Learn… Create… Program

What is Scratch?
 Scratch is a free programmable toolkit
that enables kids to
 create their own games, animated
stories, and interactive art
 share their creations with one another
over the Internet.

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What is Scratch?
 Scratch builds on the long tradition of
Logo and LEGO/Logo, but takes
advantage of new computational ideas
and capabilities to make it easier for
kids to get started with programming
(lowering the floor) and to extend the
range of what kids can create and learn
(raising the ceiling).

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What is Scratch?
 The ultimate goal is to help kids
become fluent with digital media,
empowering them to express
themselves creatively and make
connections to powerful ideas.

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 What is Scratch?

 Increase student skills with computers

 Increase student interest in
programming
 Student achievement on fun project
 Learn Cartesian coordinates, distance
computations, etc.

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Computer scientists
 Create solutions to problems using
computers
 Study information
 Invent algorithms
 Write programs to implement the
algorithms
 Reuse a lot of existing program and
machine parts
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Start scratch and let’s go!

 Click on the cat icon

 Or, find “scratch” under “Programs”
 When home, download from
www.scratch.mit.edu
 Scratch programming environment
comes up quickly
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Click on the
“Looks”
button at
the top left.

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Major components
 At right: the stage with sprite[s] or
objects or actors
 At left: operations and attributes for the
sprites
 Center: scripts or program[s] for the
behavior[s] of the sprites
 Your sprites are actors that you direct
with your scripts
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 Let’s implement an algorithm
to average two numbers
 Make a
variable
“number1”
(click and
drag and
set)
 Make
another
one
“number2”
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 Compute average first as sum
 Make variable
average
 Drag a “set
operation” to script
area
 Drag a + operation
 Drag variables
number1 and
number2 to
parameters
 Click to execute
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Average script as 4 operation
sequence.

Change the two

numbers and click
the sequence to
execute the block
again.

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But Scratch computes with
multimedia – color, sound, …

 Can make cartoons

 Can create stories
 Can create video games

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The “hello” script
 Can do it in 57 languages – java, C++,
… Scratch
 Easy in Scratch: select “Looks”
operations and drag the “hello operation”
onto your center panel.
 Then double click on this “lego block”:
check your sprite behavior at the right

Your very first Scratch program!

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Make the cat 50% larger

1. Select “Looks” operations

2. Drag the “change size” operator into your
script
3. Click and edit for a 50% change (increase)
4. Double click your one operation script
5. Did your©cat spriteofget
Department 50%
Studies, bigger?
Group
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Scripting a sequence of ops

 Do ops in the following order by

dragging operation blocks into a single
connected block
 Say hello
 Move 200 steps forward
 Grow 50% bigger
 Make the “meow sound”
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Some new operations
•color
change
(Looks)
• wait
(Control)
• move
(Motion)

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Starting a looped script

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Exercise: write a script to
 Make the cat move along a square path
 Say “hi” at all four corners
 Wait 3 seconds at each corner
 Change color at all four corners
 Double size when back to the original
starting location.
 Say “That’s all folks” when done.
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Elements of Scratch: objects
 Colors
 Sounds
 Locations in 2D space
 Sprites
 Costumes
 Variables (to remember the state of things)
 Events: that are broadcast for communication

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Elements of Scratch: control
 Sequence of operations
 Loops or repetition
 Detecting events (key or mouse
pressed, sprites overlapping each other,
sprites hitting edge of stage, sensor
giving value)

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Loop constructs in Scratch
 Repeat N times
 Repeat forever
 Repeat forever if
some condition
exists (suppose I’m
a sprite wandering
about this lab until
someone asks a
question)
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Conditions can be checked
 Do something if
sprite k hits sprite m
 Do something if a
certain key is
pressed
 Do something is
some variable takes
a certain value

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Interacting with your sprite or
story
 Using mouse
 Entering a character
 Asking the user a question

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Sprite follows the mouse

Try changing
the number of
steps or the
wait time.

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Play and examine MadLib
 Choose the “file” option at the top of
the window
 Choose “open”, then “examples”
 Choose “stories”
 Choose “MadLib” and then read the
authors instructions
 Click OK, wait for load, click green flag
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About the MadLib story
 How many actors (sprites)?
 What is the role of the girl?
 How are the answers you give 'remembered'
and then used in later actions?
 What is the role of the little whale?
 What makes the little whale flip around?
 What makes the big whale spout?

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Sprites can interact with each other
 Can detect when colors overlap in space
 Can detect when sprites bump into
edge of the stage
 See “bouncing balls” example under
Simulations under Examples
 Interact with this simulation
 Check out the rather complex scripts

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Check out the break dance
 Open examples; music and dance;
break dance
 How does break dancing begin?
 What are the roles of the sprites?
 What events are in the scripts?
 What should happen when the boom
box is clicked?
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Experiment with Scratch as
time permits

 Try your own scripts: make moves, sounds,

interactions in simple cases
 Try the examples and learn what makes them
work
 Download Scratch on your own machine and
experiment some more
 Direct a story; or a simulation; or create a
video game.

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