Protecting Our Oceans 🌊
Explore the global issue of plastic pollution in the ocean and learn how to code an interactive, educational app. Students will research environmental facts, write with purpose, and code animations and interactive features to raise awareness about how plastic affects marine life—and what we can do to help. This lesson integrates literacy, science, and basic computer science principles.
Lesson cover illustration
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.
The printables that power the build
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.
Lesson Plan
Your teaching plan: learning goals, lesson timing, discussion questions, assessment and coaching notes. Students follow the build steps in Studio.
Set up in about ten minutes
A couple of things to gather, a few quick steps to prep — then you're ready to hand it to students.
Aligned to the standards you teach
Every task maps to a specific standard, so planning and reporting are covered.
Full task-by-task mapping — including Depth of Knowledge — is in the answer key.
Choose the writing support
These are the three support options in the Student Kit. Choose the scaffolds students need while keeping the same project.
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 180, 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.
Bring this lesson to your class
Import your class, assign in one click, and watch them build — the whole kit comes with it.