Research and craft true and false statements about a historical figure.
Design an interactive game with a dynamic scoring system.
Code conditional logic to direct game flow based on player responses.
Share their projects, demonstrating their learning and creativity.
Key vocabulary
sourceeditionplausiblefabrication
Assessment
Formative
Use milestone checks, organizer responses, and daily test evidence to guide feedback.
Summative
The introduction and statements are accurate where intended, the false statement is responsible, and the feedback encourages evidence checking. Each button changes the score according to the answer key, navigation proceeds in order, and the final condition shows the correct feedback.
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 Lie About Not Lying
A small boy takes a hatchet to his father's prized cherry tree. When his father demands to know who did it, the boy squares his shoulders and answers, "I cannot tell a lie." For two hundred years, American schoolchildren learned this as the…
SourcesGeorge Washington's Mount Vernon — The Cherry Tree MythEncyclopaedia Britannica — Mason Locke Weems
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 / 11
Research and Plan Your Game 🕵🏾
Choose a historical figure and research to find three true statements and two myths or false statements about them. Plan the layout of your game. Use the worksheet Historical Truth
Key words — tap to learncreate number variables
Each step checks off & advances on its own
All 11 studio steps · dynamic to the project
1Research and Plan Your Game 🕵🏾~20 min
2Create Cover Page and Variable 🎨~10 min
3Introduce the Person and Game 🎭~10 min
4Statement 1 - Design the Slide 🎨~10 min
5Incrementing the Score (1/2) ➕~5 min
6Incrementing the Score (2/2) ➕~5 min
7Setting Up Game Navigation 🧭~5 min
8Statement 2 & 3 - Duplicate 📑~10 min
9Showing the Score & Conditional Logic (1/2) 🔀~10 min
10Conditional Logic (2/2) 🔀~5 min
11Final Touches and Exploring Extensions ✨~10 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 a claim about the past is only as strong as its sources — who recorded it, when, and whether anything independent confirms it. They apply this by researching checkable claims about a real figure, engineering one responsible false statement they can explain, and building a game that rewards players for demanding evidence, not for guessing style.
Key terms
source
the person, document, or record a piece of information comes from
edition
one version of a printed book; later editions can add or change material
plausible
believable enough that it could be true
fabrication
a story or detail someone invented and presented as real
Watch for these misconceptions
✕
A false statement relies on a stereotype or harmful distortion. →Replace it with a plausible error about a date, place, sequence, or contribution that the sources can correct.
✕
The score changes on the wrong answer or the final condition uses the wrong total. →Make an answer key with the intended increment for each page, then test all response paths.
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 · ELA10CSTA8ISTE11AASL3C325 frameworks · 34 standards · DOK 3
CCSS · ELA
Common Core State Standards — English Language Arts
10 standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
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.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.7
Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related questions when appropriate.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.8
Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, assess source credibility and accuracy, quote or paraphrase while avoiding plagiarism, and follow a standard citation format.
Systematically test and refine programs using a range of student-created inputs.
3A-AP-16
Design and iteratively develop computational artifacts for practical intent, personal expression, or to address a societal issue.
2-AP-11
Create clearly named variables that represent different data types and perform operations on their values.
2-AP-13
Decompose problems and subproblems into parts to facilitate the design, implementation, and review of programs.
Also addressed3A-AP-19 · 2-AP-15 · 2-AP-19 · 3A-AP-23
ISTE
ISTE Standards for Students
11 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.
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 1.3.a · ISTE 1.3.b · ISTE 1.1.c · ISTE 1.6.b · ISTE 1.6.c · ISTE 1.5.c · ISTE 1.3.d
AASL
AASL National School Library Standards
3 standards
AASL I.A.1
Learners display curiosity and initiative by formulating questions about a personal interest or a curricular topic.
Also addressedAASL I.B.1 · AASL I.B.3
C3
C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards
2 standards
C3 D2.His.10.6-8
Compare information provided by different historical sources about the past.
Also addressedC3 D2.His.10.9-12
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 100, 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.
