Session 42: Capstone Planning & Blueprint

At a glance: teams choose one capstone track, complete a Project Charter, set up their capstone folders and save a rough Prototype v0.1 for mentor approval. · Time: 90 minutes (adjust the timings if your period is shorter) · Workbook pages: 6

Learning outcomes

By the end of the session, pupils can:

Explain the capstone using the "building the whole house" analogy: separate tools (Word, Excel, slides, Scratch) combine into one solution.
Choose one manageable track (A, B, C or D) and describe a real school or community problem in clear sentences.
Explain what a prototype (v0.1) is, using the cardboard model house.
Use only realistic, simulated data and no real phone numbers, addresses or financial records.
Create Capstone_[TeamName] with Drafts and Final_Showcase subfolders and save a correctly named v0.1 file, such as Capstone_v0.1_CleanWater.docx.

Before the session

Plan teams of 3 to 4 pupils (the workbook asks for 3–4 members), mixing confident and less confident pupils. Every member needs a role (the lab requires at least 3 roles); fill all four roles, and in a team of 3 one person holds two.
Check every PC has Documents > BIH_Practice and that Word/Excel/PowerPoint (or LibreOffice) and Scratch open.
Test the Build the Whole House 3D lab on the projector. The lab saves progress in the browser on that one computer only, so each team should use the same PC in Sessions 43 and 44, and the paper charter stays the official record.
Print spare copies of the Page 4 canvas.
Prepare a sample canteen list (Jollof Rice, Meat Pie, Sobolo, made-up prices).

Running order

Time	Activity	Workbook	What the mentor does
0–10 min	Typing warm-up	–	Pupils open the typing trainer (Typing in the menu, or the warm-up banner on the session page) and do the 10-minute warm-up. Walk round checking posture and home-row fingers.
10–19 min	Building the whole house and the 3-session schedule	Page 1	Pupils list the tools they have learned. The mason needs a blueprint first.
19–32 min	Choosing a track and the "keep it manageable" rule	Page 2	Teams read the four tracks and commit to one. Challenge oversized ideas.
32–42 min	Prototype v0.1 and safe data ethics	Page 3	Cardboard model house. Show the sample canteen list: no real personal data.
42–59 min	Complete the Project Charter (Planning Canvas)	Page 4	Push for a specific problem and audience. Teams fill in the Team Roles box (box 7).
59–64 min	3D lab: the charter and file-naming steps	–	Demonstrate Steps 1 and 2 of the lab on the projector.
64–80 min	Guided lab: folders and Prototype v0.1	Page 5	Check folder names and the Save As location on every PC.
80–90 min	Milestone checklist, reflection and approval	Page 6	Inspect each team's canvas and file; complete the approval table.

Key ideas and how to explain them

Building the whole house: sand, cement and timber are not a house until a mason follows a blueprint. Their skills are the materials; the capstone is the house.
Keep it manageable: "One finished, bug-free spreadsheet or 3-slide presentation beats a broken, half-finished giant dream." Ask: "Can we show this working in three sessions?"
Prototype v0.1: the architect's cardboard model has no glass or light switches, but shows the shape. Today is structure only, no colours or fancy graphics.
Safe data ethics: use realistic made-up data. A canteen sheet uses sample items and approximate prices, not a real vendor's takings.
Choosing a track: Track A is a Word notice plus a 3-slide PowerPoint pitch; Track B is a spreadsheet with SUM/AVERAGE plus a column chart comparing items (or a pie chart showing each item's share of the total); Track C is a Scratch game or quiz with a score and restart loop; Track D is a researched Word report with citations plus a photo/slide guide. Tracks A and D use two tools, so they start in Word today and add PowerPoint later.
Team roles: Project Manager, Designer / Builder, Researcher / Tester and Presenter. In a team of 3, one person holds two roles.
File names: underscores not spaces, no symbols, and a version number: folder Capstone_EcoTech, file Capstone_v0.1_CleanWater.docx.

The 3D lab

Use Build the Whole House. Today covers the first two missions:

"Step 1: complete your Project Charter." The lab checks for a team name, a track, who has the problem, a problem of 8 or more words and one role per team member (at least 3 roles); when done, the foundation appears. Let teams type in what they wrote on Page 4, including the names from the Team Roles box (box 7). The lab offers the same four roles: Project Manager, Designer / Builder, Researcher / Tester and Presenter.
"Step 2: name your folder and first v0.1 file correctly." The lab checks for underscores not spaces, no symbols, and v0.1 in the file name. Its example is folder Capstone_EcoTech and file Capstone_v0.1_CleanWater.docx, which follows the same formula as the workbook (Capstone_v0.1_[ProjectName].docx).

Common mistakes and quick fixes

Pupils often…	Try this
Pick a huge project ("a self-driving car in Scratch")	Ask what they can finish and demonstrate in 3 sessions. Shrink it to the track's listed deliverables.
Leave the Team Roles box empty or give one person everything	Every member needs at least one role; only one person may hold two.
Write a vague problem ("our school is dirty")	Ask who is affected, where and why it matters, as in the handwashing example.
Plan to collect classmates' phone numbers or real sales	Replace with fictional names and approximate numbers.
Put spaces in folder names (`Capstone EcoTech Ghana`)	Use underscores and keep it short: `Capstone_EcoTech`.
Save into Documents or Downloads, not Drafts	Use Save As and click through `BIH_Practice > Capstone_[TeamName] > Drafts`.

When things go wrong

No internet: everything works offline. Track D teams plan research questions on paper.
Not enough PCs: one PC per team; one pupil types while the others fill in the canvas.
A PC freezes or the power goes: the paper charter is the priority; the folders and skeleton take minutes to redo. Save right after typing the first title.
Mixed software: Excel or Calc, PowerPoint or Impress all work. On LibreOffice, files may save as .odt, .ods or .odp; that's fine, as long as the name follows the formula.

Answer key

There are no questions with a single correct answer this session.

Question 1 (why build a rough prototype first?): Look for: it lets you test whether the idea makes sense quickly, before spending hours on colours and animations; you find problems early when they are easy to fix; others can see the size and shape of the idea, like the architect's cardboard model.

Question 2 (one challenge in Session 43 and how to solve it): Look for: a realistic challenge (power cut, file lost, formula errors, a sprite that won't move, team disagreement, running out of time) with a concrete solution (save often, keep files in the Drafts folder, use the debugging steps, share roles, keep the project small).

Milestone 1 checklist: all four boxes should be honestly ticked before the mentor signs. The second box now means all 7 canvas boxes, including Team Roles.

Support and stretch

Needs more support: steer the team to Track A or Track B and give them the workbook examples to adapt. Write the folder names on a sticky note for them.
Finished early: add more skeleton detail, or list what testers should try in Session 43.

Evidence for sign-off

All 7 boxes of the Page 4 canvas completed, with one track ticked and every member named in the Team Roles box.
Documents > BIH_Practice > Capstone_[TeamName] with Drafts and Final_Showcase subfolders.
A v0.1 skeleton file saved in Drafts with the correct name.
The plan uses only simulated data. Mark each row of the approval table and write one piece of advice for Session 43.

Safety and wellbeing

Data protection is the main rule today: no real phone numbers, home addresses or financial records, and no photos of people without permission. Interviews need a teacher's permission and should record opinions, not personal details. Every member needs a role.