Week 17: Collect Your Clues
Unit 5 - The Body Mystery Project
This week is the quiet middle of the project.
The learner gathers clues, keeps the routine tiny, and notices what helped the plan happen or what got in the way.
- Collect clues in a one-minute format.
- Use a simple midpoint check-in.
- Remember that missed data is a clue, not a mistake.
This is clue-collecting week.
The learner does not need perfect pages. They need a simple way to notice the clue and keep going.
If a day gets missed, that still tells part of the story.
Older learners may hear:
- did the plan happen? for adherence
- clues I collected for dataset
- what got in the way? for friction point
The kid version is clearer for this project.
Missing days can show that the plan was too hard, the schedule changed, or the setup needs to get simpler.
- Keep daily tracking to about one minute.
- Younger learners can use one metric, emoji scales, or calendar stickers.
- Midpoint review should ask what is easy, what is annoying, and whether the plan should get simpler.
- Do not use discipline or compliance language.
- Observation-only is still fully valid.
- Use the Health Literacy Project Rubric and Learner Self-Assessment if the project will become a share-out, poster, comic, or talk.
Week at a Glance
| Prep time | ~10 minutes |
| Materials | Body Clues Notebook, stickers or emojis, calendar or simple tracker |
| Key vocabulary | clue, tracker, did the plan happen, what got in the way, midpoint review |
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
Facilitator Preparation
- Check that the learner's project can be tracked quickly.
- Simplify before starting if the plan still looks too complicated.
- Prepare a midpoint check-in with three questions.
- Remind the learner that privacy still applies.
The best tracker is the one the learner can actually use.
For Younger Learners (Ages 8-9)
Simplest version of the concept: "Collect one little clue each day."
What to shorten or skip:
- Use one metric only.
- Use emojis or stickers instead of long notes.
What success looks like: The learner can use the tracker a few times and explain that missing a day is okay.
For Older Learners (Ages 10-12)
- Add the idea that a plan can be too complicated for real life.
- Let older learners compare missing data to project design issues.
- Keep the wording supportive, not performance-based.
Different Bodies, Different Needs
Different learners collect clues in different ways. One person may use stickers, another may use numbers, another may talk it through, and another may need a partner, AAC, larger print, or a translated prompt.
- One metric is enough.
- Missed days, shared spaces, and busy schedules are part of real life.
- The plan should fit the learner's body, access, time, and support needs.
Health Activity Safety
- Do not push through pain, exhaustion, scary symptoms, or privacy concerns just to fill the tracker.
- Do not add extra tracking, food rules, or movement pressure because a page looks too empty.
- Ask a trusted adult before changing medicine, supplements, or other health routines.
Health Checkpoint
If a learner uses an app, label, post, or outside source while collecting clues, they can ask:
- Who made this?
- What evidence, source, or expert is shown?
- Could money, popularity, filters, algorithms, or AI be shaping it?
- What is one safe next step?
Ask for Help
Health questions can be important. Learners do not have to figure everything out alone.
- Is this clue private, serious, confusing, painful, scary, or urgent?
- Do I need help now?
- Who is a trusted adult or qualified helper for this question?
- What should I avoid doing until I get help?
Guided Session 1
Make the Daily Tracker Tiny
Learning Goal
By the end of this session, the learner can:
- set up a fast daily tracking page
- choose a simple format they can use
- explain what clue they are collecting
Activities
1. Choose One Tracking Style
Options:
- one number
- one word
- one emoji
- one sticker on a calendar
Keep it to one metric by default.
2. Time the Tracker
Ask:
"Can you do this in about one minute?"
If not, simplify it more.
3. Privacy Reminder
Say:
"These clues belong to you. You can share only what you want to share."
Guided Session 2
Midpoint Check-In
Learning Goal
By the end of this session, the learner can:
- notice whether the plan feels easy or annoying
- identify what got in the way
- make the project simpler if needed
Activities
1. Ask Three Questions
- What is easy?
- What is annoying?
- Should I make this simpler?
These questions are enough.
2. What Got in the Way?
Possible answers:
- forgot the notebook
- too busy
- bad timing
- tracker too long
- space was noisy
Say:
"What got in the way is useful information."
3. Simplify the Plan if Needed
Examples:
- track fewer times
- use one emoji instead of a sentence
- move the notebook
- shorten the note
Independent Practice
Goal
Collect a few simple clues and use the tracker with low pressure.
Activities
1. Daily Clue Page
The learner can use:
- a calendar sticker
- an emoji row
- one small chart
- one quick number or word per day
2. Reflection Choice
Choose one:
- "The easiest part of my plan is..."
- "What got in the way was..."
- "One way to make it simpler is..."
Body Clues Notebook
Starter page:
Clue I collected: _____________
Did the plan happen? yes / no / partly
What got in the way, if anything? _____________
What I might simplify: _____________
Missing days are allowed.
Check for Understanding
- Can the learner collect clues in a one-minute format?
- Can the learner explain that missing data is a clue, not a mistake?
- Can the learner name one way to simplify the plan?
Pause and Notice
Ask:
"What changed when we treated a missed day like information instead of failure?"
That question keeps the whole capstone humane.
Spiral Review
From Week 3 and Week 7: small, simple clues are enough to learn from.
Week 17 applies that same idea to the learner's own project.
Use one emoji or one sticker per day.
Invite older learners to translate did the plan happen, clues I collected, and what got in the way into adherence, dataset, and friction point in a small technical note.
Kid phrase -> Technical phrase
- did the plan happen -> adherence
- clues I collected -> dataset
- what got in the way -> friction point
See the Glossary for both versions.
Preview of Next Week
Next week, the learner decides what to share, what to keep private, and what they discovered from the project.