Programming 1: Scratch 3 Course Outline

The course is tightly aligned with the “Coding Projects in Scratch” textbook. This is deliberate as the book serves as a printed backup guide to how and why we do things in Scratch a particular way. Our approach to programming is to provide a solid foundation while at the same time stimulating the creative process with each student. Only this way they can develop to expand their creative skills and apply them to building their own unique projects.

What Is Coding?

Creative Computers
Programming Languages
How Scratch Works
The Scratch Interface
Types of Projects

STARTING PROJECTS

Project 1: Cat Art

In this project we make different colored copies of the scratch cat that follow the mouse on the screen.

Creating a Project
Core Blocks: start, stop
Conditional Blocks: when clicked, when condition
Other Blocks: go to, change, stamp (clone), change, erase all.

Project 2: Dino Dance Party

We create a stage with three dancing dinosaurs.

Costumes
Programming the Dance Steps
Backgrounds
Blocks: movement, sounds, wait (pause)
Keyboard Control
Algorithms

Project 3: Animal Race

A two-player animal race program is built. We learn about the following concepts:

Message passing
Variables
The Scratch Grid
Boolean NOT operator

Project 4: Ask Gobo

Gobo is a simple fortune telling chat-bot. Gobo cannot really predict the future but creates random answers to yes/no questions, answering them in different ways.

Speech Bubbles
Random Numbers
if then use with operators blocks
Special Effects

Project 5: Funny Faces

In this project we explore the drawing tools inside of Scratch 3.

The Paint Editor
Paint Tools
More on the Scratch Grid and Coordinate System
Cloning
Transparencies

ART PROJECTS

Project 6: Birthday Card

Why give an ordinary birthday card when instead you can make a personalized and animated one!

Buttons
Motion: Glide
Message Passage and Timing
Banners
Directions
Special Effects: fading
Adding Your Own Media (Photos, Sound)

Project 7: Spiralizer

In this art project we use Scratch code to make the artistic effects. Motion, different shapes and pen styles combined with cloning complete the effects.

The Scratch Pen
Clones
Rotation
Motion and Speed
The Magic Pen

Project 8: Fantastic Flowers

We design a meadow of beautiful flowers in this project. Instead of designing each flower separately we instead make use of functions / subprograms to do the repetitive work for us.

Function / Subprograms
Simple program math
Making Our Own Custom Block Type (Functions or subprograms)
Subprogram Arguments / Values

GAMES

Project 9: Tunnel of Doom

This is a simple maze game where we have to guide Scratch Cat through a maze without touching the walls using the mouse.

The Paint Editor (background creation)
Transparencies With The Paint Editor
Background Music
Mouse Tracking
Repeat Until Loops
Timers

Project 10: Window Cleaner

This is a fun interactive game where the player is in a race against the computer to see how many paint splats he or she can remove before the clock runs out. The second phase of the game replaces the mouse as the pointing device with the player themselves using the computer webcam.

Paint Editor – Sprint Design
Keeping Score
Countdown Timer
Camera Control
Input Variable Sliders

SIMULATIONS

Project 11: Virtual Snow

In this project we will create a winter scene complete with animated falling snow. Each snowflake will fall independently from the others and will either stick to the ground or any object it comes in contact with.

Paint Editor – Snow Sprite
Cloning
Secret Pictures

Project 12: Fireworks Display

This is another simulation project where we use clones to produce a desired effect. In this project we launch rockets which explode into fireworks.

Paint Editor – Rocket Sprite
Paint Editor – Gradients
Switching Backgrounds in Code
Simulating an Explosion of Stars

Project 13: Fractal Trees

We explore fractals or repeating patterns in computer generated images. We use this to tell the computer how to build a tree complete with branches and leaves.

What are fractals?
Defining The Algorithms
Drawing Your Tree

Project 14: Snowflake Simulator

In this extension to the fractal project, we use many of the same ideas to create a collection of unique snowflakes.

Symmetry

Line Drawing

MUSIC AND SOUND

Project 15: Sprites and Sounds

In this project we create a screen full of animated and vocal sprites. This is an amusing game where different sounds and effects can be created by the player.

Sound Blocks
Importing Sounds
Special Effects: Cheese Puffs
Recording and Editing Sounds

Project 16: Drumtastic

This project turns your computer keyboard into a drum machine. Note: possible coding error in section 10, page 194.

Basic String Handling
Character to Integer Mapping
Clone Private Variables
Controlling Tempo

MINDBENDERS

Project 17: The Magic Spot

We explore an optical illusion known as afterimage in ths project. It shows how the mind sees colors over time.

if then else conditions

Project 18: Spiral-o-tron

The Scratch drawing tools (not the editor) are further investigated here. Sprials are used to show how geometric shapes can be created through code, including how they are rendered. Performance suggestions are provided to allow for faster computing and rendering times.