Looking for a no-prep way to teach text encoding that actually sticks? This hands-on activity walks students through ASCII and Unicode—two foundational encoding schemes every computer science student needs to understand.

Students research the differences between ASCII (7-bit encoding) and Unicode (universal character set), explore how characters are represented in binary and code points, and investigate why multiple encoding schemes exist. They synthesize their findings into a Google Slides presentation that demonstrates clear understanding of each system.

This resource includes a ready-to-use student handout with structured instructions and research prompts, a detailed teacher guide with pacing suggestions for a 3-day sequence (research, create, refine and submit), and a comprehensive answer key for quick and consistent grading.

Aligned to Texas TEKS for CTE Computer Science and Principles of IT, this classroom-tested activity requires no prep and is perfect for high school students in grades 9-10. Just print the student handout and go. Answer key included for easy grading.