Session 4: Files, Folders & File Explorer
At a glance: pupils can explain files and folders, find their way round File Explorer, create a folder with a clean BIH name, and use Save As to put their first file exactly where they want it. · Time: 90 minutes (adjust the timings if your period is shorter) · Workbook pages: 6
Learning outcomes
By the end of the session, pupils can:
- Explain the difference between a file and a folder, and read a path from drive to file.
- Open File Explorer with Win + E and name its Address Bar, Navigation Pane and main display area.
- Create a new folder and name files using the BIH formula, avoiding the nine forbidden characters.
- Use Save As to save a Notepad file into BIH_Practice, use Save (Ctrl + S) to update it, and find it again.
Before the session
- Check that each PC has a Documents folder pupils are allowed to write to.
- Find out whether the PCs reset themselves on restart (for example, "freeze" software). If they do, today's BIH_Practice folder will not survive to Session 5, so plan to save to a USB stick or a folder that is not wiped.
- Record which station each pupil uses. Session 5 starts from the file they save today.
- Clear old BIH_Practice folders from earlier groups (check with the teacher in charge first).
- Open The Filing Tree lab on the projector PC and test it. Keep an offline copy on USB.
- Bring a real manila folder to show the analogy.
Running order
| Time | Activity | Workbook | What the mentor does |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–10 min | Files vs folders and the filing hierarchy | Page 1 | Use the staff-room pile story and a real folder. Trace the path in Figure 4.0. |
| 10–20 min | Meeting File Explorer | Page 2 | Everyone presses Win + E. Point out the Address Bar, Navigation Pane and the four personal folders. |
| 20–35 min | Creating folders, the naming standard, forbidden characters | Page 3 | Demonstrate right-click, New, Folder. Pupils do Spot the Bad Names. |
| 35–47 min | Save vs Save As and the Ctrl + S habit | Page 4 | Walk through Figure 4.2 step by step. Link Ctrl + S to dumsor. |
| 47–60 min | 3D lab: The Filing Tree | None | Demonstrate on the projector, then pairs try the missions. |
| 60–78 min | Guided lab: your first saved file | Page 5 | Pupils do all five steps. Check every pupil's Proof Test. |
| 78–90 min | Review and sign-off | Page 6 | Pupils build their paper folder tree. Go through the answers, then sign off. |
Key ideas and how to explain them
- File vs folder: a file is the content, like one sheet of homework. A folder is a labelled container, like a manila folder on a shelf. A folder holds no text of its own.
- The path is an address: drive (the filing cabinet), main folder (the drawer), subfolder (a folder inside a folder), then the file. Teach pupils to check the Address Bar to see where they are.
- The BIH naming formula: Subject or Project, Topic, Your name, joined with underscores. On shared school PCs, names like doc1 or homework get lost straight away.
- Save As vs Save: Save As "gives birth" to a file and asks where and what name. Save quietly updates it. Press Ctrl + S every five minutes to beat dumsor.
The 3D lab
Use The Filing Tree. On the projector, demonstrate opening the "Science" folder under Documents, then click a file to show its full path. Compare this with the Address Bar on Page 2. In pairs, pupils then do the rename mission using the BIH standard (no spaces, underscores instead). Encourage them to try a forbidden character such as ? or : first. The lab refuses it and lists the same nine forbidden characters as Page 3. Leave the copy, cut, delete and restore missions for Session 5.
Common mistakes and quick fixes
| Pupils often… | Try this |
|---|---|
| Click away while "New folder" is highlighted, leaving it named "New folder" | Click it once, press F2 and type the name again. Remind them not to click, just type straight away. |
| Save into the wrong place because they skip step 1 in Save As | Check the Address Bar in the Save As box before typing the name. |
| Use spaces, apostrophes or exclamation marks in names | Point to the "BAD" column on Page 3 and swap in underscores. |
| Cannot see ".txt" at the end of their file in File Explorer | Windows often hides extensions. "Profile_AmaMensah" with a Notepad icon is the same file. |
| Lose the file after saving | Use the Page 4 panic button: Win + E, then Quick access or Home, then Recent Files. |
When things go wrong
- No internet: this whole session works offline. Use the USB copy of the 3D lab or draw the filing tree on the board.
- Not enough PCs: pairs share a PC but each pupil makes and saves their own profile file in the same BIH_Practice folder. The naming formula keeps them apart.
- A PC freezes or the power goes: this is the moment to teach Ctrl + S. If they saved, the file is still there after the restart. If they did not, they retype the three sentences and save straight away.
Answer key
Spot the Bad Names (Page 3) B. SocialStudies_Rivers_KwesiAppiah.txt is the only safe name. A contains : and /. C contains ? and *.
Build a Paper Folder Tree (Page 6) Look for: three real school subjects (for example Science, Mathematics, English, Social_Studies) written in the three subfolder boxes under My_School_Subjects, with no forbidden characters. Underscores instead of spaces is a bonus.
Written review questions
- Look for: a file is a single piece of saved work that holds content (text, a drawing, sound). A folder is a container that holds and organises files or other folders but has no content of its own. The paper vs manila folder analogy is a good answer.
- Win + E (hold the Windows key and tap E).
- Look for: the name says nothing about the subject, topic or owner, so on a shared school computer it gets lost, mixed up with other people's work, or replaced by someone else's file with the same name.
Support and stretch
- Needs more support: do the guided lab alongside them one step at a time, saying each Save As decision aloud: where, then what name.
- Finished early: create a subfolder called Notes inside BIH_Practice (Session 5 uses it). Then build the My_School_Subjects tree from Page 6 for real in Documents.
Evidence for sign-off
Before you sign, watch the pupil do all of these:
- Open File Explorer with Win + E and say which folder they are in from the Address Bar.
- Create the BIH_Practice folder with the correct name.
- Save their profile file with Save As into BIH_Practice, using a correct BIH-style name.
- Close Notepad, then reopen the file from File Explorer (the Proof Test).
- Add a sentence, press Ctrl + S, then close and reopen to show the change was saved.
Safety and wellbeing
The profile sentences use a first name and school only. Do not let pupils add phone numbers, home addresses or photos. Pupils must not open, rename or delete other people's folders on a shared PC. If in doubt, ask a mentor first.