Week 34 — 🎉 Showcase Day¶

At a glance


Date	Friday, May 21, 2027
Unit	4 — Ship It
Big idea	Sharing work is part of computing: we explain what we built, how it works, and what we learned.
Goal	Students showcase live projects with QR codes, celebrate the year, and leave knowing how to keep learning for free.
Student accounts needed	None.
Prep time	30 minutes

Why this lesson looks the way it does¶

Last Friday was polish and deploy. Today is not a normal class; it is the public finish line. The structure should feel celebratory but not chaotic. Students need a simple station routine, visitors need QR codes, and the teacher needs a closing moment that names the year's growth.

The goal is not to rank projects. The goal is to make every student able to say, truthfully, "I built this, and you can visit it."

CSTA 2026 standards¶

Concept area	Connection
Algorithms & Design	Communicate design choices, constraints, and iteration decisions to an audience
Programming	Demonstrate a working artifact and explain one technical part of it
Data & Analysis	Use feedback and reflection to identify what changed during the build process
Systems & Security	Use public URLs and QR codes while maintaining privacy and safe sharing practices
Computing & Society	Celebrate computing as a way to create, communicate, and serve real audiences

"I can…" objectives¶

By the end of today, students can say:

I can explain what I built to someone who was not in class.
I can show a live URL or project page safely.
I can name one problem I solved this year.
I can choose a free next step for learning over the summer.

Teacher prep — the 5-minute version¶

This is really a 30-minute prep.

Verify every live URL the day before showcase.
Create a QR code for each project URL. Free options that are stable enough for classroom use:
Chrome: open the URL, use the address bar share icon or right-click page → Create QR code for this page if available.
Microsoft Edge: open the URL, right-click the page → Create QR code for this page if available.
Print one station card per project — ready-to-print version: Showcase station cards
```
Project name:
Built by/team:
QR code:
Ask me about:
One thing I learned:
```
Invite families, administrators, or another class if appropriate. Keep expectations simple: "Students will show small projects they built this year."
Arrange desks as stations. Put QR code cards where visitors can scan without touching student devices.

Privacy check one more time

Before printing QR codes, open every page and check again: no full names, no personal contact info, no student photos, no private school details, no unreviewed external links.

Minute-by-minute run sheet¶

0:00–0:04 — Anchor¶

Say to students before visitors circulate:

"Last Friday we polished and deployed. Today we do the final part of shipping: we show real people what we made.

You do not need to pretend it is perfect. You need to explain what you built, what works, and one thing you learned."

Have students stand by stations.

0:04–0:10 — Mini-lesson: how to host your station¶

Model the station script:

"Hi, my project is . It is for . You can try it by . One problem I solved was ."

Then model a visitor question:

"If someone asks something you don't know, say: 'I don't know yet, but that would be a good next version.' That is a professional answer."

0:10–0:34 — Showcase circulation¶

Run it as two rounds if possible:

Time	Activity
0:10–0:20	Round 1: half the students host, half visit
0:20–0:30	Round 2: switch roles
0:30–0:34	Open visiting: families/guests scan QR codes and ask questions

Teacher moves constantly, especially to quieter students. Prompt visitors with:

"Ask what changed after testing."
"Ask what was harder than expected."
"Ask what they would add in version 2."

Make the small projects feel legitimate

When you see a simple page or tiny Python program, name the accomplishment out loud:

"This is a shipped project with a clear audience. That counts."

0:34–0:40 — Whole-class celebration¶

Bring the room back together. Pick a few moments, not winners:

Best debugging story
Clearest instructions
Most improved from first draft
Best helper moment
Bravest recovery from broken code

Say:

"Computing is not just typing code. It is noticing a problem, trying a solution, testing it, explaining it, and improving it. I saw every one of those today."

0:40–0:45 — Year-closing reflection¶

Screens down. Ask students to think silently first.

"In August, I promised that by May you would have something you built live on the internet. That happened.

Think back across the year: games, AI, Python, websites, deployment. What is one thing you can do now that August-you could not do yet?"

Take a few answers. Close with:

"You are not done learning this. You are now the kind of person who can keep going."

Tiered challenges¶

🟢 Starter — grades 5–6¶

Use this station script exactly if you are nervous:

Hi, my project is __________.
It is about __________.
You can scan this QR code to see it.
One thing I learned was __________.
One thing I would add next is __________.

🟡 Builder — grades 7–8¶

Add a technical sentence:

One technical part I built was __________.
It works by __________.

Example: "The score works by adding 1 each time the player touches a star."

🔴 Extender — grades 9–10¶

Be a showcase ambassador. Help visitors scan QR codes, ask younger students good questions, and explain the class site structure:

One Azure Static Web App hosts a folder for each student or team. The QR codes point to those public project pages.

Do not take over anyone's presentation.

"What is one thing you built, fixed, or learned this year that you are proud of?"

🤔 Think About This¶

This summer, notice one problem, curiosity, or hobby that could become a tiny project. Not a giant app. A tiny project. Ask: could I make a page, a game, or a program for that?

🔌 Unplugged Plan B — if the internet is down¶

Showcase can survive without live internet. Run a gallery walk with printed screenshots, station cards, and local demos where possible.

Time	Activity
0:00–0:04	Anchor: last week deployed; today we share, even if the network misbehaves
0:04–0:10	Station-host script practice
0:10–0:30	Gallery walk using printed screenshots, code snippets, paper project cards, and any devices with cached/local files
0:30–0:36	Students present one problem they solved instead of scanning QR codes
0:36–0:41	Whole-class celebration moments
0:41–0:45	Year-closing reflection and summer next steps