Session 10 — Build Your Prototype

Duration: 60 min · Format: live online · Ages: 8–11

Session goal: by the end, students can say what a prototype is, build the simplest working version of their project idea, and test it to find one thing to improve.

Before class — prep (5 min)

• Have the diagram below ready to share on screen (from rough sketch to first working version).
• Open Scratch and Teachable Machine in tabs — you may demo either build path.
• Ask students to bring the problem sentence they wrote in Session 9, plus paper and a pencil.

Agenda

0:00 · Hook (5 min)

Ask the class and take a few answers (chat or unmute):

• "Would you rather spend a month building the perfect thing that might be wrong…"
• "…or one hour on a rough version you can test today?"

Let them vote, then reveal: smart builders pick the rough version every time. Tell them today they'll build a rough first version — a prototype.

0:05 · Teach — A prototype is a rough first try (12 min)

Explain, writing the key idea on your shared screen:

• A prototype is a quick, rough version of your idea — just enough to test it.
• It is not meant to be perfect.

Share this diagram and point out the jump from sketch to something that runs:

A prototype can be:

• Paper — draw your app's screens.
• Scratch — make it move and react.
• AI — a Teachable Machine model.
• Data — a survey + chart that answers a question.

⚠ Watch for the perfection trap: students want to keep polishing before they'll show anyone. Land the builder motto — "Done and testable beats perfect and imaginary." The point of a prototype is to learn fast, not to impress.

Ask: "For your project, which build path fits best — paper, Scratch, AI, or data? Why?" (Take 2–3 answers.)

0:17 · Teach — Build → Test → Improve (13 min)

Explain: the magic loop is simple — make a version, try it, fix the weakest part, try again. Every trip around makes it better.

Walk through it out loud:

1. Build — make the simplest version that works.
2. Test — try it, or have someone else try it.
3. Improve — fix the one part that worked worst, then loop back.

Key point to land: you don't fix everything at once — you find the weakest part and improve that, then go around again.

Ask the class: "If your test shows three things are broken, what should you fix first?" (Answer: the biggest/weakest one — improve one thing, test again, then move to the next.)

0:30 · Activity (20 min)

Activity — Build your project prototype. Have students use the problem they picked in Session 9. Each student chooses one build path:

1. Paper prototype: draw each screen or part of the idea on paper. Label the buttons.
2. Scratch: open Scratch and make a sprite do the main action.
3. AI helper: open Teachable Machine and train the model the project needs.

Remind them: make the simplest version that works — they can always add more later.

Circulate (or read chat) and keep anyone who's polishing details moving toward "does the main thing work yet?"

Debrief: "You made something real this session — that's what builders do. Next we make it clear enough for others to understand."

0:50 · Check for understanding (7 min)

Ask these aloud or drop them in the chat. Answer key (for you):

1. What is a prototype? → A rough first version of your idea, made quickly so you can test it — not perfect on purpose.
2. What's the build loop? → Build → Test → Improve, over and over.
3. True or False: your prototype should be perfect before you show it. → False — rough is good; you build it to learn, then improve.

0:57 · Wrap-up + homework (3 min)

• Ask one student to finish the sentence: "A prototype is…"
• Homework — Test and improve: test your prototype with one person. Write down one thing that worked and one thing to improve — then improve it. Bring the improved version to Session 11.

Teaching notes

• Correct this misconception: "a prototype has to look finished and perfect." Reframe as rough on purpose, built to learn.
• Fast finishers (extension): push for a working model that actually runs — a Scratch app that reacts, or a Teachable Machine classifier the project uses. Have them note their tools (Scratch, Teachable Machine, Sheets) for the project brief next session, and measure it: test 5 times and record how many worked (e.g. 4/5).
• Low-tech fallback: if devices are limited, everyone builds a paper prototype — screens and buttons drawn and labelled — and tests it by having a partner "tap" through the paper.

Vocabulary

Resources

• Scratch — build interactive projects.
• Teachable Machine — add an AI brain.
• Scratch ideas & tutorials — starter guides.

Next session

Session 11 — Tell Your Story: students learn to present their project so everyone gets it — the story recipe and confident delivery.