The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything
By: Linda Williams
In Linda Williams’ The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything, a brave little old lady encounters a series of mysterious, moving objects while walking through the woods one autumn evening. From clomping shoes and wiggling pants to a floating pumpkin head, each new encounter tries to frighten her, but she refuses to be scared. When the objects follow her home, she comes up with a creative solution that gives them a new purpose as a scarecrow in her garden. This playful, rhythmic story introduces young readers to sequencing, problem-solving, and creative thinking while showing how something frightening can become something useful.
Students will read Linda Williams’ The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything and identify the problem faced by the main character as mysterious objects follow her through the woods. Using the engineering design process, students will brainstorm solutions and explore how coding and microelectronics can help solve problems. Students will program a micro to make a ghost or other symbol disappear when they blow on the device. They will test and debug their code while learning how engineers use algorithms and technology to develop solutions.
Core Content: ELA, Computer Science, Engineering, and Microelectronics
Grade Levels: Grade levels 3-4
Time Required: 5 days
ME Career Connection: Students explore how software engineers develop code and algorithms to tell computers what to do, and how engineers use technology to design, test, and improve solutions to everyday problems.
Author: Jennifer Straw