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Introduction
Introduction
Programming is one of the creative processes that can transform ideas into reality. The intention of this unit is to highlight what artifacts can be created by using programming as a tool. As with the previous unit, students will create projects that reflect the diversity of interests in the classroom and that are personal to individual students.
Programming is one of the creative processes that can transform ideas into reality. The intention of this unit is to highlight what artifacts can be created by using programming as a tool. As with the previous unit, students will create projects that reflect the diversity of interests in the classroom and that are personal to individual students.
Scratch provides an environment that lends itself to “tinkering”. The drag and drop nature of the blocks moves the focus away from messy syntax and allows for making modifications quickly. As students work through the unit, they should apply the problem solving processes introduced in Unit 2 and reinforced in Unit 3 and reflect on the processes they use to determine the appropriate Scratch code for their projects. They should engage in discussions of why a particular set of instructions didn’t work the way they thought they would and in discussions of “what if” scenarios. It is through these discussions that you can help students connect mathematics and logic to computation in programs and highlight the various abstractions they are using in creating their projects. It is also through these conversations that programming constructs such as conditionals, iteration and looping can be highlighted.
Scratch provides an environment that lends itself to “tinkering”. The drag and drop nature of the blocks moves the focus away from messy syntax and allows for making modifications quickly. As students work through the unit, they should apply the problem solving processes introduced in Unit 2 and reinforced in Unit 3 and reflect on the processes they use to determine the appropriate Scratch code for their projects. They should engage in discussions of why a particular set of instructions didn’t work the way they thought they would and in discussions of “what if” scenarios. It is through these discussions that you can help students connect mathematics and logic to computation in programs and highlight the various abstractions they are using in creating their projects. It is also through these conversations that programming constructs such as conditionals, iteration and looping can be highlighted.
When students complete the assigned projects, they should expand their work by adding features, collaborating with other students, and adding more personalization. There are many more projects on the Scratch website (http://scratch.mit.edu). The website is also a vibrant community. Students should be encouraged to become part of the community where they can collaborate beyond their classroom and get additional ideas for projects. There is also a Scratch Ed community for teachers (http://scratched@media.mit.edu).
When students complete the assigned projects, they should expand their work by adding features, collaborating with other students, and adding more personalization. There are many more projects on the Scratch website (http://scratch.mit.edu). The website is also a vibrant community. Students should be encouraged to become part of the community where they can collaborate beyond their classroom and get additional ideas for projects. There is also a Scratch Ed community for teachers (http://scratched@media.mit.edu).
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