COMPUTER LITERACY:

FOLDERS

AND

FILES

OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to:
Define key vocabulary describing Windows Explorer, Folders and Files
Identify strategies for organizing computer documents
Apply Best Practices for organizing documents in Google Drive

DISCUSSION
1. Have you ever lost a document because you couldnt find it in your computer?
2. What strategies do you use to organize your documents?
3. Look at the Windows Explorer window below. Do you think the documents are easy or
hard to find on this computer?

Write three things that you see that make it difficult to find documents on this computer.
1. _________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________

Computer Literacy: Folders and Files

VOCABULARY
Discuss what you already know about these terms and definitions below with a
partner:
Term
1.

Windows

Explorer

2. Drive

Definition
A part of the computers operating system that shows
the contents of the computer. You can see the
drives, folders and documents on the computer by
clicking on the Windows Explorer icon. The window
is divided into areas called panes.
A place on the computer where documents are
stored. Examples of some names of drives are:
C: drive, Hard Drive, Google Drive, J: Drive, etc.

3. Document / File

An electronic copy of information that has been

created on a computer.

4. Folder

A location that stores multiple documents, or other

folders.

5. Parent Folder

A folder that has other folders inside it.

6. Subfolder

A folder that is inside a parent folder.

7. Left Pane

The section on the left of the Window Explorer

window that shows the drives and folders on the
computer.

(Navigation Pane)
8. Right Pane
(Contents Pane)

The section on the right of the Windows Explorer

window that shows the contents of the drives and
folders.

9. Expanded Folder

A folder that has been opened to show the subfolders

inside it. An expanded folder in the navigation pane
has a black arrow in front of it.

10. Collapsed Folder

A folder that has been closed to hide the subfolders

inside it. A collapsed folder in the navigation pane
has a white arrow in front of it.

11. File Path

The location of a document that includes the drive

Computer Literacy: Folders and Files

and folders where the document is located.

Examples of some file paths are:
Classwork (J:) > Level 5 > Class > Portfolio (Windows Explorer)
My Drive > My Class Work 2015 > Essays (Google Drive)

Look at this Windows Explorer window. Work with your partner to identify each of the
items. Write the number of the vocabulary term in the circle to identify it.

TASK 1 EXPLORE
Go to your Google Drive. Show your partner your files. Are your
documents organized? Do you use folders? Do your documents
have names? What things could you change to organize your
files? Write the answers to this questions in the box below.
(Dont begin organizing your Google Drive yet there will be time
to do that later in the lesson).

Computer Literacy: Folders and Files

TASK 2 EXAMPLE
Directions: Read the story below and write advice to Sandra below.
Sandra moved to the United States 4 years ago. She had a lot of things to learn to live in a
new city and for her new job. She wanted to learn how to use a computer, but it was difficult
because they were expensive, and she had a lot of bills to pay. She knew she would have to
wait a long time before she could buy a computer.
One day, it was Sandras 30th birthday, her brother surprised her with a perfect gift, and he
gave her a new laptop computer! Sandra was thrilled, especially because he volunteered to
give her lessons so she could learn how to use it and so she could begin using it immediately.
Sandra began creating as many documents as she could. She practiced typing in English,
and sometimes when she was homesick for her home country, she would type stories in her
native language - stories about what life was like before she moved to the United States. She
was getting a big collection of documents, her English was getting better and better, too, and
she wasnt feeling so homesick, either.
Several months later Sandras brother visited her, and asked to see one of the stories she had
typed on her computer. Sandra was proud to show him, and she went to the computer to look
for her favorite story. Sandra looked and looked. She had to open many documents before
she found it. When she finally found it, Sandra stood up to take the laptop over to where her
brother was sitting, but he wasnt there! She looked around, and found him lying on the floor.
It had taken Sandra so long to find her story that her brother had given up and was fast
asleep.
Sandra realized her computer was cluttered and disorganized. She wants to know if you can help her.
What advice would you give her?

_____ 1. Forget about it. Theyll never stay organized anyway.

_____ 2. Rename all the documents first. Use short, meaningful names so you can recognize
them without opening them.
_____ 3- You should try to organize them once a year. I organize mine every January 1st that way the new year will start organized.
Computer Literacy: Folders and Files

_____ 4. Look at your documents and decide if you can create groups of documents that are
similar. Make folders for these documents.
_____ 5. Ask your brother to do it - he knows how.

FOLLOW-UP EXERCISE
Organize your Google Drive
1.
Rename your documents so they have short and meaningful titles.
a. In the navigation pane, right click the document, and left click rename. Type the new name.
(use spaces between words, capital letters for the first letter of the word, if you want)
b. If the document is open, double left click on the title, and type the new name
2. Create folders for most of your documents.
a. If you have the old version of Gmail, click Create, click Folder, type a short and meaningful
name for the folder
b. If you have the new version of Gmail, click New, click +Folder, type a short and meaningful
name for the folder
3. Move documents into folders
a. On the ribbon, Left Click File
b. Left Click Move to Folder.
c. Select the folder where you want to move your document. Expand the
folders to see subfolders
d. Left Click Move
4. (Optional) Color code your folders if youd like. Make the folders you dont use very often a
darker color, and the folders you use more often a brighter color. In the Navigation Pane,
right click the folder, left click change color. Left click the color youd like to select.
5. (Optional) If there are some documents you use very often, you might decide to put them
outside all folders, that way you dont have to click open several folders to get to them each
time. Later on, when you dont use it as often, you can archive it in a folder.
6. (Optional) You might also want to think about the names of the files/folders. Since the
folders and files are organized in alphabetical order, you might want to put the ones you
use more often at the top of the list, and those you use less often at the bottom.
Computer Literacy: Folders and Files

Computer Literacy: Folders and Files