Grade 4 – Life Systems
Lesson Summary: Students will choose a traditional First Nations, Métis or Inuit story about an animal and create a
public service announcement (PSA) to demonstrate how to protect the habitat of the animal in the story.
Curriculum Expectations: These expectations are intended to highlight the many ways in which this lesson could support
the curriculum. It is neither expected nor necessary for teachers to address all of these expectations at once. Teachers
are encouraged to select the most relevant expectations based on their unique context and intentions for the lesson.
Science & Technology
Mathematics
Language - Writing
Overall Expectations
A2. use coding in investigations and to
model concepts, and assess the impact
of coding and of emerging
technologies on everyday life and in
STEM-related fields
A3. demonstrate an understanding of
the practical applications of science
and technology, and of contributions
to science and technology from people
with diverse lived experiences
B1. assess impacts of human activities
on habitats and communities, and
analyse actions for minimizing negative
impacts and enhancing positive ones
B2. demonstrate an understanding of
habitats and communities and of
interrelationships among the
organisms that live in them
Specific Expectations
A2.1 write and execute code in
investigations and when modelling
concepts, with a focus on producing
different types of output for a variety
of purposes
A2.2 identify and describe impacts of
coding and of emerging technologies
on everyday life, including skilled
trades
A3.3 analyse contributions to science
and technology from various
communities
B1.1 assess positive and negative
impacts of human activities on habitats
and communities, while taking
different perspectives into account
B1.2 analyse the impact of the
depletion or extinction of a species on
its habitat and community, and
describe possible actions to prevent
such depletions or extinctions
B2.1 describe habitats as areas that
provide organisms, including plants
and animals, with the necessities of
life, and identify ways in which a local
habitat provides these necessities
Overall Expectations
C3. solve problems and create
computational representations of
mathematical situations using
coding concepts and skills
Specific Expectations
C3.1 solve problems and
create computational
representations of mathematical
situations by writing and executing
code, including code that
involves sequential, concurrent,
repeating, and nested events
C3.2 read and alter existing code,
including code that involves
sequential, concurrent, repeating,
and nested events, and describe
how changes to the code affect
the outcomes
Overall Expectations
1. Generate, gather, and organize
ideas and information to write for an
intended purpose and audience
2. draft and revise their writing, using
a variety of informational, literary,
and graphic forms and stylistic
elements appropriate for the purpose
and audience
Specific Expectations
1.1 identify the topic, purpose,
audience, and form for writing
1.2 generate ideas about a potential
topic, using a variety of strategies and
resources
1.3 gather information to support
ideas for writing in a variety of ways
and/or from a variety of sources
1.4 sort ideas and information for
their writing in a variety of ways
2.1 write short texts using a variety of
forms
2.3 use words and phrases that will
help convey their meaning as
specifically as possible
2.4 vary sentence structures and
maintain continuity by using joining
words (e.g., and, or) to combine
simple sentences and using words
that indicate time and sequence to
link sentences
3.4 use punctuation to help
communicate their intended
meaning, with a focus on the use of:
quotation marks to indicate direct
speech; commas to mark
grammatical boundaries within
sentences; capital letters and final
punctuation to mark the beginning
and end of sentences
3.8 produce pieces of published work
to meet identified criteria based on
the expectations related to content,
organization, style, use of
conventions, and use of presentation
strategies
Breaking Down the Coding Expectations in Science & Technology:
In the Grade 4 Science & Technology curriculum, there are 2 coding related expectations:
A2.1 write and execute code in investigations and when modelling concepts, with a focus on producing
different types of output for a variety of purposes
A2.2 identify and describe impacts of coding and of emerging technologies on everyday life, including skilled
trades
To paraphrase these expectations and express them in plainer language, students are being asked to:
● write code to demonstrate a science-related concept, focusing on producing output, which is any information
given by the computer to the user
● show how coding impacts our lives
Both expectations will be addressed through the project.
Learning Goals: We are learning to write code to create a Public Service Announcement (PSA) about an animal important
in a traditional First Nations, Métis or Inuit story to demonstrate how to protect the habitat of the animal in the story.
Success Criteria:
1. I can use a variety of event blocks and movement blocks
2. I can use sprite costumes to create animation effects
3. I can use a range of looks blocks to communicate information in my code
4. I can show how the habitat of the animal in Indigenous stories can be protected
STEM Profile:
Steven Nitah is an Indigenous community member who has worn many hats
during his long career. Steven has been very passionate about nature
conservation in Canada, especially his community of Łutsël K’e Dene First
Nation in the Northwest Territories, where he was the former Chief.
As the Chief, he created the Ni Hatni Dene Guardians program, which positions
his community as stewards and protectors of the Thaidene Nëné land in the
Northwest Territories. Besides this, Steven was also a former government
leader in the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly.
To support his community Steven and his team negotiated with the Federal
Government and the Government of the Northwest Territories to create the
Thaidene Nëne Indigenous Protected Area that hosts a National Park Reserve
and Territorial Protected and Wildlife Conserved Areas. This area is home to
many animals such as caribou, lynx, black bear, arctic fox, and several migratory
birds, like ducks and songbirds.
Like Steven, we will be using our knowledge to help others understand how to
protect animal habitats.
Minds On:
1. In the sample project provided, the animal being protected is a turtle. This would be connected to the Anishinaabe
story of how the turtle got its shell. This story about protecting the turtle (Mishekae) is a foundation for learning
how to conserve turtle habitats. You may wish to use this written version of the story or to watch this video from
the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, in which the story is told by Indigenous Elder, Hazel Dixon.
Please note that this is not the only option for classes to explore as there are many other stories from which to
choose. Please use your professional judgement to decide what is best for your students.
2. Students will have different experience levels when it comes to coding.
a. If students have never experienced coding before, please watch the “What is Coding?” video.
b. If students have experienced coding before, have a quick discussion in which students share their definition
of coding. Some responses to look for include:
i. Coding is the language that computers speak
ii. Coding is how we talk to computers or get computers to do what we want
iii. Coding is the instructions that we give to a computer
3. Introduce the idea of output. To fully understand this concept, we must also understand the idea of input. Input is
something given to the program by the user, while output is something given to the user by the program. A simple
analogy is that of a vending machine, with the input being the money that is put in and the output being the food
item that the vending machine releases.
Discussion: Can students think of other real life examples of input and output?
4. Brainstorm with students to generate ideas for their Public Service Announcement. For this project, students are
encouraged to consider two or three different ways in which to conserve an animal’s habitat. Some sample prompts
include:
o Where does the animal live? What is its habitat?
o How is the animal and/or its habitat endangered?
o What can humans do to protect and conserve the habitat?
o Are these ways to prevent habitats from being destroyed or can something be done once damage or
destruction has occurred?
Please note that the example code for this project includes both preventative and consequential approaches
to conservation.
Planning Our Project:
Provide students with the animated story project planner and encourage students to create between two and four
scenes in which different approaches to habitat conservation are depicted. Students should outline what will happen in
each scene by drawing pictures and writing a few words or sentences, including any dialogue that will appear on screen,
and starting to plan their code, if applicable. Teachers may wish to provide a list of words from which to choose, a scribe,
or other assistive technology to support students.
Creating Our Project:
Since every student’s project will be unique, there is no single, step-by-step set of instructions to follow; however, the
information below will support you in the general process of creating an animated story, as well as key features that
students will likely want to include. This sample code further demonstrates how the project might work and please note
that there is code included for each of the sprites and the stage. For your reference, Scratch determines where to display
sprites and controls movement using a Cartesian coordinate system, with (0,0) being the center of the screen and it may
be helpful to pre-teach this concept, if it is one with which students are unfamiliar.
1. Choose or create your backdrop(s) for the project. If adding multiple backdrops, all of them can be added now or
later on.
2. Delete the cat sprite that is automatically added to your project and press the “choose a sprite“ button to select a
new sprite. You may wish to add all sprites that will be needed at this time. Remember that each sprite is
programmed separately, so be sure that you have selected the correct sprite before starting to write your code.
3. Your code must always start with an Event block. In this project, you will likely use the “When Green Flag Clicked“
block. You will also likely use the “When I Receive ()“ block, in combination with the “Broadcast ()“ block throughout
your code to trigger events to create the appearance of interactions between your sprites.
4. Some key features you may wish to use to set a “starting state” for your sprites include:
a. Go To X () Y () will allow you to set a static position for your sprite. This can be used at the start of a stack
of code in order to set a “starting position”
b. The Show and Hide blocks can be used intermittently throughout your code in order to have sprites appear
on screen or become “invisible” until a later time.
c. If you plan on having a sprite rotate at any point in your code, you will also want to set a starting direction
for your sprites using the Point In Direction () block.
Please note that Scratch does not automatically “reset” your sprites when you replay your code, so setting a starting
position, direction, and state of show/hide is often necessary.
5. To make your story more interactive, you may wish to use some of the following features:
a. The Say () For () Seconds block will allow you to create a “speech bubble” above a sprite for a certain
amount of time.
b. You can record your own sounds or choose from the ready made sound files in Scratch using the Sound
Editor. Use the Play Sound () Until Done block to play the desired sound clip in full.
c. The Glide () Secs To X () Y () block will allow you to have your sprite glide across the screen to a certain
coordinate. The longer the number of seconds, the slower it will move. This helps create the effect of more
realistic movements.
d. The Turn () Degrees block can be used to create a “spinning” effect in your code. Combine with a Repeat
() block or a Forever block to use a loop to automate this effect.
6. If you are using Scratch’s pre-designed sprites, you can use Costumes to create a more interesting, animated effect
on your characters. If you have designed your own sprites, you will need to create your own costumes using the
Paint Editor.
a. You can use a loop to rotate through all of the sprite costumes. Use a Repeat () block or a Forever block
and, inside of the loop, add a Wait () Seconds block. Set it to anywhere between 0.25 and 0.5 seconds (i.e.,
the shorter the time, the faster the animation will run). A setting of 0.5 seconds makes the animation fairly
realistic, without being too fast.
b. Still inside of the loop, add the Next Costume block. This will ensure that each time the loop cycles through,
it moves on to the next costume in the series. If you have used a Repeat () block, then you will need to use
the number of costumes available for the sprite to calculate how many times the loop should repeat (i.e.,
if there are four costumes available for your sprite, setting the loop to 4 will be one full rotation through
all the costumes).
7. You may wish to use the Ask () and Wait block to have viewers pause and answer questions or provide information
to make the story more interactive.
8. Using the Broadcast () block paired with the When I Receive () block can allow you to trigger certain events to create
a more interesting story. Be sure to use short and clear names for your messages to keep track of them. See the
sample code for more detail on how this block can be used to progress the story.
9. If students wish to create multiple backdrops for their project, they will need to use the Switch Backdrop To () block
to rotate between backdrops. They may also wish to use the When Backdrop Switches To () block in order to trigger
certain events upon the changing of a backdrop.
Extensions:
● Students can take their own photos and upload them as backdrops and/or sprites using the Paint Editor
● Instead of written dialogue, students can use the Sound Editor to record their own sounds. The Start Sound ()
and Play Sound () Until Done blocks will allow students to insert those files into their code.
● To learn more about Steven Nitah and about animals and their habitats, consider the following books and
videos:
o Thaidene Nëné: Meet Chief Negotiator Steven Nitah (2016) from Thaidene Nëné
o Akaitcho Boreal Project from Ducks Unlimited Canada
o Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner
o Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner
o Over and Under the Rainforest by Kate Messner
o The Hike by Alison Farrell
o Habitats: what is a habitat? From Discovery Education UK
o Home Sweet Habitat: Crash Course Kids #21.1 from Crash Course Kids
Sharing Our Work/Consolidation: Students can share Scratch projects using these steps.
1. Students should be provided with time to share their projects with others and to engage in self and peer
assessment. This can be done in a variety of different formats, including a gallery walk, whole class presentation, or
“trading” their project with another student. Students can provide feedback in a variety of ways, including written
and verbal. A variety of feedback options and templates are available in Appendix A.
2. An important aspect of assessing student understanding is focusing on the process, not the product. While it is
important to have a final product that functions as intended, students are often asked to produce something within
a limited time frame; therefore, it may be the case that, given more time, a student would be able to produce a
fully functional product.
To assess learning, teachers can conference with students throughout the creation of their projects using the
anecdotal prompts in Appendix B and documenting these discussions using an anecdotal observations chart.
Teachers are encouraged to consider the troubleshooting strategies used by students throughout the project, their
ability to explain how their project works, and what they might do differently in the future.
3. A rubric can be used to evaluate the final product. This and other assessment and evaluation tools can be modified,
as needed.
Low -Tech/No-Tech Modifications:
● While it is ideal to have one device per student, this is not the reality for many classrooms. If you are planning to
have students work in groups, consider a maximum group size of 2 students to ensure as much “hands-on” time
with coding as possible. If access to devices is limited, you may wish to implement this lesson as part of a station
rotation within your classroom or use another strategy to work with small groups.
● If you have no access to devices, you can:
o print images of the Scratch blocks in the folder at this link, cut them out and have students create their
code with paper blocks instead.
o You may also wish to print out images of the background scenes and characters to further support students
Appendix A: Self and Peer Feedback
• Student Self Assessment
o Thumbs Up
o WIN
• Peer Assessment
o Two Stars and a Wish
o TAG
Appendix B: Anecdotal Prompts
Throughout the time when students are creating their projects, teachers are encouraged to circulate and conference
with students to discuss their projects and progress. The process is just as, if not more, important than the final product
when it comes to coding, so this is key to truly understanding a student's understanding.
Key Concepts
Students should be able to identify, name, and explain key coding concepts in their own words; for example, sequence
can be described as “the order in which you write your code matters”. Conditionals can be described as “if-then
statements that give your computer options to choose from.” The wording may be unique to each student, but they
should be able to explain the concept.
Suggested Prompts:
1. Can you tell me what you know about ______?
2. Can you show me where in your code you used _____? How does it work?
Application
There may be times when students “stumble” into the “right” answer in their code without fully understanding how
they got there, while another student may have a project that isn’t working the way they intend, but they know exactly
why and are able to very clearly articulate the steps they would take to fix the issue, if they had more time. Just because
a student’s project is not working exactly as they want it does not necessarily mean that they don’t understand so it is
important to take the time to discuss with students.
Suggested Prompts:
1. Can you tell me what this section of your code does?
2. It seems like this section of code isn’t working the way you want it to. Why do you think that might be? How
might you fix it?
3. What would happen if you made _____ change?
Troubleshooting/Debugging
In the world of code, a lot of mistakes are going to be made. Not only is this completely normal (and it happens to
professional computer programmers all the time), but it is actually HOW we learn to code. To move from making the
mistake into learning from it, students need to develop and utilize effective troubleshooting strategies. If a student just
sits there staring at their code for a week trying to figure out an issue without ever asking for help, they are not
demonstrating effective troubleshooting strategies. Effective troubleshooting strategies that students may demonstrate
include:
● Reading their code out loud to themselves to attempt to identify errors
● Sharing their code with a peer to ask for help in identifying an error
● Dealing with frustration by taking a break from their code
● Searching the web for answers to their questions
Suggested Prompts:
1. Can you tell me about a time where your code wasn’t working the way you wanted it to? What did you do to
fix it?
2. It seems like this section of code isn’t working the way you want it to. Why do you think that might be? How
might you fix it?
3. What are some mistakes you made when creating your project? What would you do differently next time?
