ACT 3: Scratch Impact
Grades 5–6 Scratch lessons that connect coding with environmental science, data literacy, and real-world community impact.
Unit 1: Learning Scratch
This unit will introduce your students to the fundamentals of Scratch. At the end of this unit, students will be able to code their own projects with animated characters, add text or voice for narration, import graphics of their choice, and they will be able to time conversations between characters. They will be able to create animated stories and interactive reports on any topic. This unit also briefly introduces students to the computer science concepts of sequence, event, and loop.
Learning Objectives
- Create and log into a Scratch account.
- Import and edit sprites in the Scratch environment.
- Define “sequence”, “algorithm”, “program”, “events”, “loops”, and “animation”.
- Code a project with animation.
- Code a project using “broadcast” and “receive” blocks to synchronize elements in their project.
Lesson 1.1 Setting Up Scratch Accounts
Students will create and log into a new Scratch account. Students will be introduced to the Scratch environment. Students will learn about role model Ada Lovelace.
25 minutesLesson 1.2: Introduction to Scratch
Students will explore parts of the Scratch environment. They will learn how to add their projects to a Scratch studio and how to edit and import an image in Scratch.
50 minutesLesson 1.3: Scratch Charades
Students familiarize themselves with coding commands, specifically in the Scratch language, in an unplugged activity acting the scripts out. Students enjoy playing this version of the familiar charades game.
50 minutesLesson 1.4: Coding Concepts 1 - Sequence, Algorithm, Program
Students will be introduced to the concepts of sequence, algorithm, and program. They will learn the difference between the “glide” and “go to” Scratch block. They will debug an existing project. Finally, they will tinker in Scratch.
50 minutesLesson 1.5: Coding Concepts 2 - Events, Loops, Animation
Students will learn about events, loops, and animation. They will learn that animation is a series of images that are in a loop. They will gain an understanding of the concept from a lecture, from videos, from debugging, and from making their own flipbook.
50 minutesLesson 1.6: Broadcasting and Receiving
Students will learn how to time interactions in Scratch by using the “broadcast” and “receive” blocks. This skill enables students to time interactions between characters when creating a digital story or when including narration or music in a project.
50 minutesUnit 2: Modeling an Ecosystem
In this unit, students will demonstrate their understanding of how all parts in a system are interdependent by coding a connection circle in Scratch. They will learn about invasive species and how they disrupt an ecosystem. Through discussion, a card game, videos, and coding a project, students will learn the concepts and skills to build a model of a system in the Scratch coding environment.
Learning Objectives
- Identify parts of a system and explain how they are interdependent on each other.
- Explain how invasive species disrupt an ecosystem.
- Program a connection circle applying the concept of parallelism, initialization, and loops.
Lesson 2.1: What is a system?
Students are introduced to the concepts of natural and human systems. They play a card game with their classmates identifying how parts of the chaparral ecosystem are related.
50 minsLesson 2.2 Disruptions in an Ecosystem
Students learn about invasive species through the context of the chaparral ecosystem. They will create a public service announcement in Scratch to teach others about what they learn.
50 minsLesson 2.3: Demonstrating Interactions in Scratch
Students understand the computing concept of parallelism, initialization, and loops that they need to understand to complete the connection circle project in the next lesson.
50 minsLesson 2.4: Modeling an Ecosystem
Students code a connection circle in Scratch to model an ecosystem of their choice.
50 minsLesson 2.5: Reflect and Share
Students reflect on their Connection Circle projects, then share their projects with a partner.
50 minsUnit 3: Variables, Conditionals, and Functions
Variables are used to store values (words and numbers) in a computer program. Variables are created by the programmer. They can be set and changed by the computer program. Variable values can be entered into a computer program by a user when the program asks the user a question. Variable values can be used in different parts of a program. In this unit, students will be introduced to the concept of variables through examples, discussion, and playing Madlibs. Students will interact with the concept of variables by exploring an existing project and modifying it. Finally, with a partner, they will plan and build their own project in Scratch using variables. Students will be introduced to the concept of if, then, else conditions through examples, discussion, and playing an if, then, else dice game. Students will interact with this concept by exploring an existing project and modifying it. Finally, with a partner, they will plan and build their own project in Scratch using loops with if, then else conditions. Students will practice identifying code that is used in multiple places in a program and can be converted into a function. They will work with functions that are called multiple times in a program. Students will interact with this concept by exploring an existing project and modifying it. Finally, with a partner, they will plan and build their own project in Scratch using loops with if, then else conditions and functions.
Learning Objectives
Apply variables, conditional loops, and functions to create projects that help visualize data.
Lesson 3.1: Intro to Variables
Students are introduced to the concept of input variables and how to create and set programmer-defined variables. Students practice creating and setting the variables.
50 minutesLesson 3.2: Use, Create, and Set Variables with TIPP&SEE
Students do a TIPP&SEE activity to reinforce the concepts from lesson 3.1. They are guided as they modify an existing project.
50 minutesLesson 3.3: Plan, Debug, Build and Share
Students plan a Madlibs project, do a debugging activity as a class, then build their Madlibs projects. When finished, students test each other’s projects.
50 minutesLesson 3.4: Intro to Loops with if, then, else Conditionals
Students will be introduced to the computer science concept of if, then, else conditions and will play an unplugged, hands-on activity.
50 minutesLesson 3.5: Exploring Loops with if, then else Conditionals
Students explore a Scratch project to identify how if, then else conditions work and the types of operators that are used in conditions. Students modify an existing project.
50 minutesLesson 3.6: Introduction to Functions
Students will be introduced to the computer science concept of functions, play an unplugged activity, and explore a Scratch project with functions.
50 minutesLesson 3.7: Exploring Functions: Quest & Plan
Students explore a Scratch project to identify how functions work and how to identify code that can be converted into functions. Students modify an existing project and plan for their Create project.
50 minutesLesson 3.8: Functions and if, then, else Conditional Loops: Plan & Build
Students complete a project using functions and if, then else conditions. Students complete a Debugging Challenge, then complete the scripts and create functions for a graphing project.
50 minutesUnit 4 Visualizing Data
This unit examines how essential trees are to a community and then applies data science to examine the distribution of trees in various communities using the Tree Equity Score website. Students discuss different perspectives on trees in their community. Collectively, the class designs a survey to study the perspective of a particular group in their community on the topic of trees. The data is collected, cleaned, and visualized in this unit.
Learning Objectives
- Plan, collect, clean, analyze, and present data.
- Explain what data is and give examples of qualitative and quantitative data.
- Represent data using a suitable chart.
- Work collaboratively to develop research questions and a survey to gather data to support it.
- Conduct polite and efficient interviews.
- Listen to and incorporate the ideas of others in a conversation.
- Consider their audience when presenting information.
Lesson 4.1: We Need Trees
Students will explain how trees benefit a community and identify reasons the number of trees is decreasing each year.
50 minsLesson 4.2: Tree Equity Score
Students will be introduced to the Tree Equity Score website. They will compare the tree equity score and heat disparity scores in different zip codes. They will discuss what data is and how it can be visualized.
50 minsLesson 4.3: Quantitative and Qualitative Data
Students will be introduced to what data is. They will compare qualitative data versus quantitative data. They will learn the appropriate data visualization to represent data.
50 minsLesson 4.4: Creating a Survey on Trees
Students will develop a survey on the topic of trees to learn the perspectives on a particular part of their community. They will identify people who would be interested in the finding of this proposed research.
50 minsLesson 4.5: Collecting and Cleaning Data
Students will conduct interviews to gather their data.
50 minsLesson 4.6: Visualizing and Analyzing Data
Students will create a visualization with their data and discuss what it means. They will discuss pros and cons of different ways that data can be represented.
50 minsUnit 5 Communicating Science
In this unit, students will create a public service announcement on the topic that they have researched in Unit 4. Students will craft a message in the Scratch environment that will be supported by a visualization of their research findings. Students will choose the appropriate audience for this announcement.
Learning Objectives
- Identify the parts and purpose of a public service announcement.
- Craft a message supported by survey findings.
- Build a Scratch PSA that includes a data visualization.
- Reflect on, revise, and share projects with an audience.
Lesson 5.1: What is a Public Service Announcement (PSA)?
Students view public service announcements and advertisements as they identify the problems being addressed, the supporting facts, the call to do something, and the kind of persuasion they represent.
50 minsLesson 5.2: Crafting a Message
Students create a relevant message for the community supported with the findings of their survey. The message will include a behavioral request from the audience.
90 minsLesson 5.3: Build Your Public Service Announcement (PSA)
Students create a PSA in the Scratch environment in small groups that includes a data visualization that was created in Unit 4.
50 minsLesson 5.4: Sharing Your Public Service Announcement (PSA)
Students self-reflect on their projects. They give helpful feedback on classmates’ projects and accept feedback from others. Desired changes are made. Projects are shared with members of the community.
30 mins