Activity 01
Inquiry Circle: The Giant Storyboard
In small groups, students use large sheets of paper to draw the 'Beginning, Middle, and End' of their digital story. They use arrows to show how a user's choice (e.g., clicking a button) leads to different scenes.
Analyze the key elements required for a successful digital story or game.
Facilitation TipDuring The Giant Storyboard, circulate and ask guiding questions like, 'What happens next in your animation?' to keep students focused on sequencing.
What to look forProvide students with a blank storyboard template. Ask them to draw and label three key frames for a simple animation (e.g., a character walking across the screen). Check for clear visual sequencing and labeling.
AnalyzeEvaluateCreateSelf-ManagementSelf-Awareness
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Activity 02
Think-Pair-Share: The Asset List
Students individually list every 'thing' they will need for their project (characters, sounds, backgrounds). They share their list with a partner who helps them spot anything they might have forgotten, like a 'Game Over' screen.
Justify the selection of specific coding blocks for character movement.
Facilitation TipFor The Asset List, provide a word bank of possible assets to help students think broadly about what they might need for their project.
What to look forOn an index card, have students list two essential assets needed for their planned digital game and one user interaction they want to include. Collect these to gauge understanding of project components.
UnderstandApplyAnalyzeSelf-AwarenessRelationship Skills
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Activity 03
Gallery Walk: Plan Peer Review
Students display their storyboards. Peers walk around and leave a sticky note on one part of the story they are excited to see 'come to life' and one question they have about how it will work.
Design a user interaction flow for a digital creation.
Facilitation TipDuring Plan Peer Review, give students specific sentence stems like, 'I like how you...' and 'Have you thought about...?' to structure their feedback.
What to look forAsk students to explain why planning a project with a storyboard and plan is important before they start coding. Prompt them to share one challenge they might face if they didn't plan first.
UnderstandApplyAnalyzeCreateRelationship SkillsSocial Awareness
Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Experienced teachers approach project planning by making the process visible and iterative. Use real examples of messy versus planned projects to show the value of organization. Encourage flexibility by normalizing plan updates as part of the creative process. Research shows that young learners benefit from repeated exposure to planning tools across subjects, so revisit storyboards in other units to reinforce the skill.
Successful learning looks like students creating clear, labeled storyboards and project plans with defined assets and user interactions. They should confidently explain why planning matters and be ready to adjust their plans as they build.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
During The Giant Storyboard, watch for students who draw detailed scenes without clear sequencing or labels.
Pause the activity and ask the student to describe their scene aloud. Then, have them add labels and arrows to show the order of events, using the storyboard’s structure to guide their revisions.
During The Asset List, watch for students who list only obvious assets and omit user interactions.
Ask the student to explain how their game or animation will work. Guide them to add at least one user interaction to their list, using examples from their plan if needed.
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