Invite students to freely creatively code stories and games with this lesson. The sandbox environment allows them to explore and collaborate at their own pace.
Pacing
1 class · 0 min
Grade
Grade 7
Students codeOn Click
Opens a private practice project in the Studio — no account needed.
Why do strong creative projects start with one clear idea?
Students will be able to
Explore the Elementari platform to create interactive stories.
Write their own narratives and design story elements.
Code interactive features to enhance their stories.
Develop digital literacy and creative writing skills.
Key vocabulary
engineerpromisetavern
Assessment
Formative
Use milestone checks, organizer responses, and daily test evidence to guide feedback.
Summative
The project has a clear purpose, coherent words, and a beginning-to-ending experience rather than unrelated content. At least one READER action produces an understandable response, and every added effect supports the stated promise.
The student journey
This is a build — not a worksheet packet
Every lesson runs like the story students are about to make: read it, write it, build it, polish it, publish it. The printables scaffold each stage — the published Elementari project is the destination.
1
📖
Read
Students read a short, high-interest passage — a real-world hook, not a dry textbook definition — to spark ideas for what they'll make.
📖Two Paddles, One Ball, One Rule
In 1972, a young engineer named Allan Alcorn built a video game as a practice project — his boss wanted to see what he could do. The game could hardly have been simpler. Two paddles. One bouncing ball. On the machine, a single instruction: …
SourcesComputer History Museum — Pong and the early video game industryEncyclopaedia Britannica — Pong
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 / 1
Create For Fun
Have fun writing and coding your own interactive story on Elementari!
Key words — tap to learnOn Click
Each step checks off & advances on its own
All 1 studio steps · dynamic to the project
1Create For Fun
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!
A couple of things to gather, a few quick steps to prep — then you're ready to hand it to students.
What you need
A device per student or pair
Internet connection
Prep · about 10 min
1Print the student kits
2Assign this lesson to your students
3Skim the build steps
Teacher background
What you need to know
Students learn that a project succeeds when its maker can name the one experience it promises — what the audience will see, do, and feel — and makes that promise work before adding more. They apply this in the sandbox by choosing a single clear promise for their interactive story and building it until it works, then growing it.
Key terms
engineer
a person who designs and builds machines or systems
promise
the one experience a project tells its audience to expect
tavern
a place where people gather to eat and drink
Watch for these misconceptions
✕
Students collect unrelated images or effects without a clear experience. →Pause building until the AUTHOR can state the READER action and payoff in one sentence.
✕
The project keeps expanding before the first interaction works. →Require one complete beginning-action-response loop before any optional additions.
Differentiation & accessibility
Built to reach every learner
One lesson, three built-in paths — with accessibility baked into the materials, not bolted on afterward.
Extra support
Emerging readers & writers
Read-aloud and multilingual support in the Elementari build
Studio Compass highlights one task at a time — including the coding
Sentence frames and a word bank so it is never a blank page
On grade
The core lesson
The passage and storyboard exactly as written
Model answers and “look-fors” in the answer key
Self-check chips at every milestone
Ready for more
Extension & challenge
Challenge vocabulary and a real-world extension question
Deepen one existing page or interaction — without changing the required mechanics
A longer, evidence-based reflection prompt
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. Coding concepts are introduced in plain language exactly when students need them, and Studio Compass confirms each milestone so students keep moving without you troubleshooting. The teacher guide walks you through the whole build, answers included.
How long does this lesson take?
About 0.0, 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?
Students can read, write, code, and publish on Chromebooks, iPads, tablets, laptops, or desktops. All they need is a modern browser — nothing to download or install.
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?
This lesson includes read-to-me with synchronized highlighting, a built-in glossary, and picture-based storyboarding, with writing and coding scaffolds you can dial up or down. Students can work with guided support or more independently — and still finish the same project.
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.
