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SAMR Model
Scratch Sign-Up Link
"Scratch is the world’s largest coding community for children and a coding language with a simple visual interface that allows young people to create digital stories, games, and animations. Scratch is designed, developed, and moderated by the Scratch Foundation, a nonprofit organization.
Scratch promotes computational thinking and problem-solving skills; creative teaching and learning; self-expression and collaboration; and equity in computing.
Scratch is always free and is available in more than 70 languages."
From: Scratch
Creating a Scratch Classroom:
It is free to create an account.
I always create the student accounts myself:
Username: the first and sometimes second letter of their name and a 4-digit number -
I use their graduation year and the number they are in the class list.
Password: I use the same 4-digit number and an animal.
List of animals: cat, dog, fish, bird, hippo, lion, ox, bug,
Usage Hints:
To create your own On the Scratch page - go to For Educators and fill out the few slots and they will send
I use Scratch with Grades 2-5. Grade 1 would need more help. Especially doing the background project.
I create a class and then create a studio for each class.
I always name my classes Grade 2 etc., but then the following year I rename it 3rd Grade. That way the students keep the same account all four years with me and can go back and see their old programs.
If you Archive the class then students can no longer access their accounts.
Studio
You can create a basic program and then they can remix that program.
That way they have the blocks they need but can change, and add blocks, sprites and backgrounds to make it their own.
If they Share their program to the Studio it is also visible to anyone on Scratch.
I have students Share to see each others and then have them make it private again.
Teaching Scratch:
Creating an algorithm involves sequencing: The steps involved in the algorithm. They are very specific. For example: the peanut butter needs to go on the side of the bread that will touch the other piece of bread.
Making students aware that they need to break down the steps helps them realize that they are breaking down the problem and creating an actual algorithm.
Creating a program:
Backdrop/Background: what you see behind any sprites. You can program the backdrops.
Sprites: The characters that you can program. A sprite can have several costumes (switching costumes allows sprites to look like "walking"
Events (Yellow) - What starts the program to start - MUST have an event at each program stack.
Motion (Blue) - Makes the sprites move, glide, turn, or point.
Looks (Dark Purple) - Where students can type in comic bubbles for sprites to "talk", and change costumes or colors.
Sound (Lighter Purple) - Can add sounds (recordings or from the sound library), and create music as well.
Control (Orange) - where students can add a repeat (loops - big CS concept) to make things happen again and again.
Backgrounds on Scratch: Just have students make multiple backgrounds. Have them play one after the other to make a mini-movie. This is a simple program.
They can add their own words or use the text-to-speech extension for shy and anxious students.
Scratch Programs: Plant Cycle: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/203804409
The built-in tutorials are awesome and can has many small projects students can build upon.
Sharing your Scratch: You can record your screen so you can share your Scratch. Flip and Screencastify will allow this option. Video on how to screen share in Flip.
#1 - Open Scratch.
scratch.mit.edu
Click Create.
#2 - Once scratch palette opens, click in lower right to get to backdrop.
#3 - At top of column click tab - Backdrops. Create your backdrops. After you finish one, hover on mountains with + at bottom of column and click on paintbrush to get another blank backdrop.
#4 - Now you have all your backdrops and it is time to code. Click on Code tab at top of column. Click on the darker yellow circle hat says EVENTS. Pull out the When Green Flag Clicked block onto workspace.
#5 - Click on the SOUND tab to begin recording for each backdrop.
#6 - Hover on the speaker with the + and then click on the microphone to record yourself.
#7 - The first time you MUST click ALLOW so your computer microphone can be accessed. Make your recording, Save it, and then hover over the speaker with the + at the bottom of the column and click the microphone and make your next recording. Keep going until you make all your recordings.
#8 - If you want to add Text-to-Speech click in lower left corner to add extension blocks.
#9 - Choose Text-To-Speech
#10 - These blocks will appear and pull out the Speak block and type in what you want the computer to say.
#11 - Finish the code as you see here. The dark purple block Switch Backdrop is how you go from one to the other backdrop you created. The lighter purple SOUND will play your recording and the lighter yellow WAIT block just gives that extra second before backdrop changes. Click the Green Flag to see how it came out.
Sprites can also be created and then comic bubbles can be used to demonstrate knowledge.
Plant Cycle with Sprite Costumes
#1 - Open Scratch and in lower right hover on grey cat's head. Lcik on the paintbrush.
#2 - Once the sprite window opens click on the Costume tab at top of column.
#3 - Create your first costume and then hover on grey cat's head in lower left and click on the paintbrush to make the next costume. Continue making all the costumes.
#4 - Program the code (see the code here) by using the LOOK blocks to change costume and insert the comic bubbles.
Try a tutorial: You can make a dog fly, cats dance, etc.
Some ideas of how you can use Scratch in your classroom:
Water Cycle, Plant Cycle (see below), Book Review, Explain a math problem, anything really.
Think of things that involve a sequence so students have to think through the backdrops (algorithm) they have to create, then annotate them with voice (or text-to-speech). Computational thinking is happening!
Links of Interest:
Scratch: https://scratch.mit.edu/
Kansas State's Teaching CS: https://textbooks.cs.ksu.edu/tlcs/4-designing-cs-lessons/05-tipp-and-see/index.html
Scratch Garden: https://scratchgarden.com/coding/
Action Fractions: https://www.canonlab.org/actionfractionslessons
PILA-CS: https://www.pila-cs.org/
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