Lesson 1.5: Storytelling Project

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • Apply Snap! programming skills to create an animated movie, play, nursery rhyme, or other scene.

  • Practice good debugging skills to correct issues as they arise while programming.

Materials/Preparation

Pacing Guide

Duration

Description

Day 1

5 minutes

Welcome, attendance, bell work, announcements

30 minutes

Review unit concepts

20 minutes

Introduce project

Days 2-5

5 minutes

Welcome, attendance, bell work, announcements

10-15 minutes

Review

30-35 minutes

Lab time

5 minutes

Exit ticket

Instructor’s Notes

1. Review

  • Play a review game (such as GrudgeBall to remind students of the skills and concepts that have been learned in this unit.

  • Categories of blocks.

    • Movement

    • Drawing

    • Hide/Show

    • Costumes

    • Broadcasting

  • Remind students that their solutions to previous assignments are an excellent resource when trying to accomplish similar tasks.

2. Introduce project

  • Walk students through project specification, pointing out important details, potential pitfalls, and specific requirements.

  • The words to the story must appear on the screen somehow.

  • This can be as a sprite, as a part of the background, or “said” by a narrator

  • Sprites must act out the story line by line.

  • The action must be dynamic– a series of static images is not sufficient.

  • The action and words should advance automatically, but at a slow enough pace that the viewer can follow.

  • The user must be able to restart the animation (in a manner other than pressing the green flag again) after it has concluded.

  • At least two sprites must act during the animation, and the sprites must collectively meet the requirements on page 2.

  • Encourage students to look at the grading rubric on page two repeatedly throughout the project to ensure they are meeting all the requirements.

  • Sample project solution.

3. Project

  • This project is a summative assessment for the unit. Students should be demonstrating mastery of all the skills covered.

  • Most students will require roughly 4-8 hours of total work time to complete the project.

  • Assess the progress of your students regularly using such techniques as asking them to demonstrate their incomplete programs, tracking questions asked during lab time, and/or utilizing peer reviews.

  • Adjust the amount of time allowed for the project to fit the needs of your students.

  • It is vital that nearly all students complete the project before moving on.

  • If most students have the ability to work on Snap! assignments at home, the amount of in-class time provided can be reduced if necessary.

  • If this approach is taken, be sure to make accommodations for students who are not able to work at home, such as after school lab hours.

  • Ensure that students are able to ask questions in class throughout the project.

  • See the standard Lab Day Lesson for detailed plans for lab days.

Accommodation/Differentiation

  • Instead of a scene from a play or a nursery rhyme, students can recreate a famous scene from a movie, depict lyrics from their favorite song, or develop their own unique animations. Feel free to modify the specification for whichever version will appeal most to your students.

  • Advanced students can be encouraged to add detail and/or complexity to their project for possible extra credit.

  • For ELL students or students from other cultures, offer the opportunity to choose an animation subject familiar to them rather than requiring a traditional English nursery rhyme or play.

  • If necessary, a non-English language can be ``used for this assignment without affecting the learning objectives. Discuss this option with the student’s ELL specialist to determine if it is appropriate.

Forum discussion

Lesson 1.5 Storytelling Project (TEALS Discourse account required).