Week 17: Final Touches
Final Project Development — Phase 3
Over the past two weeks you have been building your final project.
You have:
- chosen an idea
- built the first version
- improved it
- added new features
Now we enter the final stage of the creative process:
Polishing and preparing to share your work.
The big idea this week:
Creators refine their work before sharing it.
Before people present a project, they often:
- review their work
- improve small details
- test everything
- explain how it works
This week is about making your project clear, complete, and ready to show.
- You do not need to teach every bullet on the page. Use the learning goal and one or two activities for the session you are teaching today.
- If time is short, teach one guided session well and leave the rest for later. The lessons are designed to stretch across the week.
- The independent session works best after the learner has already explored the main idea with you once.
Teacher Preparation
- Time: Each guided session runs about 30–45 minutes. The independent session is 20–30 minutes.
- Device: One computer or tablet per learner with keyboard and mouse/trackpad.
- Accounts: Ensure the student can log in to all tools used for the project.
- Ensure access to all tools the student has used for the project.
- Confirm the Final Project folder exists:
My Projects → Final Project
- Prepare to help test and review the project.
- Have paper or a whiteboard available to outline the presentation.
- Set up a visual timer.
Focus on confidence and pride in the work.
The student should begin to feel:
“I built something interesting, and I can explain it.”
Guided Session 1
Reviewing the Project
Learning Goal
By the end of this session, the student can:
- evaluate the whole project from an audience's point of view
- analyze where the project is clear, confusing, complete, or incomplete
- prioritize and justify the final improvements that matter most before sharing
Activities
1. Run or View the Entire Project
Open the latest version of the project from:
My Projects → Final Project
Ask the student to walk through the project from beginning to end.
Examples:
- run the Scratch program
- read the story
- look through the drawings
- review the design
Encourage them to explain what each part does.
2. Creator Review Questions
Ask the student to think about the project using these questions:
What part works really well?
Is anything confusing?
Is anything missing?
What would make the project even better?
Write down the answers.
This helps students practice evaluating their own work, which is an important skill for creators.
3. Make a Small Improvement List
Based on the discussion, create a small improvement list.
Example:
Project Improvements
• Add a background to the scene • Make the robot move faster • Fix spelling in the story • Add a final message at the end
Explain that creators often focus on small details at the end.
These details make the project feel complete.
Reflection Questions
- “Which part of the project is strongest from an audience’s point of view, and why?”
- “What final improvement would make the biggest difference before sharing?”
- “Why is review an important creative step instead of just an extra chore?”
- “An audience would like… because…”
- “The one thing I still want to fix is… because…”
- “Reviewing my work matters because…”
Guided Session 2
Preparing to Present
Learning Goal
By the end of this session, the student can:
- design a short presentation that explains the project clearly
- rehearse and revise the explanation for clarity, confidence, and audience understanding
- evaluate feedback or self-observation to improve the presentation
Activities
1. Finish the Final Improvements
Work through the improvement list created earlier.
Examples:
- adjust drawings
- fix wording
- tweak Scratch movement
- add an extra detail
Explain that polishing these details helps make the project easier for others to understand.
2. Create a Simple Presentation Plan
Explain that next week the student will present their project.
Ask them to think about three things they will explain:
What is your project about?
How does it work?
What was the most interesting part of building it?
Write these answers down as a simple presentation outline.
3. Practice Explaining the Project
Ask the student to pretend you are seeing the project for the first time.
They should explain:
- what the project is
- what inspired the idea
- what parts they created
Encourage them to walk through the project step-by-step.
Offer supportive feedback.
Reflection Questions
- “Which part of your explanation will help an audience understand the project best?”
- “What challenge in the project reveals the most about your creative process?”
- “What do you most want the audience to notice, think about, or remember?”
- “The part I will explain first is… because…”
- “A challenge that taught me a lot was…”
- “I want people to notice… because…”
Independent Session
Final Creator Time
Instruction
Spend time polishing the final version of your project with the audience in mind.
As you review, ask yourself:
- Does everything work the way I want?
- Is anything confusing, unfinished, or weak?
- What small change would most improve the final impression?
Also prepare how you will explain the project clearly when someone sees it.
Save the final version inside:
My Projects → Final Project
Use a file name like:
ProjectName_Final
Skills Reinforced
- evaluating creative work from an audience perspective
- refining small details that improve quality
- organizing a presentation for clarity and impact
- explaining ideas clearly and intentionally
Setup
- project tools available
- access to My Projects → Final Project
- visual timer
🔄 Simplify or Extend
Simplify:
- Limit the improvement list to just one or two small changes.
- Have the adult write the presentation notes while the student dictates.
- Skip the rehearsal and instead do a casual walkthrough of the project together.
Extend:
- Ask the student to create a title slide or cover page for the project.
- Encourage them to rehearse the presentation for two different people and compare the feedback.
- Challenge the student to write a short "creator statement" explaining the project's purpose and inspiration.
💾 Save This Week's Artifact
Save the polished final version of the project (e.g., ProjectName_Final) along with any presentation notes or outline the student created. These represent the culmination of the creative process and will be the centerpiece of next week's showcase.
✅ Success Indicators
By the end of this week, look for signs that the learner can:
- Review the entire project from an audience's perspective
- Complete a small improvement list and apply the final polish
- Create a simple presentation plan with at least three talking points
- Practice explaining the project clearly to another person
- Save the final version with a clear file name (e.g.,
ProjectName_Final) - Express confidence or excitement about sharing the project
Polish • Review • Presentation • Audience • Detail • Final version
See the Glossary for definitions.