A cheetah’s sprint traces back through impala and plants to sunlight.
Will the cheetah catch its meal?
Energy through the Okavango food chain
ScienceCoding
Explore how sunlight energy passes through plants and impala to power a cheetah’s movement, then write an interactive Okavango hunt with alternate chase outcomes and an energy-linked ending.
Pacing
5 classes · 45 min each
Grade
Grade 5
Coding
Advanced
Students codePlayer ActionsOn Page StartParallelConditionals
Opens a private practice project in the Studio — no account needed.
How does energy from sunlight reach a cheetah's moving body?
Students will be able to
Trace how energy from sunlight passes through plants and impala to a cheetah.
Explain how food energy supports a cheetah’s movement and how a new meal can support later movement.
Develop an interactive hunt narrative with distinct chase outcomes.
Apply scientific relationships in an ending that connects the hunt to the energy pathway.
Key vocabulary
herbivoreplant matterfood energy
Assessment
Formative
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 Sprint That Began in Sunlight
Picture an impala leaping sideways as a cheetah gives chase. The cheetah’s feet strike the ground, then lift again. Where does the energy for those quick strides come from? The answer reaches much farther back than the start of the chase. I…
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 / 5
Build the cover
Write your title.
Key words — tap to learnCompare Numbers
Each step checks off & advances on its own
All 5 studio steps · dynamic to the project
1Build the cover
2The Herd Scatters
3Across the Grassland
4The Chase Turns
5Build the ending
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
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 some energy from sunlight as they grow. That food energy passes to impala when they eat plants and then to a cheetah when it eats an impala; energy from prey already eaten helps the cheetah move during a hunt, and a new meal can support later movement.
Key terms
herbivore
An animal that eats plants.
plant matter
The parts of a plant that make up its body, such as leaves and stems.
food energy
Energy an animal gets from food to help it move and live.
Watch for these misconceptions
✕
The two choice routes feel too similar →Ask the student to compare the two approach lines and identify how a reader would recognize each as a different route.
✕
The ending’s connection to the reading is unclear →Point the student back to “The Sprint That Began in Sunlight” and ask which part of the ending needs a clearer connection to it.
✕
A reader result is not easy to check →Play and test the project’s die and separate chase outcomes, then fix anything that does not appear as intended.
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.5.3
Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
Also addressedL.5.6 · W.5.1 · W.5.2
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 225 minutes. 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.
