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Inside the Machine G3 to G5 / Week 04 / Friday
5/6
Week 04 · Memory and storage

Friday

Save it, keep it
// The workbench and the shelf
⏱ about 15 min

Friday: Save it, keep it

The neighbor with the lost drawing is back. "I drew it again," she says, and holds up the tablet. Rocket cheers. "Let's make sure this one stays!"

Raven points to a small icon in the corner. "What do you notice about that little picture of a disk?"

Nova hums happily. "Would you like a hint? That icon has one job. It copies the workbench to the shelf." The neighbor taps it, and the tablet says Saved.

The week in one picture

This week you met the two places a computer keeps things.

Memory is the fast workbench. It holds work in progress and empties when the power is off.

Storage is the shelf. It keeps files without power, using magnets or trapped charge.

Saving copies work from the workbench to the shelf. Sizes are counted in bytes.

  1. Notice: is the work saved, or only in memory?
  2. Name it: a full workbench makes a slow device. A full shelf stops saving.
  3. Test one thing: close an app, or ask a grown-up to make room.
  4. Ask: a grown-up handles deleting and backups.
WEEK REVIEW
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
A game is running right now. Where is it?
A photo was saved last year. Where has it been?
Which is biggest?
Which is a fix a kid may do?

Why saving matters

Saving is small, but it is the most important habit in this week.

Many apps save for you every few seconds. Others wait for you to tap save.

If you are not sure, look for the word Saved, or ask a grown-up.

A backup is a second copy kept somewhere else. Even a full shelf can break, so backups matter too.

StatementTrue or false?
Saving copies work from memory to storage.?
Memory keeps work when the power is off.?
A backup is a second copy kept somewhere else.?
A megabyte is bigger than a gigabyte.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEThese four facts cover the whole week. Say them out loud and they will stick.
What is the three-letter name for memory?
WHY THIS EXERCISERAM is the name you will see on a box or in settings. It always means the fast workbench.
PUT THE LOST DRAWING CASE IN ORDER
  • ?She taps save and it is copied to storage
  • ?Memory empties and the picture is gone
  • ?The neighbor draws a picture in memory
  • ?The battery runs out
  • ?The neighbor draws it again
WHY THIS EXERCISEThe whole case shows the power rule. Memory forgets, storage remembers, and save is the bridge.
Try it
Next time you use an app, look for the save icon or the word Saved.
Tell a grown-up where you found it.
The workbench where work happens is
The shelf that keeps files is
Copying work to the shelf is called
About a billion bytes is one

Week four is complete, Crew Technician! You know the workbench, the shelf and how to measure them. Next week you will see how all the parts connect.

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