CS Fundamentals — Course A

Objective

Students will be able to identify symptoms of frustration and explain at least one reason why they will choose to keep trying (persistence) instead of giving up when a project gets hard.

Materials

• CS Fundamentals Course A, Lesson 2: "Stevie and the Big Project" (this resource)
• "Stevie and the Big Project" storybook/story text (read aloud from teacher prep materials, if available in classroom)
• Marble Run supplies: cardstock, safety scissors, tape (a simple "resource station" for building)
• Marble Run Ruler printed for each student or pair
• "Marble Run Hints" pages (if available)
• Student journals/paper for drawing/writing

(If the pre-made Marble Run kit, hints pages, or storybook are not available in the room, substitute: read the summary of the story aloud in your own words, and let students build any simple structure/run with cardstock, tape, and scissors instead.)

Warm-up (~5 min)

1. Gather students in a circle.
2. Tell students: "Today we are going to meet a character named Stevie who is working on a big project. Sometimes Stevie's project doesn't go the way Stevie wants — that can feel frustrating!"
3. Introduce and say aloud the two key vocabulary words, having students repeat them:
4. Fail — when something doesn't work the way you wanted it to.
5. Frustrated — a feeling you get when something is difficult or not working.
6. Persistence — trying again and again, even when something is very hard.
7. Ask: "Has anyone ever felt frustrated when something didn't work right away? What did you do?" Take a few quick answers.

Main Activity (~25 min)

1. Read/tell the story (10 min): Read "Stevie and the Big Project" aloud (or summarize its idea in your own words: Stevie is working on a big project and runs into problems, feels frustrated, but keeps going). Pause to discuss:
2. What happened to Stevie?
3. How do you think Stevie felt?
4. What did Stevie do about it?
5. Marble Run building activity (15 min):
6. Explain to students that they will now build their own Marble Run using the resource station materials (cardstock, scissors, tape).
7. Give each student or pair a Marble Run Ruler to help guide their building.
8. Let students build in pairs or small groups. Remind them: "If it doesn't work the first time, that's okay — that's normal! What can you try differently?"
9. Circulate and encourage persistence. If a run doesn't work, model excitement rather than frustration: "It didn't work yet — let's try again!"
10. If "Marble Run Hints" pages are available, distribute them to groups who get stuck.

Wrap-up / Exit Ticket (~10 min)

1. Bring students back together.
2. Journaling: Have each student draw or write in their journal about one of these prompts (write it on the board or say it aloud, whichever is easier):
3. Draw a picture of your Marble Run — did it work the way you expected?
4. Draw a face showing how you felt when your project didn't work at first.
5. Write or draw one thing you did when you felt frustrated instead of giving up.
6. Invite 2–3 volunteers to share their journal entry with the class.
7. Close by repeating together: "It's okay to feel frustrated. We keep trying — that's persistence!"

If Time Remains

Have students turn to an elbow partner and share a time (in real life, not about Marble Runs) when they felt frustrated but kept trying anyway until it worked out. Ask a couple of pairs to share with the whole class.