3.
Student Activity
Student Activity: Practicing Basic Linux Commands
Objective: This activity is designed to help beginners practice and understand basic Linux
commands by applying them in a real Linux environment. By the end of this activity, students
should be comfortable navigating the Linux file system and performing basic file operations.
1. Navigating the File System
Example 1: Using pwd
1. Objective: Determine your current directory.
Command: pwd
Expected Output: Displays the path of the current directory, e.g., /home/student .
2. Example 2: Listing Files with ls
3. Objective: List all files and directories in the current directory.
Command: ls
Expected Output: Displays a list of files and directories, e.g., Documents Downloads
Pictures .
4. Example 3: Changing Directories with cd
5. Objective: Navigate to the Documents directory.
Command: cd Documents
Expected Output: Changes the current directory to Documents .
2. Managing Files and Directories
Example 1: Creating a File with touch
1. Objective: Create an empty file named example.txt .
Command: touch example.txt
Expected Output: A new file named example.txt is created in the current directory.
2. Example 2: Creating a Directory with mkdir
3. Objective: Create a new directory named project .
Command: mkdir project
Expected Output: A new directory named project is created in the current
directory.
4. Example 3: Copying Files with cp
5. Objective: Copy example.txt into the project directory.
Command: cp example.txt project/
Expected Output: example.txt is copied into the project directory.
3. Moving and Renaming Files
Example 1: Moving Files with mv
1. Objective: Move example.txt from the current directory to the project directory.
Command: mv example.txt project/
Expected Output: example.txt is moved to the project directory.
2. Example 2: Renaming Files with mv
3. Objective: Rename example.txt to sample.txt within the project directory.
Command: mv project/example.txt project/sample.txt
Expected Output: example.txt is renamed to sample.txt in the project
directory.
4. Example 3: Removing Files with rm
5. Objective: Delete sample.txt from the project directory.
Command: rm project/sample.txt
Expected Output: sample.txt is deleted from the project directory.
4. Viewing and Editing Files
Example 1: Viewing File Contents with cat
1. Objective: Display the contents of sample.txt .
Command: cat project/sample.txt
Expected Output: Displays the contents of sample.txt .
2. Example 2: Editing Files with nano
3. Objective: Open sample.txt in the nano text editor.
Command: nano project/sample.txt
Expected Output: Opens sample.txt in nano for editing.
4. Example 3: Saving and Exiting nano
5. Objective: Save changes and exit nano .
Steps: Press Ctrl + O to save, then Enter , and Ctrl + X to exit.
Expected Output: Changes are saved, and you exit the nano editor.
Conclusion
By completing these exercises, students will gain hands-on experience with basic Linux
commands, enhancing their understanding of the Linux file system and command-line
operations. Encourage students to explore further by creating more files and directories,
experimenting with different commands, and asking questions if they encounter any issues.
Happy practicing!
