← Years 5–6 Digital Systems

Storage devices

Hardware that keeps data permanently, even when the power is off. Examples are a hard disk drive, solid state drive and USB flash drive, which differ in storage capacity.

Part of: 5-6 Digital Technologies Vic Curric - Digital Systems & Security — Module 10, 7-8 Digital Technologies Vic Curric - Digital Systems and Security — Module 8, ACARA Digital Technologies Years 5–6 — Inside Digital Systems — Module 8, ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8 — Hardware and Performance — Module 21

Understanding Storage devices in Years 5–6 Digital Systems

What it does: A USB flash drive is a portable storage device that keeps data permanently without power. A number with a unit such as GB or TB shows the storage capacity of a device. 1 terabyte (TB) is about 1000 gigabytes (GB), so a 1 TB drive can hold much more than a 64 GB drive.

Common mistakes: A storage device keeps data even when the power is off. The message should say the data is kept, so the line should be print("Data is kept"). A for loop line must end with a colon. It should be for d in drives:.

Class: _____________________  ·  Name: _____________________  ·  Date: _________

Free printable worksheet with full answer key — or add this module to a class and your students practise it interactively.

🖨 Print worksheet + answer key Add Storage devices to a class →

This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 1–10) and word search (Modules 1–20).

Take this worksheet further — free with Cloodit

Each concept is reinforced from every angle — learned, then applied, then tested.

Learning
Duo
Which statement is true about a storage device?
It keeps data even when the power is offIt loses all its data when the power is off
Matches
A storage device loses all its data when the power is turned off.
↓
This describes temporary memory (RAM). A storage device keeps data permanently, even when the power is off.
Applying
Meanings
Term
storage device
Meaning
Hardware that keeps data permanently, even when the power is off. Examples are a hard disk drive, solid state drive and USB flash drive, which differ in storage capacity.
Practice
storage device: keeps data when power is off
Testing
Gaps
A
Check Answer
Spots
3if not power_on:
4 print("Data is lost")

Cloodit turns curriculum-aligned coding content into journeys students work through one biome at a time.

The 'Squirrel' badge — Module Hoarder, one of Cloodit's 106 collectible badges
Students earn collectable badges

Over 100 of them, across seven natural biomes.

Study Buddy
Students build a real study resource

Turns their work into revision material ready for Flash Cards and Exam study.

Diamond Dash — one of Cloodit's live, competitive Sprint games
Students lock in with Sprints

Live, competitive practice for the start of the lesson or a teacher-led lesson finisher.

A Cloodit certificate of achievement, ready to personalise and print
Custom printable certificates

Honour your top performers, or encourage a student who's trying hard — ready to print in seconds.

Add to class →

Quick Questions

1. Which statement is true about a storage device?
A. It loses all its data when the power is off
B. It keeps data even when the power is off ✓
A storage device keeps data permanently. Memory (RAM) is the part that loses data when power goes off.
2. Which one is a storage device?
A. Solid state drive (SSD) ✓
B. Computer monitor
An SSD stores files permanently. A monitor is an output device that only shows what the computer sends to it.
3. Which storage device is small enough to carry on a keyring and plug into a USB port?
A. USB flash drive ✓
B. Hard disk drive inside a desktop
A USB flash drive is small and portable. A hard disk drive is usually fixed inside the computer.
4. What does storage capacity tell you?
A. How much data the device can hold ✓
B. How fast the device can print pages
Storage capacity is the amount of data a device can keep, measured in units like gigabytes (GB) or terabytes (TB).
5. Which is true about a hard disk drive (HDD)?
A. It can only hold data while the computer is on
B. It stores data on spinning disks inside it ✓
An HDD uses spinning disks to keep data, and it keeps that data when the power is off.

Match the Pairs

HDD → A hard disk drive that stores data on spinning magnetic disks and often has a large storage capacity
SSD → A solid state drive that stores data on memory chips with no moving parts, and keeps it when the power is off
A small, portable storage device that plugs into a USB port and keeps your files when unplugged → USB flash drive
Storage capacity is how much data a storage device can hold, measured in units like gigabytes and terabytes → 256 GB
A storage device loses all its data when the power is turned off. → This describes temporary memory (RAM). A storage device keeps data permanently, even when the power is off.
A 64 GB USB flash drive can hold more data than a 1 TB hard disk drive. → A terabyte is much bigger than a gigabyte, so 1 TB has a greater storage capacity than 64 GB.

Key Term

storage device
Hardware that keeps data permanently, even when the power is off. Examples are a hard disk drive, solid state drive and USB flash drive, which differ in storage capacity.

Fill in the Blanks

1. A storage device keeps data when power is off.
Hint: Type the two-word term for hardware that keeps data permanently.
2. A USB flash drive is a small, portable store.
Hint: Type the name of the small storage device that plugs into a USB port and fits in a pocket.
3. A hard disk drive stores data on spinning disks.
Hint: Type the name of the storage device that uses spinning magnetic platters.
4. A solid state drive has no moving parts.
Hint: Type the name of the fast storage device that uses memory chips instead of spinning disks.
5. Storage capacity is how much data it can hold.
Hint: Type the word for the amount of data a storage device can hold.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A drive = "SSD"
B power_on = False
C if not power_on:
D print("Data is lost")
Line D — A storage device keeps data even when the power is off. The message should say the data is kept, so the line should be print("Data is kept").
Question 2
A drives = ["HDD", "SSD", "USB"]
B for d in drives
C print(d, "stores data")
Line B — A for loop line must end with a colon. It should be for d in drives:
Question 3
A cap_gb = 256
B used_gb = 100
C free_gb = cap_gb + used_gb
D print(free_gb)
Line C — Free space is the storage capacity minus the space already used. It should use - instead of +.
Question 4
A capacity gb = 1000
B unit = "GB"
C print(capacity_gb, unit)
Line A — Variable names cannot contain spaces. It should be capacity_gb = 1000 with an underscore.
Question 5
A storage = "SSD"
B if storage = "SSD":
C print("No moving parts")
Line B — A single = assigns a value. To compare in an if statement you need ==, so it should be if storage == "SSD":

Student with a class code? Join your class →