Big Picture: An Overarching Question Why Is It Important to Teach This Topic? How does it relate to the real world?

Essential Questions How can we use program a computer to produce the desired outcome Or How can technology (computer programming) and problemsolving be combined to create new solutions to complex problems? Two or Three CCL Performance Skills Problem Solving Systems Thinking Performance Task (Final Project) The students will create a computer game or program that successfully challenges and interacts with the user. KNOW, UNDERSTAND and DO Know Program language and how it can communicate with a machine. Understand How can technology (computer programming) and problem-solving be combined to create new solutions to complex problems? Complex systems must interact and work together to produce an outcome. Changes within a system affect its ability to produce the desired outcome. Do The students will create a functional video game to entertain and challenge the user.

Scratch and 21st Century Skills

Information & Communication Skills
Information and Media Literacy Skills By working on Scratch projects, students learn to select, create, and manage multiple forms of media, including text, images, animation, and audio recordings. As students gain experience creating with media, they become more perceptive and critical in analyzing the media they see in the world around them. Communication Skills Effective communication in todays world requires more than the ability to read and write text. Scratch engages young people in choosing, manipulating, and integrating a variety of media in order to express themselves creatively and persuasively.

Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills

Critical Thinking and Systems Thinking As they learn to program in Scratch, young people become engaged in critical reasoning and systems thinking. In order to build projects, students need to coordinate the timing and interactions between multiple sprites (programmable moving objects). The ability to program interactive input provides students direct experience with sensing, feedback, and other fundamental systems concepts. Problem Identification, Formulation & Solution Scratch supports problem finding and solving in a meaningful design context. Creating a Scratch project requires thinking of an idea, then figuring out how to break the problem into steps and implement them using Scratch programming blocks. Scratch is designed to be tinkerable: students can dynamically change pieces of code and immediately see the results (e.g., doubling a number to see how it changes a graphic effect). Throughout the design process, students engage in experimenting and iterative problemsolving. Creativity and Intellectual Curiosity Scratch encourages creative thinking, an increasingly important skill in todays rapidly changing world. Scratch involves young people in seeking innovative solutions to unexpected problemsnot just learning how to solve a predefined problem, but being prepared to come up with new solutions as new challenges arise.

Interpersonal & Self-Directional Skills

Interpersonal and Collaborative Skills Because Scratch programs are built of graphical blocks, the programming code is more readable and shareable than other programming languages. The visual objects and modular code supports collaboration, enabling students to work together on projects and exchange objects and code. Self-Direction Taking an idea and figuring out how to program it in Scratch requires persistence and practice. When young people work on project ideas they find personally meaningful, their ideas provide internal motivation for overcoming challenges and frustrations encountered in the design and problem-solving process. Accountability and Adaptability When students create Scratch projects, they have an audience in mind, and need to think about how other people will react and respond to their projects. Since Scratch projects are easy to change and revise, students can modify their projects based on feedback from others. Social Responsibility Because Scratch programs are shareable, students can use Scratch to provoke discussion of important issues with other members of their immediate learning environment, as well as with the wider international Scratch community.

http://llk.media.mit.edu

Scratching the Surface of Software Programing Rational Purpose Have you ever played a video game or used software and wondered how it works. What do programmers do behind the scenes to cause icons and sprites to move around the screen or perform some action. In this class you will lean this by becoming a programmer and solving the complex system of problems that is required for a game or program to function.

Weekly Overview

Background and (program) Overview 1. Programming Language Timeline 2. Video Game Timeline Event Handling User input and Control

K: How is software used to control the actions of machines. U: How can technology (computer programming) and problemsolving be combined to create new solutions to complex problems? Do: Students will describe some of the similarities and differences between various programming languages and programs. K: Students will know how user input is processed and how it is important to a program. U: Complex systems must interact and work together to produce an outcome. Do: Students will create a program that has a user controlled sprite. K: Random numbers are an important part of the programming process. U: Changes within a system affect its ability to produce the desired outcome. Do: Create a program that uses random numbers to control the movement of a sprite. K: Conditional statements are the key to having a program be responsive to the users actions. U: Changes within a system affect its ability to produce the desired outcome. Do: Students will create a program where a script is activated by the user meeting a certain condition. K: Variables and arrays allow the computer to store information that may be useful in the program. U: Complex systems must interact and work together to produce an outcome. Do: Students will create a program that uses a variable to store information that is important to the program. K: Sometimes it is useful for one part of a program to send a message to another part of the program. U: Complex systems must interact and work together to produce an outcome. Do: Students will create a program that has a broadcast message that is received and responded to by at least one other part of the program. K: By combining multiple solutions a complete program can be created. U: How can technology (computer programming) and problemsolving be combined to create new solutions to complex problems? Do: K: Testing out software (Debugging) is an important part of the programming process. U: Changes within a system affect its ability to produce the desired outcome. Do: Students will run their programs and check for problems and glitches, then adjust the program to fix any discovered problems.

Level 2Describe Cause/Effect

Level 4Analyze & Synthesize

Random Numbers and iteration (looping) Department Meetings

Level 3 & 4Apply, Analyze, & Synthesize

Conditional Statements and Boolean Logic

Level 4Apply & Synthesize

Variables and arrays Department Meetings

Level 4Conduct a Project, Analyze, & Synthesize

Broadcast and Receive Messages

Level 4Conduct a Project, Analyze, & Synthesize

Final Project

Level 4Conduct a Project, Analyze, & Synthesize

Debugging Department Meetings

Level 4Conduct a Project, Analyze, & Synthesize

Week 1 Overview Vocabulary

Technology/ Materials Computer Scratch Program Lesson Tutorial on SMART Board History of video gamest from website http://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/about/index.html Overview of Scratch

The origin of video games lies in early cathode ray tube-based missile defense systems in the late 1940s. These programs were later adapted into other simple games during the 1950s. By the late 1950s and through the 1960s, more computer games were developed (mostly on mainframe computers), gradually increasing in sophistication and complexity. Following this period, video games diverged into different platforms: Arcade Mainframe Console Personal computer Handheld games

Tennis for Two on cathode ray tube

TRS-80, Early Personal Computer

The first commercially viable video game was Computer Space in 1971, which laid the foundation for a new entertainment industry in the late 1970s within the United States, Japan, and Europe. arly on. Currently only Japanese companies have any major successful handheld gaming consoles, although in recent years handheld games have come to devices like cellphones and PDAs as technology continues to converge.

Week 2 Event Handling Vocabulary

Technology/ Materials Computer Scratch Program Lesson Tutorial on SMART Board Introduction Most programs and games require some kind of user interaction. This could be through a mouse, keyboard or a controller of some kind. The program has to be told what user input to respond to and what to ignore, as well as what to do with the input data.

In this example the event is a key press that you assign. You then create the program or actions that should occur as a result of this user created event. There are other events as well Such as:

This event represents when the program is run.

This event occurs when the user clicks an object. Daily Project: The project assignment for today is to create a program where the user controls an object using the keyboard. 1. Look at the Monkey example. Demonstrate how the sprite can be moved around the screen with the arrow keys.

2. Stop the program and look at the scripts that cause this to happen.

3. Notice how four different scripts have to be created to give the player full control. 4. Students should now choose or create a sprite and create the scripts that will control it. Extension: 1. What things could be altered in these scripts? 2. What do you think would happen if they were changed? Challenge: 1. Create additional keyboard controls that cause the sprite to perform other actions. 2. Create controls that require the user to click on something or use the mouse in some way.

Week 3 Random Numbers and Iteration (Looping) Vocabulary

Technology/ Materials Computer Scratch Program Lesson Tutorial on SMART Board Introduction Random Numbers In computer programs, games in particular, random numbers can be useful in many ways. They can be used in a similar way that dice or a spinner would be used in a board game. They can also be used to give random movement to a sprite, such as an enemy. This is the random number function. The range can be changed by altering the numbers, including negative numbers. The computer will choose a random integer. Looping Forever and repeat can be used to repeat a set of actions a certain number of times, or forever.

Daily Project Todays project will combine random numbers and looping to give random movement to the banana sprite.

Look at our example project named Random Movement Look at the script of the banana sprite.

1. The top of the script begins with a green flag control, rather than a keyboard control, because this sprite will not be controlled by user input. When you use the green flag control you are telling the script to run when the program starts. 2. The next control is a forever loop. The reason this is important is because you want this action to continue the entire time the program is running. That may seem obvious, but it can be easily forgotten as a script becomes more complex. 3. The next few scripts control the motion on the x coordinates (horizontal) and the y coordinates (vertical). They also utilize the random number function. In this case we have the random number limited between 1 and 10. Why? Because the sprite may move more erratically, given a larger parameter. 4. Notice there is also a wait between the tow motion scripts. This is there to slow down the movement. 5. Students should now choose or create a sprite and create the scripts that will control it randomly. Extension: 1. What things could be altered in these scripts? 2. What do you think would happen if they were changed? Challenge: 1. Create additional sprites that move at different speeds. 2. Create a sprite that moves back an forth along a set path

Week 4 Conditional Statements and Boolean Logic Vocabulary

Technology/ Materials Computer Scratch Program Lesson Tutorial on SMART Board Introduction Conditional Statements If and If else check for a condition if that condition is met the commands inside are executed.. This is often useful to check and see if an enemy or object is in proximity. Boolean Logic

Extension: 1. What things could be altered in these scripts? 2. What do you think would happen if they were changed? Challenge: 1. Create additional sprites that are worth different amounts of points. 2. Create a list instead of a variable and require the player to collect each of the items on the list.

Week 5 Variables and arrays Vocabulary

Technology/ Materials Computer Scratch Program Lesson Tutorial on SMART Board Introduction Variables and Arrays The variable blocks allow you to create variables and use them in a program. The variables can store numbers or strings. Scratch supports both global and object-specific variables. In the case of game programming, a variable is often useful in storing the score or the health of the player or enemy character. The array or list blocks allow for storing and accessing a list of numbers and strings. This kind of data structure can be considered a dynamic array. This can be useful to have a character collect a list of items in the game such as a list of food items. Daily Project

Todays project will use a variable to store the score for the monkey. Before you can use a variable you have to declare it. Choose make a variable and name it score. Check the

box next to it to have it appear on screen. Sometimes you may create a variable that is not displayed, but displaying the score is essential. Lets look at each step of the script and what it does: 1. At the beginning of the script the score variable is reset to zero to make sure that the score doesnt keep adding up each time the game starts out. 2. Next there is a forever loop to ensure that the condition is constantly checked for. 3. When the condition is met the banana is hidden, the score is increased by one, and the banana is sent to a random spot on the screen and then shown. 4. Now try following these steps to add a scoring system to your game. 5. Bug test your game by playing it for a while. What happens to the score if you keep playing? It just keeps going up and up, the game never ends. Next week we will look at a way to create an ending for your game. Extension: 3. What things could be altered in these scripts? 4. What do you think would happen if they were changed? Challenge: 3. Create additional sprites that are worth different amounts of points. 4. Create a list instead of a variable and require the player to collect each of the items on the list.

Week 5 Broadcast and receive messages Vocabulary

Technology/ Materials Computer Scratch Program Lesson Tutorial on SMART Board Introduction Broadcast and when I receive can coordinate the actions of multiple sprites. Using broadcast and wait allows synchronization. The script watches your score variable and then uses a math operation. When the statement becomes true the message is broadcast. Having a message broadcast alone will do nothing, as far as you can see. The message is sent, but not received by anything. To make it work you also need to add the when I receive control. When the message is received, the script is executed. Daily Project 1. Open the example project and examine the scripts

2. There is a new script for the monkey. Forever if Score > 9 broadcast win I used greater instead of equal, just in case the score skips past ten. The condition still will be met. 3. I also created a new sprite to receive the win message. It starts off hidden at the beginning of the game, and only shows when you reach the score that will send the win message. 4. Try adding these techniques to your project.

Extension: 1. What things could be altered in these scripts? 2. What do you think would happen if they were changed? Challenge: 1. Use multiple messages for different events in your game. 2. Have multiple things happen for an event, in sequence, or simutaneusly.

Choose 2 Sprites and name them. You are going to create a game of tag where the it sprite follows your mouse to catch the other sprite. When caught the other sprite makes a sound and runs to a new random location.

These Scripts go on the sprite that is getting chased.

Broadcast and receive have to match

These Scripts go on the sprite that you make chase the other with your mouse

Software Programming Project Criteria Sheet. Every program begins with a statement of the problem to be solved. The journey from problem statement to finished program usually involves the following activities: 1. Define the problem. (What do you want your program to do?) I want to create a tag game where the players sprite is controlled by the mouse and the enemy character is programmed to chase you around. Whenever he catches you a sound is played, a message is broadcast, and the enemy goes to a new random location. 2. Analyze the problem. (Often there are multiple ways to solve a problem which method should you choose and why?) I could control my character with the keyboard, but in this case, I thought the mouse would give more fluid control.For random movement I chose to point the sprite to a random degree and then move. This makes it look like it is running around the screen rather than floating. 3. Develop an algorithm (a method) for solving the problem. Create a sprite the player controls with the mouse Create a random moving enemy Create the effect that occurs when the enemy gets you. Write the computer program which implements the algorithm. 5. Test and debug (find the errors in) the program. What errors and glitches were there in the program? How did you fix them? Enemy is moving to fastTried lowering the move speed. 6. Document the program. (Explain how the program works and how to use it). Use the mouse to control your character, which is a number 9. Try to avoid the enemy, which is a number 7. Will you succeed? Or will 6 be afraid of 7 because 7 ate 9.

Software Programming Project Criteria Sheet. Every program begins with a statement of the problem to be solved. The journey from problem statement to finished program usually involves the following activities: 1. Define the problem. (What do you want your program to do?) _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ ____ 2. Analyze the problem. (Often there are multiple ways to solve a problem which method should you choose and why?) _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ ____ 3. Develop an algorithm (a method) for solving the problem. _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ ____ Write the computer program which implements the algorithm. 5. Test and debug (find the errors in) the program. What errors and glitches were there in the program? How did you fix them? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ ____ 6. Document the program. (Explain how the program works and how to use it). _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ ____