Lessons/Okavango: pick where to monitor the flood-fed green strips
Okavango: pick where to monitor the flood-fed green strips
NGSS 5-PS3-1 energy flow
ScienceCoding
Design a short monitoring plan that chooses a placement for an observation post and explains the method for why that location shows predator–herbivore concentration.
Pacing
1 week · 5 × 45 min
Grade
Grade 5
Coding
Beginner
Students codePlayer ActionsDragOn Page StartMove
Opens a private practice project in the Studio — no account needed.
Organizer drafts, exit tickets, and peer-review checks along the way.
Summative
A published, playable interactive story.
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 Sun Runner
For much of the year, the landscape is dry. But then, a seasonal flood arrives, bringing water to the sun-baked earth. This combination of sunlight and water triggers a powerful change. A pulse of new life spreads across the plains as grass…
SourcesNational Institutes of Health (PMC)The Nature ConservancyUNESCO / Okavango Research Institute
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 / 8
Design the cover
Write the page text, choose its background, and set music to play when the page opens.
Key words — tap to learnOn Drag
Each step checks off & advances on its own
All 8 studio steps · dynamic to the project
1Design the cover~20 min
2Introduce the field observer~5 min
3Add binoculars image and record line~10 min
4Make the location choice buttons~25 min
5Describe the channel-edge scene~15 min
6Code the drag interaction~25 min
7Describe the inland-strip scene~20 min
8Write the final interpretation~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
A microphone (for recording or speech-trigger activities)
Headphones or speakers
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
Plants capture sunlight and store that energy in their tissues. When herbivores eat those plants and predators eat the herbivores, that stored energy moves along the chain and is used for movement, growth, and warmth, with some energy released as heat.
Key terms
flood pulse
A time when water spreads into the dry plain and makes plants grow.
herbivore
An animal that eats plants.
predator
An animal that hunts other animals for food.
energy transfer
When the energy stored in one living thing moves to another when it is eaten.
metabolic heat
Heat made by an animal’s body when it uses energy for moving or keeping warm.
Watch for these misconceptions
✕
skips the plant step →Ask: 'Where did the cheetah's food energy come from? Trace one step back.'
✕
reverses energy direction →Have the student draw one arrow chain: 'sun → plant → animal' and read it aloud.
✕
no clear central idea in writing →Ask the student to state one sentence that their pages all support and underline it.
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 · ELA4NGSS12 frameworks · 5 standards · DOK 2–3
CCSS · ELA
Common Core State Standards — English Language Arts
4 standards
W.5.1
Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which ideas are logically grouped to support the writer's purpose.
Also addressedW.5.2 · W.5.3 · L.5.6
NGSS
Next Generation Science Standards
1 standard
5-PS3-1
Use models to describe that energy in animals' food (used for body repair, growth, motion, and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun.
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 1 week, 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.
Free to try · No student emails required
Okavango: pick where to monitor the flood-fed green strips
