Students research a historical figure, write checkable truths and one responsible false statement, and build a scored true-or-false game with evidence-based feedback.
Pacing
2 classes · 90 min
Grade
Grade 7
Opens a private practice project in the Studio — no account needed.
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
From reading to an interactive project
Elementari is a browser-based tool for creating illustrated, interactive stories and projects. Students plan their writing in the Student Kit, then add it to a digital project in the editor, called Studio.
1
📖
Read
The reading provides background knowledge or a model of writing for students to draw on. The lesson plan explains its connection to the project.
📖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…
Students use the Student Kit's storyboard to plan and draft their project. Choose High Support, Guided Support, or Independent to adjust the writing scaffolds.
Student mission
Build an interactive true-or-false game that challenges players to spot history's myths.
2Student Kit · sneak peek
Guided Support
When the player
Key Words from the Passagesourceeditionplausiblefabrication
Glossary a kid-friendly definition for every key term
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 🕵🏾
2Create Cover Page and Variable 🎨
3Introduce the Person and Game 🎭
4Statement 1 - Design the Slide 🎨
5Incrementing the Score (1/2) ➕
6Incrementing the Score (2/2) ➕
7Setting Up Game Navigation 🧭
8Statement 2 & 3 - Duplicate 📑
9Showing the Score & Conditional Logic (1/2) 🔀
10Conditional Logic (2/2) 🔀
11Final Touches and Exploring Extensions ✨
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!
Students finish and test their projects. Work submitted through a class goes to the teacher for review; publishing a project makes it public with a shareable link.
Open these resources as web pages, then use Print to print them or save a PDF. The Student Kit supports the writing; Studio provides the on-screen build steps.
A couple of things to gather, a few quick steps to prep — then you're ready to hand it to students.
What you need
One device per student or pair
Internet connection
Student Kit or printed organizer
A device per student or pair
Prep before class
1Preview the designated builder story.
2Review the ordered milestones and Student Kit.
3Decide whether students work independently or in pairs.
Teacher background
What you need to know
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
Choose the writing support
These are the three support options in the Student Kit. Choose the scaffolds students need while keeping the same project.
High Support
More writing scaffolds
Sentence frames break the response into manageable parts
Supplied words and ideas help students get started
Students still have space to write their responses
Guided Support
A starting point for writing
Task prompts and selected sentence starters
Writing cues and word banks where supplied
Space to develop each response
Independent
Less scaffolding
The same project and required writing tasks
Open response space without the support frames
Students develop their own wording
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 prior coding knowledge is required to start. Students follow on-screen build steps in Studio. Coding difficulty describes the project's complexity; teachers may still need to help students test and revise. The lesson plan supports teaching, and the Answer Key provides sample writing responses.
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?
Use a Chromebook, laptop, desktop or tablet with a modern browser and an internet connection. The project editor does not support phones. Try the build on your class devices before teaching.
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?
The Student Kit has High Support, Guided Support and Independent writing profiles. They change the amount of scaffolding for the same project. Choose a profile in the kit before printing, and use the lesson plan's differentiation suggestions.
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.
