Animate Your Name
Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
Create and edit sprites in Scratch.
Use basic Scratch programming blocks to animate sprites.
Implement a unique animation for each letter of their name.
Materials:
Computer or tablet with internet access.
Scratch online editor (available at scratch.mit.edu) or Scratch desktop application.
Lesson Procedure:
1. Introduction (10 minutes)
Discuss what animation is and where students might see animations in daily life (movies, video games, etc.).
Show a brief demo of an animated name in Scratch.
2. Getting Started (10 minutes)
Have students log in or open Scratch.
Show students how to create a new project.
3. Creating Letter Sprites (15 minutes)
Click on the paintbrush icon to create a new sprite.
Using the text tool, have students type the first letter of their name and customize its look (color, size, font).
Show students how to rename the sprite to the letter they've just created.
Repeat the process for each letter of their name, until each letter is its own sprite.
4. Introduction to Basic Animation (15 minutes)
Show students how to drag and drop the 'When green flag clicked' block into the coding area.
Introduce the motion blocks like 'Move 10 steps', 'Turn 15 degrees', etc.
Let students experiment with these blocks to make their letter move when the green flag is clicked.
5. Creating Unique Animations (25 minutes)
Challenge each student to animate each letter of their name differently. Here are some ideas:
Have one letter bounce up and down.
Have another letter spin.
Let one letter change colors.
Make a letter glide across the screen.
To achieve this, students can explore and combine the following blocks:
Motion: Glide, Go to random position, Move steps.
Looks: Change color effect, Set size.
Control: Wait, Repeat, Forever.
Events: When sprite clicked.
6. Sharing and Review (20 minutes)
Allow students to showcase their animated names to the class.
Discuss the various techniques used and which animations were the most engaging or surprising.
Ask students about the challenges they faced and how they overcame them.
7. Conclusion and Homework (5 minutes)
Congratulate the students on their first animation in Scratch.
For those interested, assign the optional homework of animating a friend’s or family member's name as a gift.
Assessment:
Student participation in class activities.
Ability to create sprites for each letter of their name.
Implementation of unique animations for each letter.
Extensions:
Advanced Animation: Introduce the concept of broadcasting messages to allow letters to interact with one another or respond to certain events.
Sound Effects: Teach students how to add sound effects to their animations, like a clap or cheer when a letter is clicked.
Note: Scratch's intuitive interface and block-based coding system make it an excellent platform for middle school students to explore programming concepts. Encourage creativity and problem-solving throughout the lesson!