Use the original 3×3 board below with a short teacher-reviewed word bank. This is an independent adjacent-letter exercise, not a reproduction of a commercial board, dice set, timer, scoring system, or branded classroom kit.
Hasbro's supplied Boggle instructions allow neighboring letters in horizontal, vertical, and diagonal sequences without reusing a letter cell within one word. The instructions discuss word acceptance separately. This packet keeps that path/acceptance distinction while supplying its own board and limited bank. Official instruction text
Label every cell and preserve the order
Use rows numbered top to bottom and columns left to right:
| Coordinate row | Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Row 1 | C: r1c1 | A: r1c2 | X: r1c3 |
| Row 2 | T: r2c1 | R: r2c2 | E: r2c3 |
| Row 3 | X: r3c1 | X: r3c2 | X: r3c3 |
Each selected cell contributes one letter. Consecutive cells must be distinct neighbors: the larger of the absolute row difference and column difference is one. Every cell must be inside the board, and no cell ID may occur twice in the same attempt.
A path may bend. You cannot validate it by checking only the first and last cells or by assuming every word lies along a straight row, column, or diagonal. Record the full ordered coordinate sequence and the actual letters encountered.
Use a finite spelling bank without pretending it is a dictionary
The supplied bank is CAT, CART, CARE, TART. It governs spelling acceptance for this exercise only. It does not list all English words, all words one could form on this board, or everything permitted by the commercial game's dictionary rules.
The teacher's supplied valid paths are:
| Word | Ordered path | Actual letters |
|---|---|---|
| CAT | r1c1 → r1c2 → r2c1 | C → A → T |
| CART | r1c1 → r1c2 → r2c2 → r2c1 | C → A → R → T |
| CARE | r1c1 → r1c2 → r2c2 → r2c3 | C → A → R → E |
Check each neighbor step, including the diagonal A-to-T step in CAT. None of these paths repeats a cell. These three keys are illustrations, not an exhaustive search or a completed student record.
TART is in the spelling bank, but the proposed path r2c1 → r1c2 → r2c2 → r2c1 repeats the T cell. It is invalid even though its letters spell an allowed word. This board has only one T cell, so that proposed four-letter spelling cannot be accepted by reusing it.
The trial labeled CAT with path r1c1 → r1c2 → r3c1 has two problems. Its actual letters are CAX, and the A-to-X move skips beyond a neighbor. Show both facts in feedback; silently accepting the typed claim would hide the board evidence.
Make feedback identify the failed check
Give learners a blank ledger with claimed word, ordered coordinates, actual letter chain, neighbor check, reuse check, word-bank check, and explanation. Keep teacher examples separate. An empty attempt remains incomplete, with no invented word or result.
For the companion’s local checker, first retain the actual path for inspection. Identify invalid coordinates, non-neighbor transitions, and repeated IDs. Derive the actual letter chain from valid board coordinates and compare it with the claimed word; out-of-board coordinates cannot supply a letter. Then check the derived spelling against the finite bank. Acceptance requires a valid full path and an allowed derived spelling.
This separation lets a teacher ask, “Is the problem the letters, the route, or the bank?” An invalid attempt adds nothing to the accepted-word list. If the later view displays a found-word count, count a repeated accepted spelling once, even when a learner submits it again. That local list is not a competitive point score or proof of vocabulary mastery.
Offer a path-building route that does not require dragging
The paper board and coordinate ledger provide the native activity. The companion uses labeled cell activation by tap or keyboard, with an ordered path strip. Arrow keys could move focus without adding a letter; activation would append the focused cell. This avoids making pointer dragging the only way to show a route.
Undo removes the last selected cell. Cancel clears the current attempt while retaining any already accepted local spellings. Any path edit clears old feedback, and Check evaluates the new attempt. Reset clears the current attempt and local found set on the same original board. These controls apply to the local attempt and found-word list; they make no saving promise.
Have a partner explain one neighbor step and one rejection. Free explanations need human review; the fixed path checks cannot grade all prose or report an actual classroom learning outcome. Keep time pressure and commercial scoring outside this exercise.
Copyable adjacent-letter packet prompt
Create one complete, self-contained US-English HTML companion for “Letter trails · classroom path game”. Return the full HTML document, with inline CSS and any JavaScript needed for the local interactions. Use the original scenario, named records, numbers and expected cases below.
Design the page for this task: use clearly labeled input or source records, a readable result or worked example, and an adjacent explanation of the evidence. Use a restrained visual hierarchy, left-aligned text, readable tables or stacked records, and a responsive layout at 720px and 360px. Provide meaningful labeled controls for Undo last; Cancel attempt; Check this path; Reset board & list. Use keyboard-accessible native controls and visible focus. Keep the complete content readable without an external dependency.
The following brief supplies the substantive content and constraints. Native-format requests describe the material to represent or copy manually; this HTML must not pretend to create DOCX, XLSX, PDF, PPTX, H5P or another native file, run Python/Flask/Django/Snowflake/Power BI, connect a live service, send messages, or perform an authorized real-world action. Where the task requires a native source, actual observation or separate approval, retain that requirement and leave unsupplied evidence blank.
Prepare an original classroom adjacent-letter packet and later-control specification in readable English. Do not copy a commercial board or invent learner results.
Use a 3x3 board, rows CAX / TRE / XXX, with stable IDs r1c1 through r3c3. Supply the finite teacher-reviewed spelling bank CAT, CART, CARE, TART. The bank is not an exhaustive dictionary or board search.
Require distinct neighboring cells in each step, including horizontal/vertical/diagonal neighbors: max(abs(row difference), abs(column difference))=1. All cells stay inside the board; no cell may be reused in an attempt. Bent paths are permitted. Check the full ordered coordinates, not only endpoints.
Use teacher keys:
CAT: r1c1,r1c2,r2c1. CART: r1c1,r1c2,r2c2,r2c1. CARE: r1c1,r1c2,r2c2,r2c3. TART trial r2c1,r1c2,r2c2,r2c1 spells the bank word but repeats r2c1, so reject it. Claimed CAT trial r1c1,r1c2,r3c1 spells CAX and skips a neighbor. Explain both errors.
Provide a blank learner ledger for claimed spelling, coordinates, actual letters, neighbor/reuse/bank checks, and explanation. Do not accept a typed word that differs from the actual chain. Invalid attempts add no accepted word; if a local count is proposed, accepted spellings count once. Actual records stay blank, separate from teacher examples.
Keep paper board/ledger primary. Propose labeled tap/keyboard cell activation and a path strip; focus movement need not append a cell. Undo removes the last cell. Cancel clears current attempt but retains the local found set. Any edit clears feedback before Check. Reset clears attempt and found set on the original board. Leave control, keyboard/focus, layout, and runtime observations not tested.
Use no copied logos, dice, commercial 4x4 board, timer, or scoring system. Do not claim endorsed affiliation, full English word acceptance, storage, speed, mastery, or learning performance. Human review of free explanations remains required.
COMPLETE AUTHORED SCENARIO AND EXPECTED CASES
The following is the supplied reading/teaching/calculation record to represent in the companion. Preserve its particular content, examples, source references and unknowns. Wording about a future native implementation refers to that native task, not permission to omit this HTML companion.
# Boggle Classroom: Check the Letter Path as Well as the Word
A learner submits an allowed word, but the route uses the same cell twice. Another writes CAT while pointing to cells that spell CAX. A classroom letter-path activity needs two checks: what the selected cells actually spell, and whether the path follows the movement rules.
Use the original 3×3 board below with a short teacher-reviewed word bank. This is an independent adjacent-letter exercise, not a reproduction of a commercial board, dice set, timer, scoring system, or branded classroom kit.
Hasbro's supplied Boggle instructions allow neighboring letters in horizontal, vertical, and diagonal sequences without reusing a letter cell within one word. The instructions discuss word acceptance separately. This packet keeps that path/acceptance distinction while supplying its own board and limited bank. [Official instruction text](https://instructions.hasbro.com/api/download/04601_en-us_boggle.pdf)
## Label every cell and preserve the order
Use rows numbered top to bottom and columns left to right:
| Coordinate row | Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Row 1 | C: r1c1 | A: r1c2 | X: r1c3 |
| Row 2 | T: r2c1 | R: r2c2 | E: r2c3 |
| Row 3 | X: r3c1 | X: r3c2 | X: r3c3 |
Each selected cell contributes one letter. Consecutive cells must be distinct neighbors: the larger of the absolute row difference and column difference is one. Every cell must be inside the board, and no cell ID may occur twice in the same attempt.
A path may bend. You cannot validate it by checking only the first and last cells or by assuming every word lies along a straight row, column, or diagonal. Record the full ordered coordinate sequence and the actual letters encountered.
## Use a finite spelling bank without pretending it is a dictionary
The supplied bank is **CAT, CART, CARE, TART**. It governs spelling acceptance for this exercise only. It does not list all English words, all words one could form on this board, or everything permitted by the commercial game's dictionary rules.
The teacher's supplied valid paths are:
| Word | Ordered path | Actual letters |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CAT | r1c1 → r1c2 → r2c1 | C → A → T |
| CART | r1c1 → r1c2 → r2c2 → r2c1 | C → A → R → T |
| CARE | r1c1 → r1c2 → r2c2 → r2c3 | C → A → R → E |
Check each neighbor step, including the diagonal A-to-T step in CAT. None of these paths repeats a cell. These three keys are illustrations, not an exhaustive search or a completed student record.
TART is in the spelling bank, but the proposed path **r2c1 → r1c2 → r2c2 → r2c1** repeats the T cell. It is invalid even though its letters spell an allowed word. This board has only one T cell, so that proposed four-letter spelling cannot be accepted by reusing it.
The trial labeled CAT with path **r1c1 → r1c2 → r3c1** has two problems. Its actual letters are **CAX**, and the A-to-X move skips beyond a neighbor. Show both facts in feedback; silently accepting the typed claim would hide the board evidence.
## Make feedback identify the failed check
Give learners a blank ledger with claimed word, ordered coordinates, actual letter chain, neighbor check, reuse check, word-bank check, and explanation. Keep teacher examples separate. An empty attempt remains incomplete, with no invented word or result.
For the companion’s local checker, first retain the actual path for inspection. Identify invalid coordinates, non-neighbor transitions, and repeated IDs. Derive the actual letter chain from valid board coordinates and compare it with the claimed word; out-of-board coordinates cannot supply a letter. Then check the derived spelling against the finite bank. Acceptance requires a valid full path and an allowed derived spelling.
This separation lets a teacher ask, “Is the problem the letters, the route, or the bank?” An invalid attempt adds nothing to the accepted-word list. If the later view displays a found-word count, count a repeated accepted spelling once, even when a learner submits it again. That local list is not a competitive point score or proof of vocabulary mastery.
## Offer a path-building route that does not require dragging
The paper board and coordinate ledger provide the native activity. The companion uses labeled cell activation by tap or keyboard, with an ordered path strip. Arrow keys could move focus without adding a letter; activation would append the focused cell. This avoids making pointer dragging the only way to show a route.
Undo removes the last selected cell. Cancel clears the current attempt while retaining any already accepted local spellings. Any path edit clears old feedback, and Check evaluates the new attempt. Reset clears the current attempt and local found set on the same original board. These controls apply to the local attempt and found-word list; they make no saving promise.
Have a partner explain one neighbor step and one rejection. Free explanations need human review; the fixed path checks cannot grade all prose or report an actual classroom learning outcome. Keep time pressure and commercial scoring outside this exercise.
Implement the local companion rather than returning a text-only plan. Preserve every numerical fixture and the distinction between illustrative expectations and actual evidence. Any native-runtime or classroom tests mentioned above remain tests to perform in the proper environment; do not mark them passed. Keep edits and practice responses in this open page only, without claiming persistent storage. Provide invalid/missing-input feedback and reset behavior that agree with this specific brief. Do not claim accessibility certification, learning gains, real approvals or test results that were not observed.
A separate view of the prepared board
The HTML companion is available above for comparison with the original records. Keep the original board and coordinate record attached to the explanation. The actual controls and their rejection states still need testing in that example.
An accepted word should come with a route you can follow, letter by letter, without a jump or a reused cell.