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UNIT 1
EXPLORING

YOU ARE HERE WHAT’S INCLUDED

STEP-BY-STEP
10 BLOCKS
1
0 2 3 4 5 6
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UNIT 1
OVERVIEW
THE “BIG IDEA”
Many of the educators over the years wrestle with two
questions when getting started with creative computing: “
What’s the best way of helping learners get started?” and “
What do I, as teacher, need to know?” The writings of
As they
Seymour Papert (a renowned mathematician, educator, and p
revelatio uzzled togeth
major influence on the development of Scratch through the n: “Do yo er the
u mean,” c
Logo programming language) serve as inspiration for
don’t kn
ow how he said, hild had a
know ho to fix it? “ t h at you re
thinking about these questions. wt ” Th ally
him wa o say it, but wha e child did not
s that t had be yet
engaged he a en re
With respect to the first question, two extreme positions tend together nd the teache vealed to
incident in a re r had
to be taken up. Either learners need to be told what to do and is s been
child en poignant. It spea earch project.
tered int
should have highly structured experiences – or learners need
together o teache ks of all the tim The
to be left totally alone to explore under their own direction. ” rs’ ga es this
collabor all the while mes of “let’s do
Papert, a proponent of the notion that young learners should atio knowing that
setup; in n was a fiction. t h a t
vention
act as advocates for and explorers of their own thinking and cannot b Discovery canno the
learning, encouraged teachers to seek a balance between e schedu t be a
led.
teaching and learning. Throughout the guide, we vary the (Papert,
1980, p.
amount of structure in the activities in an effort to provide 115)
balance.

With respect to the second question, educators sometimes

worry that they don’t “know” enough about Scratch to be able
to help others. We encourage you to take a broad view of
what it means to “know” Scratch. You don’t need to know
everything about the Scratch interface or how to solve every KEY WORDS, CONCEPTS, & PRACTICES
problem that a learner encounters. But, as Papert noted,
educators can serve as cognitive guides, asking questions and + experimenting and + motion + tips window
helping break down problems into manageable pieces. iterating + looks + remix
+ testing and debugging + sound + interactive
+ sequence + costume collage
+ sprite + backdrop + pair-share
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
NOTES
Students will:
+ Think about how you plan to access your students’ work. For
+ build on initial explorations of the Scratch environment by
example, you can create class studios to collect projects,
creating an interactive Scratch project have students email you project links, or start a class blog.
+ be introduced to a wider range of Scratch blocks
+ become familiar with the concept of sequence
+ practice experimenting and iterating while creating projects
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CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

This unit includes a mix of structured and open-ended

activities that engage students in exploration of the key
concept of sequence – identifying and specifying an
ordered series of instructions. This is often a powerful
moment for students: they’re telling the computer what to
do, by translating their ideas into blocks of computer code.

From a step-by-step tutorial, to playing with a constrained

number of blocks, each activity helps learners build the
skills needed to create projects. In the culminating project,
learners will explore and experiment with sprites, costumes,
looks, backdrops, and sounds to create a personalized,
interactive collage in Scratch.

Take advantage of all the activities or pick a few that cater

to your students ’ specific needs and interests ; the choice is
up to you. If you’re not sure where to start, a possible order
for the activities is suggested below.

POSSIBLE PATH

STEP-BY-STEP 10 BLOCKS

What can you

New to Scratch?
create with only
Create your first
10 Scratch
Scratch project!
blocks?
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UNIT 1 ACTIVITY OBJECTIVES

STEP-BY-STEP
By completing this activity, students will:
+ create a dancing cat in Scratch by following a
step-by-step tutorial
+ experience building up a program by experimenting
and iterating

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION RESOURCES

❑ Have the Step-by-Step handout and Scratch Cards ❑ Step-by-Step handout

available to guide students during the activity. ❑ Step-by-Step studio
http://scratch.mit.edu/studios/475476
❑ Have students open the Tips window and follow the ❑ Scratch Cards
Getting Started with Scratch tutorial to create an https://scratch.mit.edu/info/cards/
animated program. Encourage students to add other
blocks and experiment with motion, sprites, looks,
costumes, sound, or backdrops to make the project REFLECTION PROMPTS
their own.
❑ Ask students to think back on the design process (by + What was surprising about the activity?
reflecting on the pr)as a group discussion. + How did it feel to be led step-by-step through
the activity?
+ When do you feel most creative?

REVIEWING STUDENT WORK

+ Were students able to open Scratch and find the Tips

Window?
+ Were students able to create a dancing cat?
+ Were students able to save and share projects?

NOTES NOTES TO SELF

+ If they don’t have one already, help learners create a ❑ _______________________

Scratch account using the Unit 0 Scratch Account
activity, so that students can save and share their first ❑ _______________________
Scratch project with friends and family.
+ Remind students how to add a project to a studio with ❑ _______________________
the Unit 0 Scratch Studio activity or handout. ❑ _______________________
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STEP-BY-STEP
NEW TO SCRATCH? CREATE YOUR
FIRST SCRATCH PROJECT!

In this activity, you will follow the

“Getting Started” tutorial to create a
project in Scratch. Once you have
completed the steps, experiment by
adding other Scratch blocks to make the
project your own.

START HERE
❑ Click on “Tutorials.”
❑ Choose “Getting Started.”
❑ Add more blocks.
❑ Experiment to make it your own!

What blocks do you want to experiment with?

ASSIGNMNET FINISHED?

❑ Try recording your own sounds. + Add your project to the Step-by-Step Studio:
❑ Create different backdrops. http://scratch.mit.edu/studios/475476
+ Challenge yourself to do more! Play with adding new blocks,
sound, or motion.
+ Help a neighbor!
+ Choose a few new blocks to experiment with. Try them out!
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UNIT 1 EXERCISE
10 BLOCKS OBJECTIVES
By completing this activity, students will:
+ create a project with the constraint of only being
able to use 10 blocks

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION RESOURCES

❑ Have the 10 Blocks handout available to guide ❑ 10 Blocks handout

students during the activity. ❑ 10 Blocks studio
http://scratch.mit.edu/studios/475480
❑ Give students time to create a project with only these
10 Scratch blocks: go to, glide, say, show, hide, set size
to, play sound until done, when this sprite clicked, wait, REFLECTION PROMPTS
and repeat. Remind students to use each block at least
once in their project and encourage them to + What was difficult about being able to use only 10
experiment with different sprites, costumes, or blocks?
backdrops. + What was easy about being able to use only 10
❑ Invite students to share their projects blocks?
+ How did it make you think of things differently?
❑ Ask students to think back on the design process by
responding to the reflection prompts in their design
journals or in a group discussion. REVIEWING STUDENT WORK

+ Do projects include all 10 blocks?

+ How do different students react to the idea of
creating with constraints? What might this tell you
about how this student learns?

NOTES NOTES TO SELF

+ It’s surprising how much one can do with just 10 ❑ _______________________

blocks! Take this opportunity to encourage different
ideas and celebrate creativity by inviting a few ❑ _______________________
students to present their projects in front of the class
or by exploring other projects online in the 10 Blocks ❑ _______________________
studio. ❑ _______________________
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10 BLOCKS
WHAT CAN YOU CREATE WITH ONLY
10 SCRATCH BLOCKS?

Create a project using only these 10

blocks. Use them once, twice, or
multiple times, but use each block at
least once.

START HERE
❑ Test ideas by experimenting with each block.
❑ Mix and match blocks in various ways.
❑ Repeat!

E EL I N G
F
T U C K ?
S E THIN
GS…
THES
THAT’S O KAY! TRY FINISHED?

❑ Test ideas by trying out different block combinations. + Add your project to the 10 Blocks Studio:
Mix and match blocks until you find something that http://scratch.mit.edu/studios/475480
interests you! + Play with different sprites, costumes, or backdrops.
❑ Try brainstorming ideas with a neighbor! + Challenge yourself to do more! See how many different
❑ Explore other projects to see what others are doing in projects you can create with these 10 blocks.
Scratch. This can be a great way to find inspiration! + Swap projects with a partner and remix each others’
creations.