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Health Position Builder

Run the Health Position Builder MicroSim Fullscreen

You can embed this MicroSim in your own course website with this iframe:

<iframe src="./main.html" width="100%" height="514px" scrolling="no"></iframe>

About this MicroSim

Health Position Builder is an interactive MicroSim for this health-education textbook.

Students construct a complete health position by assembling a claim, matching evidence, and connecting reasoning from provided research snippets on a sample health topic.

Use the controls in the panel below the drawing to interact with the model, then talk through what changed and why. The MicroSim is width-responsive and can be embedded in any course page with the iframe shown above.

Bloom's Taxonomy level: Create (L6) — construct, formulate, compose

Lesson Plan

Audience

This MicroSim is designed for Grade 4. For the K-3 bands the teacher typically drives the activity on a shared screen; older students can explore the MicroSim independently.

Learning Objective

Students construct a complete health position by assembling a claim, matching evidence, and connecting reasoning from provided research snippets on a sample health topic.

This activity targets Bloom's Create (L6) (construct, formulate, compose).

Suggested Use (about 10 minutes)

  1. Warm up (2 min). Ask students what they already know about the topic and let one volunteer describe what they see on the screen.
  2. Model it (3 min). Demonstrate the interaction once, thinking aloud so students hear the reasoning behind each choice.
  3. Guided practice (3 min). Invite students to try the interaction and to predict what will happen before they act.
  4. Discuss (2 min). Ask why the result came out the way it did, connecting the on-screen result back to the learning objective above.

Check for Understanding

Have each student (or pair) explain their result in one sentence, using the vocabulary from this chapter. Look for reasoning that matches the Create-level objective rather than a lucky guess.

Specification

The full specification below was extracted from Chapter 6: Health Literacy and Goal Setting.

Type: microsim
**sim-id:** health-position-builder<br/>
**Library:** p5.js<br/>
**Status:** Specified

Bloom Taxonomy: Create (L6)
Bloom Taxonomy Verb: construct, formulate, compose

Learning objective: Students construct a complete health position by assembling a claim, matching evidence, and connecting reasoning from provided research snippets on a sample health topic.

Canvas layout:
- Top (150px): A research topic prompt and three short "research snippet" cards from different sample sources
- Middle (250px): Three labeled build slots: "Claim," "Evidence," "Reasoning"
- Bottom (150px): A bank of draggable sentence-part tiles (some correct, some mismatched as distractors) plus a "Check My Position" button

Visual elements:
- Research snippet cards styled like small index cards with a source icon (doctor, health agency, community member)
- Build slots outlined in a light color that fills in green when a valid tile is placed correctly

Interactive controls:
- Drag sentence-part tiles into the Claim, Evidence, or Reasoning slot
- Button: "Check My Position" reveals whether each slot logically fits and why
- Button: "Try a New Topic" loads a different sample scenario (e.g., screen-time limits, school recess length)
- Button: "Reset"

Default parameters:
- 3 rotating sample topics, each with 3 research snippets and a mix of correct and mismatched tiles
- Starting topic: the school food-allergy rule example

Data Visibility Requirements:
  Stage 1: Show the topic question and the three research snippets in full
  Stage 2: Show the three empty build slots and the tile bank
  Stage 3: After "Check My Position" is clicked, show which slots are logically supported by the snippets and which need revision, with a one-sentence reason for each
  Final: Show the complete, correctly assembled Claim-Evidence-Reasoning position as a single readable statement

Behavior:
- Distractor tiles are plausible-sounding but do not logically connect to the snippets, requiring learners to check fit rather than guess
- Every check gives a reason, not just correct/incorrect marking

Instructional Rationale: This is a Create-level objective, so the design requires learners to actively assemble an original position from component parts rather than select a pre-written answer. Distractor tiles push learners to verify logical fit against the evidence, mirroring real research-based argument construction.

Implementation notes: Use p5.js for drag-and-drop tiles and slot-matching logic. Keep sample topics realistic, age-appropriate, and unrelated to personal safety or substance use.

References