Coding  and  Computational  Thinking  

Lesson  Idea  Name:      Scratch  Autobiographies    

Content  Area:      English  Language  Arts    
Grade  Level(s):      8th  Grade  
Content  Standard  Addressed:      ELAGSE8SL5:  Integrate  multimedia  and  visual  displays  into  presentations  to  
clarify  information,  strengthen  claims  and  evidence,  and  add  interest.    
 
Technology  Standard  Addressed:      Creative  Communicator  6c:  Communicate  complex  ideas  clearly  and  
effectively  by  creating  or  using  a  variety  of  digital  objects  such  as  visualizations,  models  or  simulations.    
 
Selected  Technology  Tool:      Scratch  
 

URL(s)  to  support  the  lesson  (if  applicable):      https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/83433114/    

 
Bloom’s  Taxonomy  Level(s):        
 

☐  Remembering            ☐  Understanding            ☐  Applying              ☐  Analyzing                ☐  Evaluating              ☒  Creating  

 
Levels  of  Technology  Integration  (LoTi  Level):    
 

☐    Level  1:  Awareness                ☐    Level  2:  Exploration          ☐    Level  3:  Infusion            ☒    Level  4:  Integration  
 

☐    Level  5:  Expansion                  ☐    Level  6:  Refinement            

 
Universal  Design  for  Learning  (UDL):    For  students  in  the  class  with  auditory  sensory  impairments,  a  project  
that  integrates  visual  displays  into  student  presentations  may  prove  beneficial.  For  students  in  the  class  with  
visual  sensory  impairments,  using  various  multimedia  and  large  visualizations  may  prove  beneficial.  Students  
with  Mild  Intellectual  Disabilities  or  ADHD  may  also  benefit  from  the  use  of  technology,  seek  assistance  from  
classmates,  or  ask  for  help  from  the  teacher  when  using  Scratch.  All  students  benefit  from  this  engaging,  
creative,  student-­‐centered  project.    
Engagement:  The  online  student-­‐centered  project  engages  students  in  publishing  their  own  writing  using  
proper  spelling,  grammar,  and  writing  techniques,  as  well  as  creating  and  sharing  their  own  final  products.    
Representation:  Autobiographies  are  presented  using  a  variety  of  digital  multimedia  and  the  presentations  
are  easy  to  view  and  navigate.    
Action  and  Expression:  The  assignment  requires  students  to  express  themselves  through  writing  and  visual  
displays,  moves  to  a  higher  Bloom’s  level  of  creating  and  publishing  student  products,  and  requires  students  
to  act  in  safe,  appropriate  ways  when  using  Scratch.    
 
Lesson  idea  implementation:  The  project  will  be  introduced  as  students  complete  the  Scratch  tutorials  and  
the  teacher  shows  the  student  sample  Scratch  autobiography  to  the  class  before  creating  their  own  
autobiographies.  Over  the  span  of  one  week  (five  full  class  periods),  students  will  take  on  adult  and  
professional  roles  as  they  create  and  publish  their  own  autobiographies  using  Scratch  while  the  teacher  acts  
as  co-­‐learner  and  provides  technological  assistance  to  students  when  needed.  Student  learning  will  be  
assessed  using  a  rubric  that  the  teacher  uses  to  assess  students’  knowledge  and  application  of  appropriate  
writing  skills/techniques,  grammar,  and  spelling.  To  conclude  the  lesson,  the  teacher  will  return  the  graded  
rubrics  to  each  student  with  attached  commentary  and  feedback  from  the  teacher.    
 
The  students’  final  products  will  be  used  to  inform/differentiate  learning  by  allowing  students  to  express  and  
introduce  themselves  in  ways  that  are  unique,  engaging,  and  original.  To  extend  the  student  learning  to  a  
higher  learning  level,  students  will  publish  their  finished  autobiographies  to  Scratch  where  others  may  view  
them.  In  addition,  students  will  provide  appropriate,  constructive  criticism  and  feedback  to  two  or  more  
projects  made  by  other  Scratch  users.  This  encourages  student  collaboration  outside  of  the  classroom  setting.    
 Coding  and  Computational  Thinking  
Importance  of  technology:  The  use  of  a  coding  tool  like  Scratch  is  critically  important  because  the  project  
could  not  be  completed  without  this  technology.  Without  using  Scratch,  the  visualizations,  models,  
simulations,  publications,  and  collaborations  with  other  Scratch  users  would  be  lost.  No  other  types  of  
technology  are  going  to  be  used  in  the  learning  experience,  so  the  entire  project  itself  relies  on  and  is  
centered  around  the  use  of  Scratch.    
 
Inspiration:    Provided  above  is  the  URL  (https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/83433114/)  of  the  example  student  
autobiography  that  students  will  use  as  a  sample  when  creating  their  own  autobiographies  on  Scratch.  The  
only  concept  “borrowed”  from  this  user  was  the  concept  of  the  autobiography  itself.  Students  will  use  the  
provided  project  as  a  guide  but  are  instructed  not  to  include  their  ages  or  birthdays  like  the  user  did  in  his  
Scratch  presentation.    
 
Internet  Safety  and  Student  Privacy:  Some  possible  issues  surrounding  internet  safety  and  student  privacy  
that  could  arise  while  implementing  this  learning  experience  have  to  do  with  students  sharing  and  publishing  
personal  information  like  full  names,  ages,  birthdays,  locations,  and  contact  information  like  home  addresses,  
emails,  and/or  phone  numbers.  To  minimize  risks  to  students,  students  will  be  required  to  abide  by  internet  
safety,  student  privacy,  and  school/district  policies  when  publishing  content  on  Scratch  and  students  must  
have  their  autobiographies  checked  and  approved  by  the  teacher  before  publishing  them  to  Scratch  so  that  
the  teacher  can  ensure  that  students  do  not  share  sensitive  information  that  could  put  them  in  danger.  To  
alleviate  any  fears  by  parents  and/or  administrators,  the  teacher  will  send  an  email  to  all  parents,  guardians,  
and  administrators  before  assigning  the  project  that  explains  the  project,  what  students  will  be  doing,  the  
plan  for  implementing  proper  internet  safety  and  student  privacy  policies,  and  link  to  the  URL  of  the  example  
Scratch  autobiography  for  parents  and  administrators  to  view.  To  encourage  students  to  follow  common  
Internet  Safety/Acceptable  Use  Policies,  students  will  be  graded  on  their  use  of  internet  safety  and  one  
component  on  the  rubric  will  include  the  application  of  student  privacy  and  acceptable  use  policies.      
 
Reflective  Practice:  The  activities  created  could  impact  student  learning  by  allowing  them  to  learn  about  their  
peers,  learn  about  themselves,  and  learn  about  the  uses  and  benefits  of  coding  technologies  like  Scratch.  To  
further  extend  the  lesson,  perhaps  students  could  use  Scratch  again  at  the  end  of  the  school  year  to  create  a  
biography  of  one  of  the  authors  that  was  covered  from  the  course  curriculum  for  the  year.  To  further  
enhance  the  project,  students  could  use  other  technology  tools  like  EBSCO  or  Google  Scholar  when  
researching  their  authors.