Computer Science Fundamentals Unit 2 Course A Lesson 2: Stevie and the Big Project (2018)

When students run into a barrier while answering a question or working on a project, it’s so easy for them to get frustrated and give up. This lesson will introduce students to the idea that frustration can be an important part of learning. Here, frustration is presented as a step in the creative process, rather than a sign of failure.

This lesson can be done over one or two class sessions. If you have more time, feel free to draw out the building and revising phase of the Marble Run activity. The goal of this lesson is to help students realize that failure and frustration are common when working on projects, but that doesn't mean that they should give up. In this lesson, students will develop an understanding of what it means to be frustrated while working on a large project. It's possible that not every student will experience frustration with this activity, but there are many opportunities to open a discussion about moments in the past where students have felt frustrated but nevertheless persisted.

Note: You will need to create a free account on code.org before you can view this resource.