Avatar Maker · Lesson 1

Lesson 1: Building Avatars for the Dataverse

Students enter the Dataverse, learn what an avatar is, and build a paper avatar from their name and interests.

Class time

42 minutes

Prep time

about 20 minutes the night before

Lesson

Lesson 1 of 5

Adventure

Avatar Maker

Student Objectives

I can…

✓ I can describe what a Data Adventure is.
✓ I can turn my name and interests into data.
✓ I can create a Data Case Card (avatar) to represent my data.

At a Glance

Total: 42 minutes

Section	Time	Focus	Slides	What happens
Welcome & Grounding	5 min	Community	2–8	Introduce the idea of a Data Adventure. Walk through the agenda and establish class agreements for collaboration and curiosity.
Dataverse Narrative	3 min	Story	9–11	Invite student volunteers to read the on-screen narrative as the Dataverse, Chaos Cipher, and Map of the Dataverse are introduced.
Connector: Would You Rather (Gaming)	6 min	Engagement	12–17 (pick 3)	Play a quick Would You Rather game. Students hold up 1 or 2 to vote. Choose 3 of the 6 slides that will most resonate with your class.
How to Build an Avatar	10 min	Inquiry	18–24	Walk through the avatar system — head shape, body syllables, character count. Show your own avatar as the working example.
Build Your Own Avatar	15 min	Making	25	Students fill out their Data Case Card, trace and cut their body shapes, assemble the avatar, and submit their data to the shared Google Form.
Reflection	3 min	Closure	27	Turn-and-talk or exit ticket — "Do your avatars count as a type of data representation? Why or why not?"

Materials & Prep

Print

Data Case Card · 1 per student (print 2 per page, cut in half)
Avatar Build Card · 1 per student (print 2 per page, cut in half)

Gather

Avatar Maker Stencil Set
Class set. Provided by project. Pack one ziplock per student with stencils, stickers, and googly eyes.
Printable stickers
Googly eyes
Cricut file (optional)

Digital

Student Google Form
Have the link projected for students after they finish building.

Before You Teach

☐Make a copy of the Google Form template and confirm the link works.
☐Build your own avatar to demo. Photograph or scan it and insert on Slide 21.
☐Cue soft music for arrival.
☐Display the visual agenda and Sensory Guide.

Slide Deck

Open slide deck to project Open with speaker notes

Open slide deck to project launches the fullscreen slideshow in a new tab. Open with speaker notes opens the deck in Google Slides with the speaker-notes pane below each slide — read these to prep, or open presenter view while projecting. The preview above is just a quick look.

A note on this lesson

This is Lesson 1 of the Avatar Maker Adventure, and it’s many students’ first encounter with the Dataverse story. The pacing leaves room for the welcome and narrative pieces to land — don’t rush them. The “Would You Rather” connector is designed to be flexible; pick the three slides whose examples resonate most with your class.

The Build phase is the heart of the lesson. Plan to give students space to work, and walk the room to support students who get stuck on the syllable or character rules. Most pacing issues come from underbudgeting transitions, not the activity itself.

What to watch for

The “head shape” question. Students will ask why their head shape is what it is. The rule is keyed to the first letter of the name — keep the stencil reference card visible so students can see the mapping.
Students who don’t want to share their interests publicly. Offer the option to use a nickname or favorite-character name. The math still works.
Students who finish early. Have them help decorate a class display, or invite them to the next station’s setup.
Privacy moment. When you mention “your data,” some students may pause. Acknowledge that they’re choosing what data to represent — they’re in control.

After class

Collect avatars and goal sheets for reference in Lesson 2. Note any pacing or sensory comfort issues to share with the project team.