How the Internet Works — Year 5 Lesson Plan
National Curriculum: Computing KS2 — understand computer networks including the internet; how they can provide multiple services such as the world-wide web
Overview
Pupils develop a conceptual understanding of how the internet works — from devices connecting through networks to data travelling as packets. They explore the roles of routers, IP addresses, DNS, and HTTP, and understand the distinction between the internet (infrastructure) and the World Wide Web (content delivered over it).
How the Internet Works learning objectives
- Explain the difference between the internet and the World Wide Web.
- Describe how devices connect to form a network.
- Understand how data is broken into packets and reassembled.
- Explain the role of IP addresses and DNS in locating websites.
Success criteria
- I can explain the difference between the internet and the World Wide Web.
- I can describe how data travels across the internet in packets.
- I can explain what an IP address and DNS are for.
Key Vocabulary
Suggested Lesson Structure
Ask: when you type a web address and press enter, what do you think happens? Collect ideas. Establish that there is a complex journey happening in milliseconds that most people never think about.
Explain the internet as the infrastructure — cables, satellites, and wireless signals connecting billions of devices. The World Wide Web is the content that runs on top. Introduce IP addresses using the analogy of postal addresses — every device has one. Explain DNS as a phone book: you type 'bbc.co.uk', DNS looks up the IP address. Data travels as packets — like splitting a letter into many envelopes — each routed independently and reassembled at the destination. Routers are like post-office sorting rooms.
Packet routing activity: pupils each take a 'packet' card (numbered part of a message). They must deliver their packet via 'routers' (stations) to the destination, potentially via different routes. Reassemble the message at the end. Discuss: what if one route is blocked? (packets find another route — this is why the internet is resilient).
Pupils create an annotated diagram showing the journey of a request from their browser to a website and back: device → router → internet → DNS lookup → web server → response → router → device. Label each stage.
Quick-fire: 'What is the difference between the internet and the web? What does DNS do? Why does data travel as packets?' Connect to online safety: understanding how data travels is the first step to understanding why keeping some data private matters.
Support and extension for how the internet works
Support
- Give a labelled diagram of the request journey with blank arrows for pupils to number in order.
- Use a matching card set: term on one card (router, IP address, DNS, packet) and real-world analogy on the other (sorting office, postal address, phone book, envelope).
Extension
- Explain why the internet still works when one route is blocked, using the packet routing activity as evidence.
- Research what HTTPS adds and explain why the padlock in a browser matters.
- Compare a wired and a wireless connection and say where each appears in the journey of a web request.
Check for understanding
Quick questions for the plenary or an exit ticket. Tap a question to see the answer.
1. What is the difference between the internet and the World Wide Web?
Answer: The internet is the network of connected devices and cables; the web is the pages and content we reach using it.
2. What does DNS do?
Answer: It turns a web address such as bbc.co.uk into the IP address of the computer that holds the site.
3. Why is data split into packets?
Answer: Small packets can travel by different routes and are put back together at the end, so the network is faster and still works if one route fails.
4. What is a router?
Answer: A device that sends packets on towards their destination, like a sorting office for post.
Resources you will need
- Numbered packet cards that spell out a short message
- Signs for router stations around the room
- Request journey diagram template
- Optional: a world map showing undersea internet cables
Common Misconceptions
- The internet and the World Wide Web are the same thing — the internet is the infrastructure; the web is one service that uses it (alongside email, video streaming, etc.).
- Data travels as one continuous stream — it is broken into packets that may take different routes and are reassembled at the destination.
Prior Knowledge
Pupils should already be able to:
- Regular use of the internet for research and communication.
- Understanding of online safety principles.
- Basic awareness of networks from earlier computing lessons.
Make it yours
Want a personalised version of this lesson?
Use Staffroom to generate a complete lesson plan tailored to your class — add context about ability, recent learning, or specific pupils and get a plan ready to teach. Free plan, no card required.