(2 min.)

Log In!

Students Logged In

"Lost at Sea"

Episode 5 ・ Sea Quench

Last time on

The Rewriters!

In the ruins of Mush Marsh, Sol and Zorro
helped a mushroom named Morel search for his child, Enoki.

Luna

As they searched, they read rules to understand what was blocking them from the goal. That helped them find Enoki!

Luna

After solving so many problems, Zorro
became a Rewriter! Inspired, Morel and Enoki join the friends on their journey.

Luna

Luna

As thanks, Morel gave Sol a locket of
his grandma. This unlocked a memory
mentioning “the Keepers”...

Luna

Hearing this name, Morel hurried off...

...down a waterfall!

Luna

Our story continues...

Get Ready!

Part 1

Oof! Did the waterfall separate
us from Sol and Zorro...?

Morel

Morel!! Over here!!

Zorro

There you are, Zorro! Is Sol with you?

Morel

No...Sol must have been swept
in a different direction!

Zorro

Oh dear...Sol might be scared and alone!

Morel

Meanwhile, Sol...

Pardon me, I need to find my friends...
oh, you want to know if I’m the Rewriter everyone’s talking about?

Sol

I guess I am! You said one of your friends
is stuck in a problem and needs help?
Sure, I can do that!

Sol

Oh, you need help too?
Just leave it to me!

Sol

Back to Zorro,
Morel, and Enoki...

Something tells me Sol is probably fine...
but let's find them as soon as we can!!

Zorro

Hm...perhaps we can ask someone here
for help – the underwater city of
Sea Quench is known to be quite welcoming.

Morel

That's my cue! Time for my grand entrance!

???

Excuse me, I couldn’t help but overhear
you! I’m Olive, and I’m here to assist you!!

Olive

WHA! Where did you come from???

Zorro

Ahaha! As an actress, you could say I’ve mastered the element of surprise~

Olive

Pleased to meet you, Olive.
You said you're here to help us?

Morel

Yes yes! As a local, I know every in and
out of this city – I’m the perfect fish to
help you find your friend!

Olive

Oh, thank you! By the way, I'm Morel.
This is Zorro and Enoki.

Morel

Those names...GASP! Could you be the
ones traveling with the Rewriter??

Olive

Y-yeah! Actually, I’m also a Rewriter now!

Zorro

Oh my frog!! So the rumors are true –
it’s possible to learn rewriting?!

Olive

Zorro, you simply must teach me as we
look for your friend!

Olive

I’ll try, but...how are we going
to find Sol anyway?

Zorro

With...

Olive

...this!

Olive

Behold! It's a legendary shell that points
in the direction of whatever you’re seeking!

Olive

And it’s pointing us this way –
let’s go, team!

Olive

...Olive? Wait for us!!

Zorro

Aha! We'll need to solve this to continue!

Olive

Zorro

Okay...let’s make some observations
to help us understand the problem first,
like Sol does!

Problem-Solving Steps

1. Understand the problem

  • What do I notice and what could be useful?
  • What is the goal?
  • What is blocking me from the goal? Why?

Zorro

I think the goal is to reach the heart
since there’s blocks to make HEART IS WIN
over there...

Morel

And we’re blocked by these bubbles,
which are STOP AND SHUT.

Olive

Ooh! There's starfish here, is that useful?

Zorro

Yeah – since STARFISH IS PUSH AND OPEN, we
can use them to destroy the SHUT bubbles!

Morel

Ah, but we only have 3 starfish right now.
So we can't destroy all the bubbles at once.

Olive

Then we just need to pick one of these 4 chambers to enter first! Let’s see...

Olive

I know, let’s open the 4th one!
It has the heart, after all!

4

Morel

Hm...how about we open chamber 1 instead?

1

4

Zorro

I think we should open chamber 2...maybe?

1

2

4

1

2

4

Enoki

goo!

1

2

4

3

Morel

It seems Enoki wants to open chamber 3 first.
We all have a different opinion...

Olive

Ahaha! Well, how about we try each one
first and see who's right?

1

2

4

3

Olive

It will be me, of course~

1

2

4

3

Explore!

Part 2

Think about
this question while you play...

Be ready to vote then
discuss after time is up!

In problem 1, who’s correct about which chamber you want to enter first and why?

3

2

1

4

1

MOREL

2

ZORRO

3

ENOKI

4

OLIVE

1

2

4

3

Who's correct about which
chamber to enter first?

Think independently before starting poll

Responses

Polling...

1

2

4

3

Who's correct about which
chamber to enter first? Why?

Let's Pair Share!

1

2

4

3

Who's correct about which
chamber to enter first? Why?

Let's Pair Share!

Learn!

Part 3

Time for a Video!

Let’s make sure volume is turned up and everyone can see before going to the next slide.

Morel

At last, we've tried all our options.
My choice was incorrect — when we opened
chamber 1 first...

1

Morel

We couldn’t do much because the WATER IS SINK.

Zorro

Yeah. My choice wasn’t right either, and
that’s okay! When we tried chamber 2 first...

2

Zorro

We were blocked by the crabs,
since CRAB IS DEFEAT.

Olive

As for me, I was quite confident in my choice...but I'm not afraid to admit I was wrong!

4

Olive

When we opened chamber 4 first, we reached the heart...but nothing happened! I was shocked!

Zorro

So in the end...

Enoki

goo!

Morel

Oh ho ho, Enoki was correct all along!

3

Morel

Chamber 3 was the only choice where we made progress – we broke the WATER IS SINK rule.

Olive

Yes, yes! Now that we’ve settled that,
let’s pick another chamber to open next! I’ll choose-

Morel

Hold on, Olive. Let’s pause for a moment.

Morel

It’s good to tinker if you need to learn
more about a problem, but I believe we
already have a good understanding here.

Morel

Instead of trying every possibility...
how about we move to the next step of
problem-solving and plan a solution?

Problem-Solving Steps

  1. Understand the problem
  2. Plan a solution
  3. Try the solution
  4. Reflect on the solution

Morel

First, let’s reset so we can see the
whole problem as we plan.

Olive

Eh??? Why do we need to reset and plan??
We were on a roll!

Olive

Isn’t it faster to just try things
until we solve the problem?

Zorro

Hm...if we’re always just trying every
option without thinking, that could end
up taking a while.

Zorro

Making a plan might actually save us time!

Olive

...Okay, let's try it your way. I do tend to get caught up in the moment and act before thinking...

Olive

So, where do we start?

Morel

Hm...planning a solution for a big problem like this might be easier if we break it down into smaller steps.

Olive

Break it down, huh? Sounds groovy!

Olive

But...how can we break this problem
into smaller steps?

Morel

Good question — there are many ways to
break a problem down. For this one, let's
break it down chamber by chamber.

Morel

As we focus on each chamber, we'll look
for steps we can take that bring us closer
to the goal.

Morel

Then, we'll note what's blocking us
from doing those steps and why.

Zorro

Sounds good to me...which chamber
should we focus on first?

Olive

Ooh! I might have an idea...

Olive

Let's look at the 4th chamber first, since that's where our goal is. Then we'll pick the next chamber based on what's blocking us!

Zorro

Good idea, Olive! That should help us
figure out the order of our steps later!

Zorro

Looking at the 4th chamber, the only step
we need to do here is touch the heart — that should be how we WIN this problem, but...

Zorro

We're blocked from that right now because
the HEART IS WIN rule isn't made yet.

Morel

The blocks for HEART IS WIN are in the 2nd chamber, so let's focus on that one next.

Morel

What steps will we need to do here?
Let's look closely...

What steps do the Rewriters
need to do in this chamber?

Think independently before starting poll

Poll Preview

Vote!

Polling...

Responses

What steps do the Rewriters
need to do in this chamber?

4

All of the above

3

Get the 2 starfish

2

Get past the crabs

1

Make HEART IS WIN

Vote!

Polling...

Responses

What steps do the Rewriters
need to do in this chamber?

4

All of the above

3

Get the 2 starfish

2

Get past the crabs

1

Make HEART IS WIN

Time for a Video!

Let’s make sure volume is turned up and everyone can see before going to the next slide.

Morel

We have 3 steps to do here:
get past the crabs, make HEART IS WIN,
and get the 2 starfish.

Morel

The crabs are blocking us from
doing those steps because of the rule
CRAB IS DEFEAT.

Olive

That rule is in the 1st chamber,
so let's focus on that one next!

Olive

I see...here we need to get past the water, break CRAB IS DEFEAT, and get the 2 starfish!

Olive

And we're blocked by the water
because WATER IS SINK!

Zorro

Finally, that rule brings us to the
3rd chamber. Here, our only step is to
break WATER IS SINK!

Zorro

As we saw earlier, there's nothing
else in that chamber blocking us.

Morel

Very good. Now that we've broken this
problem down into smaller steps, what
order should we do those steps in?

Olive

Since we worked backwards from
the goal, I think I know the order!

Olive

3

First we'll do the steps in chamber 3, then chamber 1, then chamber 2, then finally chamber 4.

Olive

First we'll do the steps in chamber 3, then chamber 1, then chamber 2, then finally chamber 4.

1

Olive

First we'll do the steps in chamber 3, then chamber 1, then chamber 2, then finally chamber 4.

2

Olive

First we'll do the steps in chamber 3, then chamber 1, then chamber 2, then finally chamber 4.

4

Zorro

Alright! Now that we have our plan...
Olive, Morel, will you help me act it out?

Zorro

If I learned how to rewrite by solving
problems with Sol...I know you can, too!

Olive

Yes!! I’m ready for action!

Olive

I'll start off our plan by opening
the 3rd chamber...

Olive

...to break WATER IS SINK!

Olive

Behold, my first move as a Rewriter!
Please, hold your applause.

Morel

Oh ho, this old mushroom won’t be left behind...I believe I can rewrite, too.

Morel

For this next step, I’ll open
the 1st chamber...

Morel

...and break CRAB IS DEFEAT!

Morel

Then I'll get the 2 starfish.

Zorro

Yes! I knew both of you could do it!

Zorro

Next, I'll open the 2nd chamber...

Zorro

...and write HEART IS WIN!

Zorro

Then I'll get the 2 starfish!

Olive

Now, for the grand finale...!

Enoki

goo!

Zorro

Woah!

Zorro

Enoki’s opening up the 4th chamber
with the remaining starfish!

Morel

Marvelous!

Morel

Enoki, you truly can do anything
you set your mind to...

Zorro

Wow...I can’t wait to show Sol that
we’re all Rewriters now!!

Olive

Amazing! I must admit, you were
both right about pausing to plan first...

Olive

Breaking this problem down made it easier
to plan our solution – be sure to tell Sol
all about this when we find them!

Zorro

Problem-Solving Steps

2. Plan a solution

  • How can I break this problem into smaller steps?
  • What order should I do these steps in?

That reminds me — I should write down
the questions that helped us plan. Then
we can show them to Sol later!

Zorro

There, now let’s keep going! Olive,
which way is your shell pointing now?

Olive

Let's see...this way!

Morel

Hang in there Sol, we’re coming for you...!

Meanwhile, Sol...

This has gotten kind of out of hand...
I should really be looking for my
friends right now!

Sol (Thinking)

But I want to help everyone...!
Ahhh! I wish I could just teach them all
how to rewrite instead...

Sol (Thinking)

WAIT. I can totally do that.
I should just do that!!

Sol (Thinking)

Alright, listen up everyone! The first
step to solving a problem is making sure
you understand it...

Sol

Sorry Zorro, Morel – I’ll go
look for you right after this!!

Sol (Thinking)

Keep Going!

Part 4

Keep this in mind as you play...

Once you understand a problem,
plan a solution by asking yourself these questions:

  • How can I break this problem into smaller steps?
  • What order should I do these steps in?

Check In!

Part 5

Look, there’s Sol!

Zorro

Hey Sol, over here!!

Zorro

Everyone!!!!!

Sol

What a relief! We missed you, Sol!

Morel

I missed you too — I’m so glad you found
me! Who’s your new friend?

Sol

I’m Olive! Glad to finally meet you, Sol!

Olive

Sol, guess what? While all of us
were working hard to find you...

Zorro

Morel, Enoki, and Olive
became Rewriters, too!

Zorro

We struggled at first...but then we
learned how to break big problems down
into smaller steps!

Zorro

Ooh, tell me more!

Sol

Let's Discuss! (2 mins)

Why is it helpful to break a big
problem down into smaller steps?

Wow, sounds like you all solved a lot of difficult problems!

Sol

As for me...I may have taught a few crabs
here how to rewrite as well...

Sol

So maybe rewriting will keep spreading,
and more and more problems will get solved!

Sol

Woah, that would be so cool...
a world full of Rewriters!

Zorro

I wonder...why did I even think I
couldn’t rewrite in the first place?

Zorro

...Ah! That reminds me why I wanted
to bring you here, Sol.

Morel

Olive...have you heard of “The Keepers”?

Morel

...Yes, I have.

Olive

I thought they were just rumors, but now
that I’ve seen the power of rewriting myself...they may be true.

Olive

Here’s what they say: The Keepers are a
group who believe rules should be kept the
same forever, never rewritten.

Olive

So they created difficult problems all
over the world, trying to discourage
everyone from rewriting...

Olive

The Keepers are the reason why many believe
rewriting is impossible...they might even
be the reason Sol was trapped in that cave.

Olive

That’s terrible...why would they do
something like that?

Sol

Olive, do you know anything else about the Keepers? Maybe we can stop them somehow...!

Sol

Hm...there is one last thing...

Olive

They say there’s a powerful Rewriter
who works for the Keepers – one who can transform objects at will.

Olive

No one knows their true identity...
but apparently, they’re often seen in
a knight’s mask.

Olive

...Wait a second. A knight?! I think
I've seen this Rewriter before...!

Sol

...Really?! In that case,
it looks like we know what to do next.
Let’s track down that knight...

Olive

Using my legendary shell, of course!

Olive

Here, Sol – if you hold it and think about
that knight, the shell should point us in
the right direction!

Olive

Woah, really? Okay, let me try...

Sol

Feeling the shell turn slowly, Sol hears a frustrated voice...

Sol, watch out! ...That was close, you almost
hurt yourself. Wait, why did you run off in this direction again?? Ugh, I think we’re lost...

???

Woah! That voice...I’ve definitely heard
it before. But who is it?

Sol (Thinking)

They sounded upset with me...maybe
because I got us lost?

Sol (Thinking)

...Was I like that before? Did I run
around and act without thinking?

Sol (Thinking)

Sol, are you alright?
Did you remember something new?

Morel

Y-yeah! Nothing too interesting, though!

Sol

Anyways...let’s get going!
The shell is pointing this way...

Sol

Aha, that’s towards the beach –
everyone, I shall lead you there!

Olive

Great, let’s go!

Sol

...Wait. Olive, will you be okay out of water?

Sol

Hm? Of course, no worries! Let me just
go stretch my legs real quick!

Olive

Your...legs?

Sol

...

Sol

Thanks for waiting everyone! I’m ready~

Olive

Alright team, is everyone else good to go?

Olive

You're full of surprises, Olive...

Sol

But we’re ready. Let’s find that knight!!

Sol

Until next time...

Spring Launch: Lesson 5

By sophiekansmith

Spring Launch: Lesson 5

Lesson 5

  • 82