๐ ScratchJr Lesson Plan: Moving Characters & Adding Backgrounds
This lesson plan will guide educators in teaching young students (ages 5-7) how to move characters and add backgrounds in ScratchJr. Students will create interactive stories and develop foundational programming skills.
๐ฏ Objectives
- ๐ถโโ๏ธ Students will be able to move characters using the move blocks.
- ๐ผ๏ธ Students will be able to add and change backgrounds.
- โ๏ธ Students will be able to create a simple story using movement and backgrounds.
- ๐ค Students will be able to collaborate and share their projects.
๐ ๏ธ Materials
- ๐ป Tablets or computers with ScratchJr installed.
- ๐๏ธ Paper and crayons for storyboarding (optional).
- ๐งโ๐ซ Whiteboard or projector.
- ๐ Printed handouts with ScratchJr block descriptions (optional).
โ๏ธ Warm-up (5 minutes)
- ๐ฃ๏ธ Discuss what makes a story interesting. What are the key elements of a story (characters, setting, plot)?
- ๐ Ask students if they've used ScratchJr before. Briefly review the ScratchJr interface.
๐จโ๐ซ Main Instruction (30 minutes)
- Introducing Movement:
- โก๏ธ Explain the function of the move blocks (left, right, up, down).
- ๐งช Demonstrate how to add move blocks to a character to make it move across the screen.
- ๐ฒ Have students experiment with different numbers in the move blocks to change the distance the character travels.
- Adding Backgrounds:
- ๐ Show students how to add a background by clicking the '+' button at the top.
- ๐จ Explain that they can choose from pre-made backgrounds or draw their own.
- ๐๏ธ Demonstrate how to use the drawing tools to create a custom background.
- Creating a Simple Story:
- ๐ Guide students to plan a short story with a beginning, middle, and end. Encourage them to think about how their characters will move and where the story will take place.
- ๐ญ Have students use ScratchJr to create their stories, using the move blocks and backgrounds they learned.
- ๐พ Encourage students to save their projects regularly.
โ
Assessment (10 minutes)
- ๐ Observe students as they work on their projects. Are they able to move characters and add backgrounds successfully?
- ๐ข Have students share their stories with the class.
- โ Ask students to explain how they used the different blocks and backgrounds in their stories.
- โญ Provide positive feedback and suggestions for improvement.
โ Extension Activities
- ๐งโ๐ป Introduce the repeat block to create more complex movements.
- ๐ฃ Encourage students to add speech bubbles to their characters.
- ๐ผ Explore the sound blocks to add music and sound effects.
๐งฎ Example: Calculating Movement
If a character needs to move 10 steps to the right, and each step is represented by the number '1' in the move block, then to move double the distance, the number would need to be doubled to '2'. Therefore, a sequence of 5 '2' move right blocks would move the character the required distance. $Distance = Steps \times ValuePerStep$