Lesson 2: Stevie and the Big Project

Fail | Frustrated | Persistence | Unplugged

Overview

When students hit a roadblock while answering a question or working on a project, it's tempting for them to get frustrated and quit. This lesson introduces the idea that frustration can actually be a useful part of learning. Instead of treating frustration as a sign of failure, this lesson frames it as a normal step in the creative process.

This lesson can be taught in one or two class periods. If you have extra time, feel free to spend more time on the building and revising stage of the Marble Run activity.

Purpose

The goal of this lesson is to help students understand that failure and frustration are common when working on projects—and that hitting a snag doesn't mean they should give up.

Through this lesson, students will build an understanding of what it feels like to be frustrated while working on a big project. Not every student will necessarily feel frustrated during this activity, but the lesson creates plenty of chances to talk as a class about times in the past when students felt frustrated but kept going anyway.

Agenda

Warm Up (15 min)

• Stevie and the Big Project
• Vocabulary

Marble Run (20–45 min)

• Before the Project
• Building the Marble Run
• After the Marble Run

Wrap Up (5 min)

• Journaling

Extended Learning

View on Code Studio

Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Identify and describe signs of frustration.
• Explain at least one reason why they will choose to keep trying when frustrated, instead of giving up.

Preparation

• Watch the Stevie and the Big Project – Teacher Video.
• Read Stevie and the Big Project ahead of time to plan good discussion questions for your class.
• Follow the instructions in the Marble Run – Teacher Prep Guide to build a Marble Run.
• Print copies of the Marble Run Ruler (page 2 of the teacher guide) for each student or pair of students.
• Set up a resource station with cardstock, safety scissors, tape, and any other materials students might enjoy building with.
• Include a stack of the "Marble Run Hints" pages from the teacher guide.