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The Basics of Scratch for Everybody of All Ages

by Seamus O’Neill

Scratch Copyright (c) 2009 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Scratch is developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab. See http://scratch.mit.edu The Scratch logo and the Scratch cat are trademarks of MIT.

About the Author: Seamus O'Neill is a former primary teacher and co-author of Mathemagic, Ireland's most popular and best-selling primary Maths programme since 2002. He has totalled over 50 years teaching experience with teacher training and is a prolific developer of online interactive learning resources. In June 2017 the Scratch team at the MIT Media Lab accorded Seamus unique and honourable distinction when they added his fine-line vector grids into the Scratch Backdrop library.

He brings a wealth of experience and a razor sharp focus on what actually works for modern teachers.

For Breda B

Š Seamus O’Neill 2017 We and Us Ltd. Educational Design Services Navan, Co. Meath, IRELAND

In June 2017, the MIT Media Lab (Boston) added Ready-Steady-Code grids directly into the Scratch the Backdrop library. These vector grids on a bitmap stage are a magic mix that gives Scratch new functionality and make it the world leading free teaching resource for Computational Thinking in 21st century classrooms.

The 3 main vector grids:

xy-grid-10px*

xy-grid-20px

xy-grid-30px

*The 10px grid is not in the Backdrop library. Download it from https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/104133413

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the author and publisher.

Why Learn Scratch?

One often hears about the various projects aiming to get young people involved in computing and for various reasons. Jobs! Computing is on the curriculum! 21st century skills! And so forth. But there are lots of fun and valuable things to learn besides coding, and of course, there are many demands on teachers’ time. So why learn Scratch code?

The first answer I have for you is not earth-shattering, but it's an honest one. Just like taking a cookery class. Everybody should try it at least once. Give Scratch an honest try and see if you actually enjoy it! You might see a catch here – isn't learning to code much harder than going to a casual cookery class? After all, Computer Science is a deep, academic subject with numerous real-world applications. Many people fear a steep, frustrating learning curve, achieving nothing but esoteric skills.

Why might this book open an opportunity and not some kind of obligation? Scratch has been compared to a modern tool for creative expression, like a paintbrush for canvas, a pen for paper. Are paintbrushes, paint, copybooks, pens and pencils on the curriculum? Do we have lessons about pencils? Aren't they just resources we use daily and enjoy, without much thinking about them?

That is where Scratch with Ready Steady Code come in. Scratch is especially designed for people to enjoy coding, young or old. Scratch is a highly visual and colourful place to programme in, full of quirky characters and sound effects. Ready Steady Code makes Scratch the new copybook and pencil. It can be used by kids or by the teachers, tutors or parents working with the young people. This book will bring you on a learning journey that starts from scratch (pun intended!) and focuses on creativity, fun and enjoyment in a topic everyone would like to get behind, Maths with Computational Thinking.

So, this gives rise to a second answer. It’s told by a friend as a humble and personal story about how learning to code was genuinely enjoyable, challenging and satisfying.

She tells her story. “I started coding because I wanted to understand statistics better.

I was not in it for the joy of coding; I quite assuredly assumed coding wasn't for me”.

She went on to say how she proved herself wrong, just to show that you never know when the penny will drop, and because it's a funny story. She had some extra time in bed, but her phone battery had died and she had no alarm on her laptop. She lay in bed thinking, there must be some way to set an alarm. And then she thought maybe she could programme one...

You can see her alarm on the right. Think about what each of the different 'blocks' of code does.

Perhaps there are ways it could be improved. She enjoyed her extra half-hour snooze. How she achieved it had a huge feel-good factor.

Try it yourself now!

I wish you every satisfaction on the learning journey you're about to take, and hope you share your enjoyment with others.

Seamus O’Neill Ready Steady Code

This alarm, she says, was her first ‘proper’ bit of code.

i

Contents PART 1: The Basics of Scratch How to Use Part 1 of This Book

1

The Grey and Yellow Pages

Exercise 1:

Getting Started

3

The Scratch Project Editor

Exercise 2:

Get a Scratch ID

5

Can I use Scratch 2.0 offline?

Exercise 3:

Create and Save Your First Scratch Script 7 What's in the Sprite Info Pane?

Exercise 4:

Thinking, Speaking Sprites

9

Toolbar Symbols

Exercise 5:

ii

Duplicate a Sprite and its Script

11

Sprites have Costumes; the Stage has Backdrops

Exercise 6:

Make a Simple Game (Shark Screech)

13

Where are the Sounds in Scratch?

Is the IF ..THEN block a loop?

Exercise 7:

Colour a Vector Graphic

15

Vector Graphics vs. Bitmap Graphics

Exercise 8:

Programme a Conversation

17

Learn About Some Code Blocks

Exercise 9:

Finding Missing Numbers

19

What is a Variable?

Exercise 10:

Code a Number Objective Project

21

Can You do Sums With the Operator Blocks?

Exercise 11:

Mouse and Cheese Game

23

Need a Sprite that’s not in the Sprite Library? (Exercise 12)

Exercise 12:

Draw a Vector Image (Piece of Cheese) Alternatively, save an image from a shared Scratch project.

24

PART 2: Essential Coding Skills with the SCRATCH Palettes

The Plan of Part 2 of This Book

25

There is an A2-size 10 Palettes Wall Chart to Support the Exercises in Part 2

Exercise 13:

The Sprite Library

26, 27

Learn More About Bitmap and Vector Sprites

Exercise 14:

Animate, Move and Turn Sprites

29

PALETTES: Motion, Events, Looks and Control

Exercise 15:

Make one Sprite Point Towards Another

30

Programme a Sprite’s Direction, Rotation and Size

Exercise 16:

Move an Apple Sprite with the Keyboard

31

Move Around the Stage Using the Direction Keys on the Keyboard

Exercise 17:

Animate Candles on a Birthday Cake

33

PALETTES: Sound, Sensing, Pen and Operators

Exercise 18:

Musical Instruments: Compose Music

34

Explore the Musical Instruments of the Sound Palette

Exercise 19:

Draw and Code a Xylophone to Play

35

Explore the Notes of the Sound Palette

Exercise 20:

Code a Sprite to Draw with its Pen

36

Change the Sprite’s Direction While it Draws

Exercise 21:

Pen Essentials and Programming Fun

37 - 39

Draw Simple Designs with the Pen Commands Blocks

Exercise 22:

Programme the Pen to Draw 2D Shapes

40

Square, Pentagon, Hexagon, Octagon and Circle

Exercise 23:

Plot a Circle from its Centre and Radius

41

Draw Filled Circles and Pie Graphs

Exercise 24:

Draw a Square in Scratch and on Paper

42

Working with Coordinates

Exercise 25:

Rotating Squares with Nested Loops

43

Number of Repeats and Amount of Turning

Explore the Operators Palette Further

44, 45

OPERATORS: Plus/Minus/ Multiply/ Divide / Mod and Round

Exercise 26:

Report the Position and Direction of a Sprite 46 Using the Join Operator (to Con-cat-en-ate) join Different Types of Data together

iii

Exercise 27:

Exploring the Operators Palette (continued)

47

The Equality and Inequality Operators

Exercise 28:

The Sprite that tells its Own Location

48

Learn Basic Coordinates on the Scratch Stage

Exercise 29:

Code a Number Objective Project (SUMS)

49

Programme Order of Operations with Animated Sprites

Exercise 30:

Variables and Lists in the Data Palette

50, 51

Make the Sprite recite the Multiples of any Number

Exercise 31:

Dinosaur Tables Test

52

Input Your Own Numbers and Multiply

Exercise 32:

Make the Sprite Recite Times Tables

53

Use a Variable in Slider Mode

Exercise 33:

Question and Answer Lists

54

Create a Number Quiz with Worded Questions

Exercise 34:

Create a Picture Quiz

55

Two Lists and Questions using Pictures on the Backdrop

iv

Exercise 35:

Create a Test Against Time

56

Base a Times test on Two Parallel Lists of Random Numbers

Exercise 36:

Make Rows and Columns of Apples

57

What it is to Clone a Sprite

Exercise 37:

Rows and Columns of 3 Sprites

58

Base on Random Selection of Fruit

Exercise 38:

Vary the Lengths of Shapes

59

Use a Variable in Slider Mode to Draw Various Shapes

Exercise 39:

A New Block to Draw a Triangle and Square

61

PALETTES: More Blocks. Define a New Block to Draw a Line

Exercise 40:

A New Block to Draw a Circle

62

Define a New penSetup Block

Exercise 41:

Use Nested Procedures

63

Draw Petals and Flower Designs using Procedures (New Blocks)

Exercise 42:

Re-use a Procedure and Add a Variation Correlate Coding with Drawing a House in a Copybook

There is an A2-size 10 Wall Chart to Support Part 2

64

PART 3: Scratch and Maths with the fine-line Vector Grids

The Plan of Part 3 of This Book

65

NUMBERS You Should Know About the Scratch Stage. Make Scratch Resemble Squared Paper

Exercise 43:

Draw a Square in Scratch and on Paper

67

Use a squareSize Variable

Exercise 44:

Draw a Triangle in Scratch and on Paper

68

Use a squareSize Variable

Exercise 45:

Draw and Code Regular Shapes

69

Correlate Coding with Drawing Shapes and Angles in a Copybook

Exercise 46:

Draw with the Pen Using the Keyboard

70

When it’s Necessary to Lift and Move the Pen

Exercise 47:

Draw Regular Shapes Together

71

Correlate Coding with Drawing Shapes and Computational Thinking

Exercise 48:

Calculate the Area of Rectangles in Sq Units

72

Correlate Coding with Calculating Area and Perimeter

Exercise 49:

Code a Circle and its Area

73

Work out its Area by Counting Squares on Squared Paper

Exercise 50:

Code a Line Sprite to Rotate

74

Draw the Line in the Scratch Paint Editor and Set its Rotation Point

Exercise 51:

Code a Protractor to Measure Angles

75

Correlate Scratch Code with Angle Measurement

Exercise 52:

Types of Angles

76

Make the Monkey Say the Type of Angle

Exercise 53:

Code a Pie Chart

77

Correlate with Data Collection and Representation

Exercise 54:

Code a Block Graph to Show 20 Rolls of a Die 79 Draw a Gaming Die Sprite

Exercise 55:

Layout and Code a 6-Horse Race Game

80, 81

Use Grids to Make Layout Easier

Save and Upload a Shared Backdrop

82

Save and Upload a 10 pixel Graph-paper Backdrop

Exercise 56:

Demonstrate Secondary Level Graphs in Scratch

83-86

Example 1: Graph a Linear Equation / Example 2: Graph a Quadratic Equation

v

PART 4: Animation and Integration with the PAINT EDITOR Exercise 57:

Layout a Mother’s Day Animation

88, 89

Show How Grids Make Layout Easier

Exercise 58:

A Game for Juniors Made by Seniors

90, 91

Create a New Sprite: Draw a Lily Pad

Exercise 59:

Create an Interactive Graphic

92

A Frog With and Without a Tongue

Exercise 60:

The Anatomy of a Vector Sprite

93

Ungroup, Duplicate, Rotate and Group a Vector Sprite

Exercise 61:

Create a Cartoon-type Animation

94, 95

Draw and Code a Fly Sprite

Exercise 62:

Dance to a Beat

96

Create a triple Nested Loop

Exercise 63:

Dress Up the Cat for the Snow

97

Animate a Snowfall

vi

Exercise 64:

The Magic Carpet and Rings Game

98, 99

Create Elements of a Game in Paint Editor

Exercise 65:

Shark Chomp

100 -102

Node Editing in Vector Graphics

Exercise 66:

Grids for Drawing Paths and Designs

103

Draw Yor Own Maze

Exercise 67:

Flags and Other Drag and Match Games

104, 105

Use Grids to Layout a 4x3 Drag-and-Match Game

Exercise 68:

Puzzle Challenges

106, 107

The 9-Dot Puzzle and Other Challenges

Exercise 69:

Tell the Story of the Fox and the Crow

108, 109

Animate any Well Known Story

Exercise 70:

The Disappearing Submarine Make a Submarine Disappear and Reappear using Abs

110