Student learning · Grades K–2 · 30 minutes
Who Made This?
Children discover that every picture, video, song, and game was made by someone for a reason, and practice asking "Who made this, and why?"
Young children often experience media as something that just appears on a screen or a shelf. In this lesson they meet the makers behind it. You describe familiar kinds of media (a picture book, a cereal box, a cartoon, a game, a school poster, a picture made with an AI tool), and children answer two detective questions: Who made this? (a person, a company, or a person using AI) and Why did they make it? (to teach, to sell, to have fun, or to tell news). Children walk to "why" corners, then become makers themselves. The big idea they carry home: every piece of media was made by someone, on purpose, and good makers are honest about how they made it.
In this packet
- Handout A: Maker Cards (cut-apart cards)
- Handout B: I Am a Maker (worksheet)
- Handout C: Maker Hunt at Home (checklist)
- Facilitator key (last page)
TCEA ELE indicators
- S2.2 I can identify trustworthy sources of information on the internet.
- S1.3 I am aware of how AI can assist me in my studies.
- AI2.3 I am aware of the importance of transparency and accountability in AI systems.
- S3.2 I can communicate my ideas clearly to others.
Full facilitator guide: mglearn.github.io/eles/activities/who-made-this.html
Handout A for Who Made This?
Maker Cards
Teacher: read each card aloud in a big, clear voice. Children show who made it, then walk to the corner that shows why. The backs are your key.
Sheet 1 of 2
Card 1 · Book
A picture book about how a tadpole turns into a frog.
Card 2 · Box
A cereal box with a dancing cartoon tiger that says "Crunchy Stars make mornings GREAT!"
Card 3 · Cartoon
A funny cartoon show about two squirrels who build a rocket.
Card 4 · Poster
A poster in the school hallway that shows how to wash your hands with soap and bubbles.
Card 5 · Video
A toy commercial where kids shout "Get the new Zoom-Zoom Racer! Only at Pickett's Toy Barn!"
Card 6 · Card
A birthday card with a drawing of a pink cake, made by a big sister for her little brother.
Card 7 · News
A TV weather reporter pointing at a map that shows rain coming to Maple Hollow tomorrow.
Card 8 · Game
A tablet game where you feed a hungry dinosaur by counting apples.
Handout A for Who Made This?
Maker Cards
Teacher: read each card aloud in a big, clear voice. Children show who made it, then walk to the corner that shows why. The backs are your key.
Sheet 2 of 2
Card 9 · Song
A song your teacher plays about the days of the week.
Card 10 · News
A school newsletter that says, "Our class garden grew three pumpkins this week!"
Card 11 · Made with AI
A picture of a turtle wearing glasses and reading a book. Mr. Okafor, a teacher, typed words into an AI tool to make it for his reading corner.
Card 12 · Made with AI
The same turtle picture, now with a small label at the bottom: "Made by Mr. Okafor with an AI tool."
Handout B for Who Made This?
I Am a Maker
Draw and write. Your teacher can help you with words.
Draw something YOU would make: a poster, a comic, a card, or a game.
Who is it for?
Why did I make it? Circle one: TEACH · SELL · FUN · NEWS
What did I use to make it? (crayons, a camera, a computer, my voice…)
Draw a maker you know: a person who makes books, songs, pictures, or games.
Handout C for Who Made This?
Maker Hunt at Home
Family: find things at home that someone made, and ask the two detective questions together: "Who made this?" and "Why did they make it?" No screen needed. Check off what you find and bring this page back to school.
| Found it! | Still looking | |
|---|---|---|
| A book. Who wrote it? Who drew the pictures? | ||
| A box or package with a picture or cartoon on it. Who made it? Is it trying to SELL? | ||
| A song, show, or game you like. Who made it? Why? | ||
| Something a family member made (a drawing, a meal, a card). Why did they make it? | ||
| Something that tells NEWS (a newspaper, a school note, the weather report). | ||
| Something that TEACHES (a recipe, a map, instructions for a toy). | ||
| Bonus: did anything say it was made with help from an AI tool? | ||
| I made something at home and wrote my name on it. |
Notes
Facilitator only for Who Made This?
Answer key and notes
Handout A: Maker Cards
- Card 1 · Book
- WHO: an author who wrote the words and an illustrator who drew the pictures. WHY: TEACH (and fun). Use this one to model.
- Card 2 · Box
- WHO: a cereal company. WHY: SELL. The cartoon is there so kids notice the box and ask for it.
- Card 3 · Cartoon
- WHO: a team of writers, artists, and voice actors. WHY: FUN.
- Card 4 · Poster
- WHO: the school nurse. WHY: TEACH. It helps keep everyone healthy.
- Card 5 · Video
- WHO: a toy company. WHY: SELL. It's fun to watch, but the biggest reason is to get you to want the toy.
- Card 6 · Card
- WHO: one person, the big sister. WHY: FUN (and to say "I love you"). Not every maker is a company.
- Card 7 · News
- WHO: a news team. WHY: NEWS. It tells people what's happening so they can bring an umbrella.
- Card 8 · Game
- WHO: a game company with designers and artists. WHY: TEACH and FUN. Ask: "Does it ask you to buy anything? Then it might be SELL too."
- Card 9 · Song
- WHO: a songwriter and singer. WHY: TEACH (and fun).
- Card 10 · News
- WHO: teachers and students at the school. WHY: NEWS. It tells families what happened.
- Card 11 · Made with AI
- WHO: Mr. Okafor, using an AI tool. The tool made the picture from patterns it learned; Mr. Okafor decided to make it. WHY: FUN (to make reading cozy).
- Card 12 · Made with AI
- Talk about the label. Good makers tell the truth about how they made something, just like writing your name on your drawing.