A keeper must choose whether to speak an amulet’s image aloud or carry it alone.
The Amulet’s Secret Choice
single metaphor that shifts a community
Language ArtsCoding
A keeper’s choice shows how one purposeful metaphor can shape tone and meaning as students write a first-person fantasy scene about revealing or hiding an amulet’s secret.
Students create in ElementariDilemma: Keep the Memory or Share ItThis is the project students open and build in Studio.
Pacing
2–3 days · 3 × 45 min
Grade
Grade 8
Coding
Beginner
Students codePlayer ActionsDragOn Page StartSequence
Opens a private practice project in the Studio — no account needed.
How should the reader's experience change from the opening to the ending of a small moment story?
Students will be able to
Write first-person scene lines that name a concrete ritual detail and a clear metaphor for the amulet.
Decide and label two distinct reader choices that lead to different page routes.
Code click and continue interactions so readers navigate between branches.
Publish a cover with autoplay music and animated text and an audience drag that controls on-page animation.
Key vocabulary
metaphor
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 Sky-Mender's Stitch
This is an original mentor text created for this lesson.…
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
Design the cover page
Set a background, add title and subtitle, and code music and text to start when the page opens.
Key words — tap to learnOn Drag
Each step checks off & advances on its own
All 9 studio steps · dynamic to the project
1Design the cover page~20 min
2Write the market opening~5 min
3Introduce the keeper~5 min
4Create the choice page~25 min
5Build the spoken branch setup~15 min
6Code the continue button~5 min
7Code the drag interaction~25 min
8Build the hidden branch page~20 min
9Write the ending page~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
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
Writers use focused craft moves—like narrowing attention to one sense and choosing design or audio—to change what the reader feels, imagines, or understands by the ending.
Key terms
metaphor
A metaphor describes one thing as if it were another to create a strong image or meaning. It does not use the words 'like' or 'as.'
Watch for these misconceptions
✕
Audience left unspecified so design and wording do not match a reader. →Ask students to name their intended audience on a sticky note, then change one word or the music choice so the cover better fits that audience.
✕
Ending lists sensory details across senses instead of focusing on one sense. →Have the student underline sentences that use each sense, then circle the single-sense sentences and keep only those for the ending's focus.
✕
Music or animation distracts from the text (too loud, too flashy, or mismatched). →Play the page with music on and off; if the text is harder to read with the music or animation, lower the volume or simplify the animation.
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
WHST.6-8.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
WHST.6-8.6
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently.
WHST.6-8.2
Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories as appropriate to achieving purpose; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
SL.8.5
Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest.
Also addressedW.8.3 · L.8.5
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.
