Writing a lesson description the Tutorial Builder understands
The Tutorial Builder writes a whole step-by-step tutorial from your description. A few details up front save a lot of back-and-forth.
Include these five things
- Who it's for – grade or age. "Grade 5" or "ages 10–11."
- What they'll build – the finished program in one sentence. "A plant moisture alarm that shows a sad face when the soil is dry."
- What they'll learn – the concept. "Using if/else with a sensor reading."
- What hardware – a plain micro:bit, or a Forward Education kit and which modules. "Climate Action Kit with the moisture sensor."
- How long or how many steps – "About 8 steps, one lesson period."
Put together:
A tutorial for grade 5 students, about 8 steps. They build a plant moisture alarm using the Climate Action Kit moisture sensor: when the soil is dry the micro:bit shows a sad face, otherwise a happy face. The goal is to learn if/else with a sensor reading. They have used the micro:bit before but not the kit.
Then refine by chatting
The first draft is a starting point. Talk to it like a co-author:
- "Step 3 is too big — split it into two."
- "Add a step where they predict what will happen before running it."
- "Use simpler words in the introduction."
- "Add a challenge at the end: make the alarm beep."
Check the Steps tab for wording and the Solution blocks tab to make sure the program is what you meant. Preview in MakeCode shows exactly what students get.
Choosing extensions
You don't pick extensions by hand. If your description mentions kit hardware, the Tutorial Builder includes the right extension; a plain micro:bit lesson gets none. If it picked wrong, just say so: "This lesson doesn't need the kit."
Good habits
- One concept per tutorial. Two short tutorials beat one long one.
- Say what students already know so the steps don't re-explain the basics.
- Name the tutorial yourself if you don't like the suggested title — click it to edit.
- Ask for a "challenge" or "extension" step at the end for fast finishers.