Introduction
Objectives
Students will:
- Learn about Josephine Baker and her achievements.
- Develop creative writing skills by imagining a story about Josephine and her cheetah.
- Write a story with a structured beginning, middle, and end.
- Code text animations and background music to enhance their narrative.
Code Stories and Games with Elementari
Elementari allows students to easily create beautiful interactive stories with a vast library of illustrations and sounds. Using the node-based visual coding, students will code animations and music to play through this lesson. Elementari makes creative coding accessible and fun, enhancing storytelling and digital literacy skills.
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.
Coding Concepts Covered
Background MusicStudent Facing Instructions
Josephine Baker was a remarkable woman from the 1920s. Not just a famous dancer and singer, Josephine was also known for her bravery as a spy during World War II, her role as a civil rights activist, and her love for animals and adventures.
You can read her interactive story on Elementari - Discovering Josephine Baker
Now, imagine the magical moment when Josephine meets her cheetah friend for the first time.
How do you think they felt? What might have brought them together? Use your imagination to create a fun story!
You can download the worksheet to draft out the story.
Read an example story of what you will create here.
Create a title page with Josephine and her cheetah.
Introduce Josephine Baker with what you've learned about her. Then, write the narration of how Josephine meets her cheetah friend. Use the fill-in-the-blank examples to help you write!
What would Josephine and the cheetah say to each other when they first meet? Place both characters on your slide and fill the speech bubbles with their very first conversation.
Write about the exciting adventure that Josephine and her cheetah friend experience. Where do they go? What fun do they have?
Create a happy animated scene. Code your final message to animate to celebrate this friendship.
Make your story about Josephine and her cheetah friend feel even more special by coding a background music to play when the story begins!
This is your time to be creative! Add backgrounds, images, and code to really make your story unique!
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.
1A-AP-08 - Model daily processes by creating and following algorithms (sets of step-by-step instructions) to complete tasks.
1A-AP-14 - Debug (identify and fix) errors in an algorithm or program that includes sequences and simple loops.
1A-AP-10 - Develop programs with sequences and simple loops, to express ideas or address a problem.
1A-AP-11 - Decompose (break down) the steps needed to solve a problem into a precise sequence of instructions.
1A-AP-12 - Develop plans that describe a program’s sequence of events, goals, and expected outcomes.
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.