Introduction
Engage students in the life cycle of a tree through research and storytelling. In this lesson, students will research a specific tree species and create an interactive story using Elementari. The story will follow the tree's journey from seed to maturity, incorporating coding animations and interactive elements to bring the story to life. Scaffolded sentence starters and fill-in-the-blanks will guide students through the writing process.
Objectives
Students will:
- Research and gather information about a chosen tree species, including characteristics, environment, and its role in nature.
- Write a story about the tree’s life cycle, using sentence starters and scaffolded writing organizers to structure the narrative.
- Code simple animations in Elementari to make the tree's growth stages interactive and engaging.
- Publish the completed interactive story to share with classmates and reflect on the importance of trees.
Code Stories and Games with Elementari
In this lesson, students will leverage Elementari’s creative coding platform to write and animate their interactive story. Elementari makes coding fun and accessible, integrating arts and literacy to encourage creativity. Students will code the growth stages of their tree, from seed to maturity, using simple animation blocks, and add interactive features like speech bubbles, sounds, and background images to enhance the learning experience.
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.
Lesson Resources
Coding Concepts Covered
Functions in Sequence Function in Parallel Loop Relative PositionStudent Instructions
Pick a Tree: Choose a tree species (e.g., oak, maple, or pine). Research its leaves, bark, seeds, environment, and importance. Here's some website to help:
Britannica Kids: Trees – Learn about tree species and their life cycle.
Woodland Trust: British Trees – Explore different types of British trees.
Fill Out the Research Organizer: Use the Google Doc or print the worksheet to organize what you learned about the tree's characteristics and importance.
Complete the Writing Organizer: Use the Google Doc or print the worksheet to outline the tree's life cycle for your story (seed, seedling, full-grown tree).
Design and write the title page of your story.
Introduce your tree as a seed including the name, type, and growing conditions (climate, soil, sun). Add a picture of the seed.
Code the animation sequence (or steps) in a loop:
- The seed will move to the right
- The seed will move to the left.
Describe how the seed sprouts into a small seedling. Use the research to describe the first leaves and roots of your tree.
Describe how the tree matures. Include research details about its full size, bark, and ecological role.
Explain why your tree is important for the environment and how humans and animals benefit from it.
Make it Pretty: Add backgrounds and more images to each page. Change the font of the text.
Use Dialogue: Add more speech bubbles to make the tree or animals "talk" as part of the story.
Code Animations: Add more animations to your tree or characters.
Add Sounds: Include sound effects, music, or recorded voiceovers.
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.
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