Design their pages with images and backgrounds to create an appealing scene.
Compose their page to hide a character or object on the page .
Key vocabulary
octopusblendclue
Assessment
Formative
Use milestone checks, organizer responses, and daily test evidence to guide feedback.
Summative
The title and two sentences establish a search and provide a useful clue without naming the exact location. The character is genuinely findable, and the page design guides careful looking without accidental distractions.
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.
📖The Octopus Vanishes
An octopus sits on a rock. Now look again. Where did it go? It is still there. In one second, the octopus changed its color to match the rock. It even made its smooth skin bumpy, like the rock's bumps. A hungry fish swims right past and see…
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 / 2
Create a Title Page
Key words — tap to learnOn Click
Each step checks off & advances on its own
All 2 studio steps · dynamic to the project
1Create a Title Page~6 min
2Create your first page!~7 min
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 hiding and finding are two halves of one design. Camouflage works by matching colors and shapes to the background — but a searcher succeeds because some small clue stays visible. They apply this by hiding a character in their page so it blends, while leaving one fair clue and a sentence that invites the reader to hunt.
Key terms
octopus
a soft sea animal with eight arms
blend
to match the things around you so you are hard to see
clue
a small hint that helps someone find or figure something out
Watch for these misconceptions
✕
The sentence gives away the exact location. →Replace the location with a clue about color, shape, or nearby objects.
✕
The hidden character is completely covered or too small to find. →Have a classmate search silently for twenty seconds; then adjust size, contrast, or overlap.
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 · ELA3ISTE62 frameworks · 9 standards · DOK 3
CCSS · ELA
Common Core State Standards — English Language Arts
3 standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.3
Write narratives that recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details, use temporal words, and provide closure.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.5
With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.
Also addressedCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.6
ISTE
ISTE Standards for Students
6 standards
ISTE 1.4.a
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.
Also addressedISTE 1.1.c · ISTE 1.6.b · ISTE 1.6.c
Full task-by-task mapping — including Depth of Knowledge — is in the answer key.
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 13, 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.
