💻 TechnologyLevel 1Lesson 1
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Identify Machines That Can Think and Learn

How to use: Download the PDF to print the worksheet. Then use this page to repeat activities and check answers.

Learning Objectives

  • 1Tell the difference between a smart machine and a regular machine
  • 2Sort each one into the correct group
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Mini Lesson

Some machines can think and make decisions — we call them smart machines. Other machines just do the same job every single time. Can you spot the difference?

What is a smart machine?

  • A smart machine can take in information and make decisions.
  • Example: a voice assistant listens to your question and chooses the right answer.
  • Smart machines follow programs — sets of instructions that help them think.

What is a regular machine?

  • A regular machine always does the same job the same way every time.
  • Example: a toaster just heats bread — it cannot learn or change what it does.

How to tell them apart

  • Ask: "Can this machine learn, answer questions, or make decisions?"
  • Yes → smart machine (robot vacuum, spell-checker, chess computer).
  • No → regular machine (lamp, ceiling fan, hand mixer).
Smart machine vs. regular machineLeft side shows a tablet with a smiling face labeled Smart Machine. Right side shows a toaster labeled Regular Machine. A dotted line divides the two.Hello!Smart Machinecan think!Regular Machinesame job every timeCan it think? Smart machine. No? Regular machine.
A voice-assistant tablet (smart machine) compared with a toaster (regular machine), showing the key difference.
How to identify a smart machineA simple yes/no flowchart: Can it make decisions? Yes leads to Smart Machine. No leads to Regular Machine.Can it make decisionsor learn new things?YESor NO?YESSmartMachineNORegularMachineUse this question every time you see a machine!
A yes/no flowchart for deciding if something is a smart machine or a regular machine.
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Ask yourself: "Is this machine doing the same thing every time, or is it thinking and making choices?

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Guided Practice

Sketch the two-machine diagram from your paper worksheet — draw a smart machine on one side and a regular machine on the other. Then use the Tracing Pad to practice the key tech words from this lesson.

Tracing Pad
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Exercises

Tap a word to select it, then tap a bucket to place it.

🤖 Smart Machine

🔌 Regular Machine

1. What do we call a machine that can think and make decisions?

2. Which of these is a smart machine?

3. What does a regular machine do?

4. Which one is a regular machine?

5. How does a smart machine "think"?

6. Which machine can learn new things?

7. A toaster pops up bread when it gets hot. Is a toaster a smart machine?

8. What is the best question to ask when deciding if a machine is smart?

9. Which of these is a smart machine?

10. Smart machines are different from regular machines because smart machines can:

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Assessment

Parent / Teacher Checklist

Lesson 2 →