Lesson 4
Rules for the ocean
In this lesson, students explore how network protocols support reliable communication when packet loss occurs. Students first examine the trade-offs between speed, reliability, and cost while discussing the appropriate balance of each when resending data. They then work collaboratively to design a clear, step-by-step protocol for handling missing packets and test their designs in an unplugged simulation. Finally, students combine loops, variables, and conditionals in Scratch to model how Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) repeatedly resends packets until all data has been successfully delivered and reassembled.
Learning objective
Students will design a protocol to resend packets until they arrive successfully.
Standards
🌐 CSTA Standards
- 2-AP-12: Design and iteratively develop programs that combine control structures, including nested loops and compound conditionals.
- 2-AP-17: Systematically test and refine programs using a range of test cases
- 2-NI-04: Model the role of protocols in transmitting data across networks and the Internet.
🇺🇸 Common Core Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.4: Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
🇺🇸 College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework
- D2.Civ.9.6-8: Compare deliberative processes used by a wide variety of groups in various settings.
- D4.6.6-8: Draw on multiple disciplinary lenses to analyze how a specific problem can manifest itself at local, regional, and global levels over time, identifying its characteristics and causes, and the challenges and opportunities faced by those trying to address the problem.
Lesson contents
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