LESSON PLAN 40: Types of Physical Network Topologies

LESSON PLAN 40: Types of Physical Network Topologies

Lesson Details

Strand: 2.0 Computer Networking
Sub Strand: 2.4 Network Topologies
Duration: 40 minutes (Single lesson)
Lesson: 2 of 4
Class Level: Grade 10

Key Inquiry Question (Lesson Starter)

Why are network topologies important in networking?

Specific Learning Outcomes

By the end of the lesson, the learner should be able to:

a) describe the types of topologies used in computer networking,

b) illustrate different types of physical topologies (star, ring, bus, mesh, tree, hybrid),

c) compare advantages and disadvantages of each topology type.

Selected Learning Experiences

Introduction (6 minutes)

• Review homework: Check terminology study guides and physical vs. logical comparisons
• Pose the key inquiry question
• Show 6 different geometric shapes:
  • Star ⭐
  • Circle ⭕
  • Line ━━━
  • Web/Net 🕸️
  • Tree 🌲
  • Mixed combination
• Ask: “Which shape would make the best network? Why?”
• Brief discussion on advantages of different arrangements
• Explain: Today we’ll explore specific network topologies, each with unique characteristics
• Connect to previous lesson: These are physical topologies (actual arrangements)

Development Activities (29 minutes)

Activity 1: Exploring Physical Network Topologies (20 minutes)

• Illustrate different types of physical topologies (star, ring, bus, mesh, tree, hybrid)
• Discuss the types of topologies used in computer networking

1. BUS TOPOLOGY:

Structure:

[PC1]   [PC2]   [PC3]   [PC4]   [PC5]

  |       |       |       |       |

━━┻━━━━━━━┻━━━━━━━┻━━━━━━━┻━━━━━━━┻━━━

    Main Bus Cable (Backbone)

Terminator ■                    ■ Terminator