Math & Coding
in Scratch
Embedded Files
Math is integral to coding. In creating code, students practice problem solving and get immediate feedback on their solutions. Coding also provides opportunities to visualize and build intuitive understandings of mathematical concepts such as:
Magnitude
Distance
Angles
Transformations
Coordinates
These visualizations and intuitions provide the cognitive hooks for the more formal math we teach in schools.
Creating Polygon Art
Lesson plan and starter codes (activity 1 and 2)
Video Resources:
Scratch Follow-a-long Guide: Stamping Patterns
Scratch - Drawing Polygons (Shapes)
Math concepts: Geometry and Patterning
Coding Concepts: Repetition, concurrent, sequential, Variable, User input, Operators, Loops, blocks
Exploring & Generalizing External Angles of Shapes
Students can explore drawing different regular polygons, learning about external angles. They can then try to generalize the rule to create a drawPolygon block (subprogram). This slide show demonstrates one approach to the lesson, but creating the subprogram can also be a rich assessment after exploring external angles more traditionally. (See the Coding in De-Streamed Grade 9 math workshop at our TechEd conference @ https://ontechedconf2021.weebly.com/secondary.html )
Math concepts: Geometry and Angles; reasoning and proving
Coding Concepts: Sequential, repetition, subprograms
Coin flipper - Probability
Students will use the starter code and follow the instruction in this video to create the coin flipper.
Video Resources:
How to make a coin flip in Scratch
Math concepts: Probability
Students can use probability models to make predictions about real-life events
Challenge: using multiple coins
Coding Concepts: Sequential, Variables, Operators, loops, blocks
Plotting coordinates
Students can use the x and y coordinates to place positive or negative numbers.
They can discuss and explore different types of graphs. They can also create a shape (see Create Polygon Art) and place it on given coordinates.
Game:
Students can plan the Guess the Coordinates game. It can be done by the teacher for the student or students can create their own games for other to play.
Math Concepts: Number sense, Geometry and Spatial sense, Teaching measurement (ex: move 1 cm)
Resources:
Scratch Lesson: The XY coordinate plane: Video, Webpage
Scratch Game! Guess the Coordinates (Video)
Coding Concepts: Repetition, Sequential
Other Resources
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