Students write and build a short interactive story about Pip's journey from a damaged nest to a safe place. The work focuses on choosing setting details, a single obstacle, movement words that trigger the character, and one sensory detail at landing. Students will read a short nonfiction passage about how small birds stay safe in storms, draft text in the Organizer, then copy, design, and add simple interactions so readers can say commands to move Pip.
Pacing
2–3 days · 3 × 45 min
Grade
Grade 3
Coding
Beginner
Students codeCollision (when sprites touch)Speech bubbleWhen page startsRun at the same time
Opens a private practice project in the Studio — no account needed.
How do small birds find shelter and stay safe in a storm?
Students will be able to
TITLE PAGE
Garden path
Pip and a safe place
Storm obstacle
Movement words
Key vocabulary
fledglingsettingshelter
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.
Lesson Flow · Pacing: 2–3 days · 3 × 45 min Design & code: ~60 min
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.
📖How Small Birds Stay Safe in a Storm
When dark clouds roll in and the wind starts to blow, small birds stop flying around. Stormy air makes flying hard work, so they find a safe place and wait. Many small birds hide inside a thick hedge or a bushy evergreen tree. Thick leaves …
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 / 9
TITLE PAGE
Write a title for the cover; readers see it appear as the opening music sets the scene.
Key words — tap to learnOn Pronounce
Each step checks off & advances on its own
All 9 studio steps · dynamic to the project
1TITLE PAGEabout 0 min
2Garden pathabout 5 min
3Pip and a safe placeabout 5 min
4Storm obstacleabout 5 min
5Movement wordsabout 10 min
6Animate Pip when 'up' spokenabout 10 min
7Animate Pip when 'right' spokenabout 10 min
8Advance to landing on collisionabout 10 min
9Safe landingabout 5 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!
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
A device per student or pair
Internet connection
Provided background reading
Student Organizer
A microphone (for recording or speech-trigger activities)
Headphones or speakers
Prep before class
1Print the student organizers
2Assign this lesson to your students
3Skim the build steps
Teacher background
What you need to know
Key terms
fledgling
A young bird that has just left the nest and is still learning to fly.
setting
Where and when a story happens.
shelter
A safe place that protects someone from danger or bad weather.
Watch for these misconceptions
✕
Vague setting detail →Ask the student to point to one visible object (fence post, branch, hollow) and add one describing word.
✕
Movement words unclear or reversed →Have the student say each movement word aloud and demonstrate which direction it should move Pip before testing.
✕
Interaction does not trigger on the spoken word →Play and test the page: say the exact word(s) the student wrote; if it fails, check spelling and that the spoken trigger is linked to the character image.
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
Common Core State Standards — English Language Arts
6 standards
W.3.4
With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose.
Also addressedL.3.1e · RI.3.1 · W.3.3b · W.3.3a · L.3.1a
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
Sentence frames break the response into manageable parts
Supplied words and ideas help students get started
Students still have space to write their responses
On grade
The core lesson
Task prompts and selected sentence starters
Writing cues and word banks where supplied
Space to develop each response
Ready for more
Extension & challenge
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 2-3 days, 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.
