technology with intention
Posts tagged Scratch
Spanish scripting in Scratch
808 days
by Jac de Haan
in 6th Grade
Another amazing Spanish version of true/false. This game was created by 6th grade student Gus:
Programming in Spanish
835 days
by Jac de Haan
in 6th Grade
6th grade students have spent the last month putting their programming skills to the test in Spanish class. We’ve used logic statements, broadcasting and variables to create fun human-computer interaction experiences. A selection of the games will be published online, please enjoy Rachel H.’s finished product:
Independent project spotlight: Rory
863 days
Over break, 6th grade student Rory spent some time creating some absolutely amazing Scratch projects at home. He created some games and some stories as well. Rory offers some advice to others interested in learning more about Scratch:
I think the most useful functions I used were if/then/else statements and variables…as far as advice goes I would say to use simple controls, variables, lots of show/hides for different levels and broadcasting (though I didn’t use broadcasting for this one).
The Scuba Game took about 25 hours since I got a lot better at Scratch over the course of making the game. At the moment in Scratch I’m working on a game/simulation of a chemistry lab and various smaller projects (like seasonal animations and simulations).
Logic statements – if, then, else
864 days
by Jac de Haan
in 6th Grade
6th grade students have been playing with Scratch for a couple of weeks now and our understanding of programming is growing. There is one function that is so important that we dedicated an entire class period to understanding it- the if/then/else logic statement.
We began by talking about how parents use logic statements all the time:
“If you clean your room, you can have a sleepover, else you’ll be hanging out with your little brother tonight.”
“If you finish all your homework, we can watch Glee, else it’ll be straight to bed.”
Next we created if, then and else statements on sticky notes and used a random name generator to decide who would place a blue (if), pink (then), or purple (else) statement on the board. Once we had a complete logic statement we would run the program, using ourselves as the computer. Here are some of our favorites:
if you’ve poked yourself with a pencil in the last 24 hours
then leave the room by crawling
else jump up and down for 30 seconds
created by Simon, Will, Alex
if your room is dirty
sit on the floor and meditate
else go to the computer and look up “Pi day”
created by Gwen, Alex
if you have decorative shoelaces (colored or with patterns)
storm angrily out of the room
else do 10 jumping jacks
created by Colin, Fiona, Cooper
if you know what r(pi)cubed*4/3 is
then say “uh oh spagetti-os”
else go get a drink of water
created by Colin, Dillon, Arthur
Independent Project Spotlight: Thomas
1160 days
6th grade student Thomas recently finished an interactive animation using Scratch, a free application that introduces programming. Use the space bar to begin and the arrow keys to interact with this cool creation:
Scratch Lab Lunches
1261 days
As the weather turns colder (22 Degrees F this morning!) some students are opting to eat lunch indoors. A group of 6th graders have organized a Scratch Lab Lunch series – Tuesdays upstairs. Today was our largest showing yet…5 students worked on various personal projects.
One team conceived and executed a brand new game, available to play below. Coding by Ben, artistic direction by Milo, and creative suggestions by Truman. This game was built in about 30 minutes…there is still a little debugging to do. Enjoy!
Objective: move the cows to the mothership
Directions: use the arrow keys to navigate and the space bar to deploy your tractor beam.
Scratch re-runs!
1285 days
by Jac de Haan
in 6th Grade
6th graders are excited about Scratch! After last week’s introduction to this amazingly free 2-D animation software students demand more time to get to know the ins and outs of programming.
This week we looked at a specific type of script – the logic statement (also sometimes referred to as an if-then-else statement). We started our day in the Lab Annex with post-it notes and a random name selector (slips of paper in a box). As students names were pulled out of the box, they brought one element of a program up to the board…either an “if”, a “then”, or an “else” statement. Once our programs were built, we ran them!
Some class favorites were:
IF you are Jac,
THEN eat a post-it note,
ELSE sit down.
IF you have an older brother,
THEN do 10 push-ups,
ELSE go to sleep.
IF you have a dog,
THEN sing the “Elmo” song,
ELSE bite your thumb 15 times.
Everyone quickly came to understand logic statements, so we headed to the computers to create them using Scratch. Results were really cool – spinning breakdancers, jumping cats, singing fish and more!
As a stretch, a few students learned about broadcasting – sending a trigger from one object to another to activate a script. Broadcasting allows our sprites to interact with each other…we’ll be looking at this further before the end of the term.
Scratch your brain
1293 days
The 6th grade makes magic happen with an introduction to Scratch – a free introduction to programming from MIT. This amazing program lets users create animations and games without writing code.
The interface is much like a play or musical. Every actor (sprite) needs a script to follow, a costume to wear and a stage to stand on. Our first day was mostly play, but in the near future we’ll use this software to learn about coordinates (math), boolean search terms (research) and logic statements (life!).
Students are encouraged to help their parents install the program so the fun can continue at home!
Click and hold your mouse to check out this Scratch art project by current 8th grade student Gabe.
Venn in Rome…
1672 days
by Jac de Haan
in 6th Grade
Classes split themselves into 2 groups on Tuesday…
One group used the time to catch up on Venn diagrams. We learned to visually diagram Boolean terms using Venn diagrams. The other group got to watch a new Discovery Channel show called “Prototype This!” which can be watched online for free.
Wednesday we took a review worksheet designed to find out how well the tech teachers have taught Venn diagrams. The rest of the period was free exploration in Scratch. Most students have successfully incorporated at least one Boolean operator into their programs.
Logic & Boolean = sweet!
1677 days
by Jac de Haan
in 6th Grade
After a quick review of if/then/else logic statements, we tried to visually represent Boolean operators using Venn diagrams. Using the whiteboard, we drew the relationship between snowboarders and skiiers in the class. We learned that:
- 14 students ski
- 4 students snowboard
- 1 student doesn’t ski or snowboard
Using Boolean operators, we examined our data and found that:
- 11 students ski NOT snowboard
- 2 students snowboard NOT ski
- 2 students ski AND snowboard
- 1 student NOT ski
- 1 student NOT snowboard
- 1 student NOT ski NOT snowboard
Once our group application of the Boolean operators was complete, students began individual assignments adding AND/OR/NOT into Scratch and combining them with the logic statements they had already created.
