How do feedback loops make an interaction feel satisfying?
Students will be able to
Design a simple interactive game using Elementari’s visual layout tools.
Use coding blocks to track and update a variable when an object is clicked.
Incorporate animation and sound to create engaging player feedback.
Apply basic logic to trigger events when specific conditions are met (e.g. reaching 10 clicks).
Key vocabulary
programmerfeedback loopmilestone
Assessment
Formative
Use milestone checks, organizer responses, and daily test evidence to guide feedback.
Summative
The title and counter label clearly communicate the action and what is being counted. Each click increments once, visible and sound feedback occur as intended, and the ten-click reward follows the stated threshold.
The student journey
From reading to an interactive project
Elementari is a browser-based tool for creating illustrated, interactive stories and projects. Students plan their writing in the Student Kit, then add it to a digital project in the editor, called Studio.
1
📖
Read
The reading provides background knowledge or a model of writing for students to draw on. The lesson plan explains its connection to the project.
📖The Game That Was Only a Cookie
In August 2013, a French programmer who goes by the name Orteil built a game in one evening, mostly as a joke. The entire game was this: a giant cookie on the screen. Click the cookie, and a number goes up. That should have been boring. Ins…
Students use the Student Kit's storyboard to plan and draft their project. Choose High Support, Guided Support, or Independent to adjust the writing scaffolds.
Student mission
Build a cookie clicker game that counts every click and rewards the player.
2Student Kit · sneak peek
High Support
The ___ Cookie Click Challenge
Key Words from the Passageprogrammerfeedback loopmilestone
Glossary a kid-friendly definition for every key term
In the studio, students bring the project to life — adding art and following the exact writing and coding steps shown below. The Studio Compass walks them through it, one step at a time.
🧭Studio CompassStep 1 / 5
Design Your Cookie Game Screen 🎨
Choose a cookie image and a title text for your game screen.
Key words — tap to learncreate number variables
Each step checks off & advances on its own
All 5 studio steps · dynamic to the project
1Design Your Cookie Game Screen 🎨
2Create and Display Your Cookie Counter 🍪
3Make the Cookie Clickable 👆
4Challenge: Reward Every 10 Clicks 🌟
5Make It Look Awesome 🎨
4
🔁
Polish
ongoing
Teacher and peer feedback pin right onto the project — students revise until it's ready to share.
Feedback on the project2 pins
🍎
Add one more sentence here so readers get the full picture.
👍 2Teacher
A
The interaction is clear — it helps the reader follow the project!
Students finish and test their projects. Work submitted through a class goes to the teacher for review; publishing a project makes it public with a shareable link.
Open these resources as web pages, then use Print to print them or save a PDF. The Student Kit supports the writing; Studio provides the on-screen build steps.
A couple of things to gather, a few quick steps to prep — then you're ready to hand it to students.
What you need
One device per student or pair
Internet connection
Student Kit or printed organizer
A device per student or pair
Prep before class
1Preview the designated builder story.
2Review the ordered milestones and Student Kit.
3Decide whether students work independently or in pairs.
Teacher background
What you need to know
Key terms
programmer
a person who writes the instructions computers follow
feedback loop
a cycle where an action causes a response that invites the next action
milestone
a goal along the way that marks progress
Watch for these misconceptions
✕
The counter shows a number without saying what it counts. →Revise the label so {{ cookies }} appears once beside a clear noun.
✕
The ten-click reward triggers early, repeatedly in an unintended way, or not at all. →Test counts 9, 10, and 11 and inspect whether the comparison and event timing match the intended rule.
Standards alignment
Aligned to the standards you teach
Every task maps to a specific standard, so planning and reporting are covered.
Tracking 7 frameworks: Common Core ELA, Common Core Math, NGSS +4
CCSS · ELA4CSTA10ISTE73 frameworks · 21 standards · DOK 3
CCSS · ELA
Common Core State Standards — English Language Arts
4 standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.5
With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.5
With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
Also addressedCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.6 · CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.6
CSTA
CSTA K–12 Computer Science Standards
10 standards
1B-AP-09
Create programs that use variables to store and modify data.
1B-AP-15
Test and debug a program or algorithm to ensure it runs as intended.
2-AP-17
Systematically test and refine programs using a range of student-created inputs.
2-AP-11
Create clearly named variables that represent different data types and perform operations on their values.
Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts, or solving authentic problems.
ISTE 1.4.c
Students develop, test, and refine prototypes as part of a cyclical design process.
ISTE 1.6.d
Students publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for their intended audiences.
ISTE 1.5.d
Students understand how automation works and use algorithmic thinking to develop a sequence of steps to create and test automated solutions.
Also addressedISTE 1.1.c · ISTE 1.6.b · ISTE 1.5.c
Full task-by-task mapping — including Depth of Knowledge — is in the answer key.
Differentiation & accessibility
Choose the writing support
These are the three support options in the Student Kit. Choose the scaffolds students need while keeping the same project.
High Support
More writing scaffolds
Sentence frames break the response into manageable parts
Supplied words and ideas help students get started
Students still have space to write their responses
Guided Support
A starting point for writing
Task prompts and selected sentence starters
Writing cues and word banks where supplied
Space to develop each response
Independent
Less scaffolding
The same project and required writing tasks
Open response space without the support frames
Students develop their own wording
Accessibility, built inPredictable step-by-step structureOne task at a time · Studio CompassHighlighted response areasLow-stimulation printMovement-friendly pacingDesigned so every student can design, write, and code — with ADHD, autism, and dyslexia in mind.
Questions
Teacher FAQ
Do I — or my students — need to know how to code?
No prior coding knowledge is required to start. Students follow on-screen build steps in Studio. Coding difficulty describes the project's complexity; teachers may still need to help students test and revise. The lesson plan supports teaching, and the Answer Key provides sample writing responses.
How long does this lesson take?
About 40, paced into 45-minute class periods. You can spread it out or compress it — students pick up where they left off, so it doesn't have to finish in one sitting.
What devices does this lesson work on?
Use a Chromebook, laptop, desktop or tablet with a modern browser and an internet connection. The project editor does not support phones. Try the build on your class devices before teaching.
What is Studio Compass?
Studio Compass is the step-by-step guide inside the Studio. It shows students what to do next, identifies the exact coding blocks they need, and confirms completed milestones so they can keep moving independently.
How does this lesson support different learners?
The Student Kit has High Support, Guided Support and Independent writing profiles. They change the amount of scaffolding for the same project. Choose a profile in the kit before printing, and use the lesson plan's differentiation suggestions.
Ready when you are
Bring this lesson to your class
Import your class, assign in one click, and watch them build — the whole kit comes with it.
