Plan: Name Poem

Lesson Overview

Students will continue to learn about sequence and programming in Scratch as they use just 9 different blocks to create a poem using the letters of their name.* In this two-lesson series, students will first plan the 3-step sequence for each letter, then use the remaining class time and next session to begin building their project in Scratch.

Note: While, at every opportunity, we invite students to bring their full selves into their work, there are inherent internet safety issues with creating projects that make students' first names and other identifying information so public.

You could alternately choose to invite students to use:

A nickname
A screen name
The name of someone they believe is important (lesson plan)

Agenda (Day 2, updated)

🔥Warm-up: What goal do you have for yourself today? (5 min.)
▶️ Main Activity Day 2: Build or continue to build the project. (30-40 min.)
🤔 Reflect Day 2: (5 min.)
- How helpful was the planning guide when you first sat down to code?
- Who is your audience? Who do you want to see this project when it is done?

Materials

computing devices for all students
Name Poem Planning Guide (hard or soft copy)
- English / Spanish
Green Level Student Workbooks, p. 5
- English / Spanish
About Me Scratch studio (teacher-created)
How to Doc: Creating a studio. Guiding students to add their projects to a studio.

Lesson Plan

Scratch Project Resources

Name Poem starter projects: sprites & backdrops (no code) / exploded code

Name Poem example projects: Name Poem (Karl) / Name Poem (Warren)

Project Extensions

Know Their Name Humanizing Research Project: lesson plan & planning guide

example projects (made by adults) example projects (made by students)

Vocabulary

algorithm: steps to complete a task

code: a special language a computer understands

computer science: using the power of computers to solve problems and express ourselves

program: a set of instructions (algorithm) written in a language that a computer understands

script: a set of Scratch blocks connected together to form a sequence

sequence: a set of instructions that follow one another in order

Standards

CA CSS 3-5.AP.12 Create programs that include events, loops, and conditionals.
CA CSS 3-5.AP.13 Decompose problems into smaller, manageable tasks which may themselves be decomposed.

Additional Resources

Scratch website: scratch.mit.edu
Original 10 Block Challenge lesson and starter project
Scratch Project Student Checklist
Getting Unstuck Strategies from the Creative Computing Lab at the Harvard Graduate School of Education

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