PC Workshop: Fix a Broken Computer
Every computer on the repair shelf has one thing wrong, and its owner describes only what they see: it beeps three times, the screen stays black, it turns off after a few seconds. Students follow a technician's process: read the complaint, press POWER and watch the lights, beeps and screen, guess the part, check it and change one thing, and press POWER again until the computer says Repaired. Each repair ends with a ticket that explains how the symptom pointed to the part.
At a glance
Essential question
How does a technician find what is wrong with a computer without guessing at random?
Objectives
Students will be able to:
- follow a troubleshooting process: observe, guess a cause, check it, change one thing, test again
- use a symptom (a debug light, a number of beeps, a message on the screen) to choose which part to check first
- repair at least two computers on the repair bench
- record each repair on a ticket: the complaint, what the computer showed, the cause and the fix
- explain why a technician changes only one thing before testing again
Vocabulary
troubleshoot, symptom, cause, debug light, POST, beep code, hypothesis, repair ticket
Standards
1B-CS-03, 2-CS-03, 3A-CS-03, E4-SYS-HW-12, RST.6-8.3
Time and materials
45 minutes, grades 5-8.
- One computer per student, with a mouse (the 3D bench is easier with a mouse than a trackpad)
- A projector
- The worksheet and exit ticket, one copy each per student
- The rubric, one copy per student if you grade the repairs
Prep
Make copies of the worksheet and exit ticket. Before class, open mytekdev.com/try/pcworkshop?lesson=fix-a-broken-computer&ref=tpt-pcworkshop-2 once on a student computer and repair the first computer yourself, to see how the bench moves and to check that your school's filter allows it. The repair key in this plan lists every fix. No account is needed. Students do not need to have done lesson 1, though it helps.
Assessment
- Formative: the questions under What to look for, asked while students work, the repair tickets on the worksheet, and the exit ticket (answer key included).
- Summative: the computers each student repaired (the shelf marks them Repaired) and their repair tickets, scored with the rubric out of 12.
Technology and privacy
Runs in a current browser with nothing to install. Students need no account and no email: the link works signed out, and nothing they make is stored on our server unless they choose to save it to an account. It draws in 3D, so a very old or slow computer may run it slowly; try it on a student computer first. If your school blocks new sites, ask IT to allow mytekdev.com.
What’s included
- A one-page overview: objectives, essential question, vocabulary, standards and assessment
- A ten-minute walkthrough to rehearse before class, and background in plain words for the teacher
- A 45-minute lesson sequence: warm-up, direct instruction, guided practice, independent practice, closure
- Slides for the board: a PowerPoint file that also opens in Google Slides
- A student worksheet with repair tickets and a QR code
- A repair key for the teacher: what each computer shows and how to fix it
- A 3-question exit ticket, two to a page, with an answer key
- A rubric: 3 criteria, 4 levels, scored out of 12
- Differentiation for English learners, students with IEPs or 504 plans, and students who need more support or more challenge
- Cross-curricular extensions, and notes for teaching it in grades 3-4 and 9-12
- Standards: CSTA 2017, CSTA 2026 and Common Core literacy
Standards
Troubleshooting standards from both CSTA sets: 2017, which many state standards are still based on, and the 2026 standards that replace them.
| Framework | Code | Grades | Standard | How the lesson meets it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSTA 2017 | 1B-CS-03 | 3-5 | Determine potential solutions to solve simple hardware and software problems using common troubleshooting strategies. | Students use a symptom to choose a part to check, try a fix, and test it. |
| CSTA 2017 | 2-CS-03 | 6-8 | Systematically identify and fix problems with computing devices and their components. | Students follow the same four steps on every computer, change one thing at a time, and record each repair on a ticket. |
| CSTA 2017 | 3A-CS-03 | 9-10 | Develop guidelines that convey systematic troubleshooting strategies that others can use to identify and fix errors. | For grades 9 to 12: students write a troubleshooting guide another student could follow. |
| CSTA 2026 | E4-SYS-HW-12 | 4 | Apply a basic troubleshooting process to identify and fix common hardware and software issues. | Students apply the four steps to identify and fix one hardware fault on each computer. |
| Common Core Literacy | RST.6-8.3 | 6-8 | Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks. Craft and Structure: | Students follow the technician's four steps on every computer: read the complaint, press POWER and watch, change one thing, test again. |
Checked October 2026 against: CSTA 2017 progression chart, CSTA 2017 to 2026 crosswalk, Common Core State Standards, Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects, grades 6-8.