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Elementari

Special Oak Tree 🌳

Designed by:

Introduction

Create your own interactive story about a special oak tree! Learn why oak trees are important and how they help the environment. Write a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end, including a setting, characters, and a problem that gets solved. Use Elementari to add animations and interactive elements that bring your story to life.

Subjects:
Grades: K-5
Estimated Time For Completion: 90 mins

Objectives

Students will:

  • Explore the characteristics of oak trees and understand why they are important.
  • Create an interactive story using Elementari that includes key elements of storytelling such as setting, characters, a clear beginning, middle (problem and solution), and end.
  • Code simple animations and interactive features to enhance the storytelling experience.
  • Publish and share their finished story with classmates and others.

Code Stories and Games with Elementari

In this lesson, students will use Elementari to create and code their interactive story about a special oak tree. Elementari is as easy to use as a slides or presentation tool, but with the added ability to make stories interactive. Students can design their story with images and backgrounds, just like making a slideshow, and easily add animations and interactive elements. This platform helps students develop their storytelling skills while introducing them to basic coding in a fun, accessible way.

New to Elementari? Click on the orange Start button to jump right into the lesson for free. Check out our Getting Started Guide for an overview of how Elementari works with your class. Get started for free for up to 35 student accounts.

Teacher Notes

Additional Resources:

Enhancement Tips:

  • Discussion: Start with a class talk about the importance of trees and their role in the environment.
  • Science Tie-In: Pair this lesson with a science unit on plant life cycles and ecosystems.
  • Assessment: Let students present their stories, explaining the problem, solution, and tree importance.

Lesson Resources

Writing Organizer
Writing Example

Coding Concepts Covered

Function in Parallel Loop

Student Instructions

1. Introduction and Pre-Writing 🌳 (15 mins)

1) Learn about oak trees. You can...


2) Plan your story with the google doc writing organizer or print out worksheet to write it out with a pencil and paper.

View Example Project

2. Coding the Title Page 📝 (5 mins)

Design and code the cover of your book. Add a title, a background image, and animate your title.

3. Introduction 📜 (10 mins)

Write the beginning of your story. Introduce the oak tree! Where does the story take place? Who is your oak tree's friend?

4. Coding Animations (1/2) 🖱️ (7 mins)

Let's code! Make the speech bubble appear when you click on the tree.

5. Coding Animations (2/2) 🖱️ (8 mins)

Code your tree's friend to bounce a couple of times when clicked!

6. The Problem 🤔 (10 mins)

What is the problem in your story?

7. The Solution 💡 (10 mins)

How does your story get better?

8. The Conclusion 🎉 (10 mins)

How does your story end?

9. Make it Pretty and Add Some Fun! ✨ (15 mins)

Use your creativity to add special touches to each page. Some ideas:

Decorate the Pages: Add a background, change the text font and color, and add images.

Add Background Music: Choose a song to play when the page starts.

Animate Characters: Make characters move.

Submit your project for your teacher to publish. You can then share it with you friends and family.

Project Example for Students

Play through this lesson's example project created on Elementari. Use this example to guide and motivate your students.

Standards

CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards (2017)

Algorithms & Programming

  • 1B-AP-10 - Create programs that include sequences, events, loops, and conditionals.

  • 1B-AP-11 - Decompose (break down) problems into smaller, manageable subproblems to facilitate the program development process.

  • 1B-AP-12 - Modify, remix, or incorporate portions of an existing program into one's own work, to develop something new or add more advanced features.

  • 1B-AP-15 - Test and debug (identify and fix errors) a program or algorithm to ensure it runs as intended.

  • 1A-AP-08 - Model daily processes by creating and following algorithms (sets of step-by-step instructions) to complete tasks.

  • 1A-AP-14 - Debug (identify and fix) errors in an algorithm or program that includes sequences and simple loops.

  • 1A-AP-10 - Develop programs with sequences and simple loops, to express ideas or address a problem.

  • 1A-AP-11 - Decompose (break down) the steps needed to solve a problem into a precise sequence of instructions.

  • 1A-AP-12 - Develop plans that describe a program’s sequence of events, goals, and expected outcomes.

ISTE Student Standards

Creative Communicator

  • 6b - Students create original works or responsibly repurpose or remix digital resources into new creations.

  • 6d - Students publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for their intended audiences.

  • 6c - Students communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such as visualizations, models or simulations.

Computational Thinker

  • 5a - Students formulate problem definitions suited for technology-assisted methods such as data analysis, abstract models and algorithmic thinking in exploring and finding solutions.

Innovative Designer

  • 4a - Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.

  • 4d - Students exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance and the capacity to work with open-ended problems.

  • 4c - Students develop, test and refine prototypes as part of a cyclical design process.

  • 4b - Students select and use digital tools to plan and manage a design process that considers design constraints and calculated risks.

AASL Standards

Inquire

  • I.A.2 - Recalling prior and background knowledge as context for new meaning

  • I.B.3 - Generating products that illustrate learning.

  • I.C.4 - Sharing products with an authentic audience.

About the Designer

Take Action Global is a leading education non-profit committed to climate education for all. Over five years, TAG has served over 4.7 million students and educators from 160+ countries through online learning programs and has supported over 2 million tree plantings.

Learn about more ways to take action for the planet through climate education, sustainability, and global collaboration:

  • EarthProject App: free iOS/Android app for youth to track actions, create teams, and see collective impact for the planet
  • Climate Action Project: annual Fall online project for global K-12 classrooms
  • Climate Action Day: annual online event for global classrooms celebrating climate education as a solution for climate change
  • Climate Action Schools: full school program for 100 schools
  • Goals Project: annual winter online project for global PreK-University classrooms focused on the UN Sustainable Development Goals
  • Coding for Climate: annual March/April project for global K-12 classrooms

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