Scratch Logo, courtesy of MIT Media LabLiteracy from Scratch

Creating a story in Scratch

See the section on Pedagogy for an insight into the differences in approach undertaken by British and Czech teachers.

This is the Scheme of Work for a Year 8 class which we developed. You can download this Scheme as a PowerPoint file to adapt for your own use.

This is the outline of the scheme:

Objective

Create a story in Scratch for a young audience (fairy tale, historical event, scientific event/discovery)

Develop language and literacy skills in English by using computer resources

To develop this idea to create a story and be able to dominate other schools and even the WORLD!!!

To be famous superstar in Scratch

To complete in 6 weeks

Prior learning
Be able to include backgrounds
Be able to change to different backgrounds
Be able to introduce speech bubbles

Lesson 1
Using the template provided, create a storyboard with the following:
5-10 different slides
Different characters (collect images)
Different scenes backgrounds (collect images)
Sound effects, soundtrack, sound commentary
Other sprites (buildings, trees, clouds, etc. (collect images)
Approximate timings
Synopsis (Story)

Lesson 2
Import backgrounds (STAGE) from the Scratch library
Learn how to import backgrounds from the internet into Scratch
Import Sprites from the Scratch library
Create characters (SPRITES) from within Scratch using the Editing tools
Learn how to import images from the internet and turn them into Scratch Sprites

Lesson 3
Programming for backgrounds
Ensure all backgrounds are imported
Learn how to add script to the stage
Use relevant scripts to change the background
Understand the importance of timing in a story, and use the Wait command to keep backgrounds in place

Lesson 4
Programming for characters
Start building the story by introducing sprites
Understand that sprites have different scripts attached to them
Use the Show/Hide commands to make sprites appear or vanish at the right times in the story
Learn how to move/walk sprites
Understand the importance of speech in a story and learn how to introduce speech bubbles in scratch

Lesson 5
Finish all movement and speech commands in your story
Check the timings of your story and ensure text can easily be read
Introduce sound effects and background music where relevant
Write a brief explanation of your story within Scratch

Lesson 6
Use test plan checklist for Peer assessment
Look for any things that could be improved from a programming perspective
Look for things that could be improved from a literacy perspective
Change errors (spelling / punctuation) in your own project

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