Animate A Name

In this activity students use code to bring a name to life. Using Scratch, a programming language that uses “blocks” to build code, they make a name come to life through animation, sound and music. It can be a nickname, the name of a favorite sports team, place, activity or anything else kids can think of—encourage them to use their imaginations!

To explore Animate a Name, visit the Animate a Name Starter Project. If you get stuck, review the solution section of this lesson plan.

By selecting add-on videos that present coding challenges, students will:

• Open a starter project and choose a “costume” for a sprite, or character, to represent their hero.

• Use event blocks (like “when flag clicked”) to trigger a series of code.

• Sequence “say” and “wait” blocks to make their hero speak and have a dialogue with another character.

• Program actions to happen using “when key pressed” events.

• Move an object across the screen using motion blocks.

• Repeat actions using loop blocks.

• Program their hero to score points when they perform a certain action.

• Draw their own hero using the “Paint Editor” in Scratch. (This add-on video pairs well with the Optional Planning Activity.)