Overview
This lesson introduces students to the basics of creating animations using Scratch. It will also highlight how coding can be used in creative, fun, and even whimsical / silly ways to communicate and entertain.
Goals
Students will create personal Scratch accounts connected to their school email address. (In the past students needed to enter their parent's email address, but this is no longer required.)
Students will learn how to create and modify basic animations in Scratch.
Students will create a basic Maze game using provided / suggested code scripts.
Students will animate a scientific process, historical event, school-appropriate idea or other curricular concept using Scratch.
Preparation
Insure the Scratch website (scratch.mit.edu) is accessible from the computers students will use.
Create (if you have not already) a teacher Scratch account.
Familiarize yourself with basic Scratch project types and programming blocks.
If students do not yet have school email accounts: Obtain parent email addresses from your School Information System in case students do not know them or need to verify spelling.
If desired, create your OWN galleries of Scratch projects like the ones we're using below.
Help students create Scratch accounts as part of the lesson, "Password Safety." (That lesson should be taught before this one.) Their userIDs must be unique across the "Scratch universe," so they may need to add numbers. Require students to use their accurate / true birth year, as well as parent email address.
Project 1 - Animate Your Name
In this project you will create and share a basic animation project in Scratch, ANIMATING YOUR NAME.
Login to scratch.mit.edu and be sure your email account is VERIFIED.
After clicking CREATE, click the TUTORIALS (light bulb icon) and click ANIMATION.
Watch the "ANIMATE YOUR NAME" tutorial, and then re-create / copy the blocks to make the same project.
Create a NEW Scratch project and animate your name.
SHARE your project and the link HERE in Google Classroom and in our "Casady MD Original Projects 2020-21" Studio (linked below)
Project 2 - Basic Animation
In this project you will create and share another basic animation project in Scratch. (A third project in addition to your previous "Animate Your Name" project)
Login to https://scratch.mit.edu and be sure your email account is VERIFIED.
After clicking CREATE, click the TUTORIALS (light bulb icon) and click ANIMATION.
Watch 1 of the animation tutorials, and then re-create / copy the blocks to make the same project.
Create a NEW Scratch project and include some kind of animation. This can be a story, a simple game, or something else.
Show students how to view and use SCRATCH ANIMATION TUTORIALS. After clicking CREATE - choose TUTORIALS - ANIMATION.
Provide time and support for students to experiment with different blocks and create different types of animations. Consider starting with the MAKE IT FLY.
Project 3 - Polygon Play
Remix the Scratch Project "Polygon Play." You should:
Read and follow the project instructions.
Be creative!
Make SEVERAL THINGS before deciding which will be your final project.
Share / Turn in the Scratch Link to your final project here in Google Classroom.
Add your project to the Scratch Studio "Polygon Play"
Project 4 - Maze
Our fourth project is a Maze! Details are here. (They will be moved over to this website soon.)
More Resources
More Scratch Resources are available on:
This is an updated version of a lesson originally shared on mdtech.casady.org/lessons/scratch-animation.