If you’re doing “How to Code a Sandcastle” in your class, this is a really easy way to turn the story into a hands-on lesson.

After reading, students jump straight into building their own sandcastles—but with a twist. They pick a challenge card (with different difficulty levels), study the design, and then recreate it using the “sand” blocks. Some follow visual models, while others get more creative with open-ended cards.

We also pause for a quick vocabulary read-aloud, then students match the key coding terms to what they just did—so the learning connects naturally to the activity.

To wrap it up, there’s a simple and fun task where students roll a die to generate step-by-step instructions and draw their own sandcastle based on their “algorithm.” It’s always a hit.

Everything is print-and-go, and you can even have students help with cutting to save time. It’s a relaxed, engaging lesson that works especially well toward the end of the year.

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