The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief - Recreate "Capture the Flag" with SCRATCH
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief - Recreate "Capture the Flag" with SCRATCH
A [4-6] Grade STEM Lesson
Rogina Taylor-Stevens
July 2023
Notes for Teachers
Before starting the lesson, familiarize yourself with SCRATCH to effectively support and guide students during the coding process. Encourage creativity and collaboration among students throughout the lesson.
This lesson allows students to engage with technology, literature, and engineering in a fun and creative manner. As students work on their SCRATCH games, encourage collaboration and peer feedback to foster a supportive learning environment. Remind students to relate their game designs back to the "Capture the Flag" activity in the book, keeping the story elements at the heart of their creations. Enjoy witnessing your students' enthusiasm and coding prowess as they bring Percy Jackson's adventure to life through their own interactive game creations!
This lesson aims to combine literature with technology, providing students with an opportunity to express their creativity through coding. By recreating the "Capture the Flag" game, students will engage with the story on a deeper level while developing coding proficiency and problem-solving abilities.
Materials:
Standards
Ed Technology Standards:
3-5.4.a. Students, in collaboration with an educator, explore and practice a design process by generating ideas to solve a problem by planning, creating and testing innovative products that are shared with others. 3-5.4.c. Students, in collaboration with an educator, engage in a cyclical design process to develop, test and refine prototypes and reflect on the role that trial and error plays.
3-5.4.d. Students demonstrate perseverance when working with open-ended problems.
3-5.5.d. Students understand and explore basic concepts related to automation, patterns, and algorithmic thinking.
Science & Engineering Practices
● ask questions and define problems
● use mathematics and computational thinking
● construct explanations and design solutions
● obtain, evaluate, and communicate information
ELA Standards:
Reading Literature, Speaking and Listening, Research and Information Fluency.
Objective(s):
Students will use SCRATCH, an online coding program, to design and create a game that recreates the thrilling "Capture the Flag" event from Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Chapter 8. Through this project, students will enhance their coding skills, problem-solving abilities, and understanding of game design.
Agenda
Intro/Driving Question/Opening
How can we use SCRATCH to bring the exciting "Capture the Flag" game from Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief to life?
Lesson Plans & Hands-on Activity Instructions
1. Reading and Discussion (30 minutes)
Begin by reading and discussing Chapter 8 "We Capture a Flag" from Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. Engage students in conversations about the excitement and challenges faced by the characters during the "Capture the Flag" game.
2. Introduction to SCRATCH (20 minutes)
Provide an overview of SCRATCH, explaining its features and how it works.
Demonstrate basic coding concepts, such as creating characters, movements, and interactions.
3. Game Planning and Storyboarding (30 minutes)
In groups, students brainstorm ideas and plan their "Capture the Flag" game design.
Encourage students to create storyboards to outline the game's plot, characters, and gameplay.
4. Coding and Game Creation (60 minutes)
Students work individually or in groups to code and develop their "Capture the Flag" game on SCRATCH.
Offer guidance and support as needed, encouraging students to experiment and troubleshoot.
5. Game Testing and Debugging (30 minutes)
Allow time for students to test and debug their games, ensuring smooth gameplay and functionality.
Assessment
Differentiation
Remediation
Extension/Enrichment