Scratch


As the teacher, I will be using this Educators Guide to help me.  All student handouts and photos below come from this book. As we learn to use Scratch, students will be recording skills and strategies they use to learn. Our reflections will be based around these types of Learning Strategies prompts.

As we work through Scratch, students will explore the program and teach the class new functions they discover.

My goals for using Scratch in class include:

  • all learning something new that can provide a context for our discussions around strategies for success
  • to set the stage for conversations around "Maker Culture" and the integration of inquiry, science, technology and math. We will also look at 3D printing and design, technology education and a few crafts. 
  • to practice numeracy skills (students will be creating games/activities/resources for their classmates to use to develop some basic math skills, I'm hoping a few will choose to use Scratch)
  • to help create a tinkering culture in our classroom where trying new things and failing while learning from those mistakes is valued. 
Student goals will include: 
  • I can identify and demonstrate a variety of learning strategies to support learning new skills
  • I can positively contribute to a virtual community while maintaining my safety and demonstrating respect for myself and others 
  • I can access a variety of print and digital resources to help me problem solve and troubleshoot complications in a project
  • I can use appropriate interpersonal and teamwork skills to maximize learning 
  • I can apply personal management skills in a variety of situations 
  • I can apply a variety of numeracy skills to practical contexts 



Unit "0"


First, we will investigate what Scratch is all about and create our accounts.

Next, students will investigate the platform in an open ended way. 


We will continue on to look at the digital citizenship skills involved in critiquing each others' work and working together in a studio. The topic of credit and remixing will be a main theme.




As we build our first real Scratch projects we will have discussions the differences between following instructions and being creative. 

The 10-block activity (limiting students to creating something using only 10 blocks) will focus our conversation on what we do when we feel stuck and how sometimes limitations can fuel creativity. 



Students will create their own studio starting by adding at least 3 Scratch projects from the community that they like. They will add one math-related project that they like. 

After finding other projects we like and perhaps editing them, we move onto an activity in debugging. Our reflection after this part will be long. We will focus on problem-solving strategies that carry across many disciplines (in school and out of school). 

We will then adapt this "About Me" to connect with our learner profiles. Another choice students will have will be to create something for one of their other subjects. 






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