparing the size of the Huffman

encoded data to non-encoded data?

Name: Scott Vidler Student Number: 22087002 Page | 2

 Group Activity
15 min Students to be grouped into pairs by the teacher to complete
activity sheet on Huffman encoding.

Conclusion PPT slide 25

4 min
We now know:
Compression is used to make downloading data quicker
and cheaper.
Compression enables us to store more data on existing
storage hardware.
Lossy compression is suitable for music videos and
photos.
Lossless compression does not lose any data when it is
decompressed.
How to apply Huffman compression to a simple text.

Evaluation of Student Learning:

Were students asking questions?

Did the students have adequate prior knowledge to understand the lesson?
Were the students taking notes?
Did the student work well in pairs?
Were students able to successfully complete the activity?

Self-Evaluation/Reflection:
Did the lesson cater for different learning levels and styles?
Was the lesson delivered at an appropriate pace?
Was presentation clear?
Was there enough class interaction/ participation?
Was there enough scaffolding in the activity to enable students to complete the task?

Ideas for the Introduction activity and the scrambled words text were sourced from
The_Digital_Technologies_Hub (2017).

Slides 10 to 24 were adapted from a Powerpoint presentation obtained from RobbotResources (2017).

RobbotResources. (2017). Compression in computing. Retrieved from https://www.tes.com/teaching-

resource/compression-in-computing-11543938?theme=4

The_Digital_Technologies_Hub. (2017). Seeing The Big Picture. Retrieved from

https://www.digitaltechnologieshub.edu.au/teachers/lesson-ideas/seeing-the-big-picture

Name: Scott Vidler Student Number: 22087002 Page | 3