Computing · Stage 6

The Web: Pages & Reliability

Programs & Judgement · networks — how a web page is built from HTML tags, and how the web keeps working when parts fail

✦ Computing📘 Stage 6 · S6⏱ ~13 min🧒 Ages 10–12★ Free to start

I can explain how a page is built and how the web stays reliable.

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Kavi Peeks Behind a Page

Kavi loved one website so much that Kavi asked, "What is a page really made of?" So Kavi peeked behind it — and instead of a picture, there was just text with little labels in pointy brackets: a label for the title, a label for each paragraph, a label for every picture and link. "These labels are called tags," Kavi learned, "and the whole thing is written in HTML. The browser reads the tags from top to bottom and builds the page for me." Then Kavi wondered something scary: "What if a computer out there breaks while I'm reading?" Kavi looked — and the page did not even flinch. "Because the web never trusts just one of anything," Kavi hooted. "The same page lives on many computers, joined by many paths. If one fails, another quietly takes over. That is why the web is so hard to knock down. Built from tags, kept alive by spares — clever!"

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What your child will learn

1HTML: text with tagsA web page is written in HTML — short for HyperText Markup Language. HTML is just text with tags. A tag is a little label in angle brackets, like , that tells the browser what each part is. A paragraph looks like Hello! — an opening tag, the words, then a closing tag. Tap each part to see its job.

2A browser turns HTML into a pageBuilding a page is a little program — steps in order. The browser fetches the HTML text, then reads it from the top, one tag at a time, and draws each part as it goes. Press ▶ Run and watch the whole page appear.

3One of everything, or many?The internet was built to keep working even when parts break. The trick is simple: never depend on just one of anything. Compare the two designs and you will see why the whole web is built the second way. Tap each card.

4What reliability actually doesReliability is not magic — it is a plan the web follows whenever something breaks. Watch what happens when the very first server you ask is down. Tap each step.

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A peek inside

Rafi peeks at the code behind a web page and sees Hello!. What language is the page written in, and what are the two parts called?

a page is HTML — text with tags that label each part

Try this at home: A web page is written in a language called ____ (short for HyperText Markup Language).

Ready to play and learn?

Start the free interactive lesson, or print the handout for screen-free play.

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Part of Computing · Stage 6 · S6 on KAVI Academy — a secular, whole-child learning platform for ages 5–12.