Lesson 13

Friendly Playground

In this introductory lesson, students transfer their background knowledge from programming Bee-Bots to programming in Scratch Jr. They learn to initialize their sprites with a Green Flag, Go Home and sequence blue and purple blocks to solve the Friendly Playground Challenge.

Agenda

Warm-up: Make the explicit connection between programming Bee-Bots and programming in Scratch Jr. Discuss and practice iPad rules and procedures. (10 minutes)
Main Activity: Initialize sprites with Start on Green Flag, Go Home. Program one sprite to move toward then greet another sprite using blue and purple blocks. See lesson plan for mild, medium, and spicy extensions. (15 minutes)
Debrief: How is programming in Scratch Jr. similar to programming Bee-Bots? Student project showcase. (5 minutes)

Materials

Tablets: 1-2 per pair of students

Vocabulary

blocks - a visual unit of code
initialize - to set a computer program to a starting position, value, or configuration
sprite - a virtual object, animal, or person that a programmer controls with code

Additional Resources

Sample Programs:

Standards

CA CSS K-2. DA. 7 - Store, copy, search, retrieve, modify, and delete information using a computing device, and define the information stored as data.
CA CSS K-2. AP. 14 - Develop plans that describe a program’s sequence of events, goals, and expected outcomes.
CA CSS K-2. AP. 15 - Give attribution when using the ideas and creations of others while developing programs.
CA CSS K-2. AP. 16 - Debug errors in an algorithm or program that includes sequences and simple loops.
CA CSS K-2. AP. 17 - Describe the steps taken and choices made during the iterative process of program development.

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