SCRATCH

Areas English
Grade 6th
School year 2017/18

DESCRIPTION
This project based unit is about creative computing. Creativity, problem-solving task and students’
interests are in the centre of it. Even though it is a beginner course, students become familiar with the
program, design dialogued stories and create games. On the other hand, the project emphasizes
fundamental literacies that young people need to create the projects.
The project also gives relevance to cooperative working and self-assessment. It actually promotes
learning among equals (resolution of doubts, reflection, self-analysis). This project is integrated into an
e-twinning project by which they share their productions and work collaboratively.
OBJECTIVES ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
To understand written texts from  Understands short texts with support 4
media
To produce simple texts adequate to  Produces dialogued stories 8
the communicative situation and with  Creates an interactive digital representation
help of supports of their personal interests
 Writes suggestions and reflections in a
design journal
To choose, configure and program  Creates multimedia products integrated into D 1
digital devices depending on the task the curricular proposals
being performed  Experiments with motion, looks, costumes,
sound, backdrops, timing, broadcasting,
concepts of events and parallelism
To use basic still image, sound and  Creates a dialogued story with different D 3
moving image editing applications to characters and backdrops
produce digital documents
To organize and use a personal work  Confectionates a design journal collecting D6
and learning environment with digital suggestions
tools to perform in the knowledge  Allows and compares various ways to solve
society tasks
To engage in group activities using  Creates a collaborative tale within an e- D 8
virtual collaborative work tools twinning project
To foster healthy ICT habits  Adopts healthy habits D9
To act critically and responsibly when  Acts responsibly when creating digital D 10
using ICT considering factors such as productions and working collaboratively
ethics and safety

Contents First foreign language

 Lexicon: frequent and specific vocabulary.
 Comprehension of work instructions.
 Comprehension of short texts.
 Basic orthographic rules.
 Use of grammar worked so far when writing short texts.
 Use of dictionaries in paper and digital format for the comprehension of words and expressions.
 Writing of dialogued stories and short texts.
 Use of the structures of the foreign language when writing.
 Reading of texts of different types, in paper and digital formats, to capture the general meaning and
extract specific information.
 Use consulting tools.

Cross-curricular contents
Digital domain
 Create a dialogued story with different characters, backdrops.
 Create a collaborative tale within an e-twinning project.
 Use of collaborative digital tools and applications.
 Promote learning among equals (resolution of doubts, reflection, self-analysis).
 Responsible and prudent action in the use of ICT, considering ethical, legal and security aspects.
 Develop healthy habits and good practices when using a digital device.
Learning to learn
 Organize own digital learning environment (space, material ...)
 Communicate knowledge to consolidate the acquired learning.
Autonomy, personal initiative and entrepreneurship
 Being able to overcome difficulties or mistakes.
 Take into account each of the possible options to solve a problem.

Temporization
This project is thought to be developed in 24 sessions. Nonetheless, it can be expanded depending on
students’ interests.

Development of the unit: methodological and assessment guidelines

The activities of the project have a balance between structured tasks and free exploring learning.
The practices must be dynamic, so that students can ask each other for help and share what they are
figuring out. This relaxed learning mood has to be encouraged by the teacher. In fact, neither the
students, nor the teacher know everything. The teacher’s roll is facilitating, being a cognitive guide,
asking questions and helping break down problems into manageable pieces. Actually, the teacher must
take advantage of the knowledge that students have of the application, and complete them with
academic content and linguistic objectives.
Another important point is the aim of sharing ideas, making suggestions for projects-in-progress,
comparing solutions for different problem solving tasks. In this sense, students do a Design journal
collecting different reflection handouts and recording suggestions from their classmates.
First group of activities are based on exploring. Afterwards, activities are based on animations, and
finally a group of activities to create games.
Presentation (WHOLE CLASS) 1 session Scratch, Google drive
First, emphasize the importance of a design journal: a digital notebook where they have to collect
reflection forms and to capture ideas, inspiration, notes, sketches, questions... Each activity has a
reflection form that students have to fill in. This reflection form is in their Google drive accounts.
Second, review the vocabulary shown in scratch interface and introduce some concepts (sprites,
backdrops, blocks)
Can you make the cat do something surprising? (IN PAIRS) 1 session
In this session students get familiar with the program. The teacher makes a short explanation about the
blocks to be able to start exploring the scratch interface and let students try something surprising. The
blocks groups for this session would be: events, motion, control.
A major goal of this activity is to establish a culture of fearlessness, exploration and peer collaboration.
The environment becomes a space where everyone is learning together.
Students should learn how to save the project.
A dancing cat (WHOLE CLASS) 1 session Tutorial cards, A dancing cat sheet (with suggested
blocks)
After reading the tutorial cards to create a dancing cat program, students have to experiment with
motion, looks, costumes, sound or backdrops to make the project their own.
Project must be saved.
Critique group (TEAMWORK) 1 session “Critique group” reflection handout
In groups of four, students take turns to share ideas, drafts or projects-in-progress in order to get
suggestions for further development. Teacher encourages students to record notes and some of those
suggestions in their design journals.
10 blocks (GROUP WORK) 1 session 10 blocks handout
Pupils create a project using only 10 specific blocks. Those blocks can be used either once, twice, or
multiple times and each block must be used at least once.
Teacher encourages students to experiment with different sprites, costumes and backdrops.
Few students could present their 10 blocks projects in front of the class.
Debug it! (1) (COOPERATIVE WORK) 1 session Debug it! Sheet
Students have to investigate a problem and find a solution to 5 debugging challenges
(https://scratch.mit.edu/studios/475483/). Clicking on the “Look inside” button, they access to the
blocks programming and have to fix it. They have to develop a list of strategies for debugging projects
in their design journal. The main questions to reflect on are: How did they identify the problem? How
did they fix it? Did others have alternative approaches to fixing the problem? Students have to save the
fixing of the 5 challenges.
About me (COOPERATIVE WORK) 3 sessions About me sheet (suggested blocks)
Students create an open-ended project that is an interactive digital representation of their personal
interests. The project represents aspects of themselves through clickable sprites (interactive collage).
Adding sound is a must. By completing this activity, students become familiar with a wider range of
blocks. It is advisable to show a variety of interactive projects examples (difficult and easy ones):
https://scratch.mit.edu/studios/475470/, https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/205327049/,
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/208753209/.
They share these projects within an e-twining project.
Use a sprite to write down your name (IN PAIRS) 1 session Write down your name sheet
Students have to make a sprite turn and move leaving a trail with the pen and understand X and Y
positions and use them to control a sprite to write their names.

Debug it! (2) (COOPERATIVE WORK) 1 session Debug it! Sheet

Again, 5 debugging challenges in which things do not happen as they should or when they should
(https://scratch.mit.edu/studios/475539/). In this cases students have to manage with the mechanisms
that enable sequence (events, parallelism, loops) and also with concepts worked so far (drawing and go
to X and Y). Once more students have to click on the “Look inside” button to investigate the program,
think about problematic code, and test possible solutions. Finally, they save their version.
Let’s make up a short story (INDIVIDUAL AND COOPERATIVE WORK) 4 sessions Let’s make up a
short story sheet, e-twinning, online translators
Students have to create a short story with at least two characters. They have to deal with the concepts
of events (one thing causing another thing to happen) and parallelism (things happening at the same
time). To do so they have to manage the variables of timing and broadcasting.
This activity takes at least three sessions, as students have to practise with characters, conversations,
backdrops, scenes...
A second step is to start a story to be finished by another student from an e-twinning project.
Afterwards, they have to finish the story proposed by another student.
Debug it! 3 (COOPERATIVE WORK) 1 session Debug it! 3 handout
Time for investigate 5 more challenges and find a solution. Now, about dialogued stories:
https://scratch.mit.edu/studios/475554/. Students have to explore a range of concepts (events and
parallelism).
My studio (INDIVIDUAL WORK) 1 session Google drive
By completing this activity students will be able to add their projects to a studio in Google drive, in
order to search projects.
First, students share their own projects. Encourage students to investigate other projects they find
interesting and to take notes in their design journey.
Designing games (INDIVIDUAL WORK) 3-6 sessions Designing games sheet (suggested blocks)
Students create a starter game project that can be revisited and extended. They have to make a sprite
turn and move using the keyboard.
First show the maze, pong and scrolling starter examples: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/11414041/,
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/10128515/, https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/22162012/,
https://scratch.mit.edu/studios/487504/.
They can add multiple levels by using different backdrops and using broadcast blocks to trigger the next
level. Use the “make a variable” block to keep score. Experiment with timer blocks to add new
challenges to the game. It is possible to use extensions and interactions to increase difficulty.
Encourage students to get feedback on their games-in-progress.
Apart from creating the games, students have to give and get feed-back from their classmates. Half of
the students stay in their seats with their projects while the other half walks around exploring projects,
asking questions and giving feed-back. Then switch sides.
Have students add their final games projects to the class studio in Google drive.
Debug it! 4 (COOPERATIVE WORK) 1 session Debug it! 4 handout, reflection form
Another debugging challenge, this time focused on games.

Additional or intensive measures and support

Some activities do not need any additional support (My studio”).
While in others, pair work can provide successful help. Specifically, in “A dancing cat”, “10 blocks”,
“About me”, “Use a sprite to write down your name”, “Let’s make up a short story” and “Designing
games”, it is provided a handout with suggested blocks for programming. These handouts are visual.
Yet, it is foreseeable that some students need additional support with some words.
For “Debug it!” activities, some students will need a handout with easier language and the help of the
teacher to understand it.

TASK Assessment Criteria Indicator

Can you make the cat do  Gets familiar with the program Direct observation
something surprising?  Saves the project
A dancing cat  Gets the cat to dance Project saved
Critique group  Writes classmates’ suggestions Design journey
(reflection handout)
10 blocks  Creates a project using only 10 specific Project saved
blocks
Debug it!  Fixes debugging challenges Project saved
About me  Makes an interactive project Project saved
Use a sprite to write down  Makes the project successfully Project saved
your name
Let’s make up a short story  Creates a dialogued story Projects saved
 Ends a story started by a pen pal friend
My studio  Shares own project in Google drive Design journey
 Records notes about classmates’ projects Google drive class
account
Designing games  Designs a game Project saved
Design journey