Scratch
Beginner
40 mins
Teacher/Student led
+55 XP

From Scratchjr to Scratch: a Taster

A gentle first taste of full Scratch for pupils who know ScratchJr: they give a cat sprite a short block sequence, add a loop and a backdrop, then compare the two tools.

Teacher Class Feed

Load previous activity

    1 - What We're Building ~5 mins

    Programmers give a computer a clear list of instructions and then run it to see what happens — exactly what you're about to do. Some of you have used ScratchJr; today we move up to the full version of Scratch that older students and real coders use.

    Watch the board first as each piece is modelled, then try it on your own device and click to run it. Keep an eye out for things that feel familiar from ScratchJr — and things that are brand new.

    2 - Introduction ~3 mins

    Illustration for IntroductionWelcome to Scratch! Scratch is a place where you can make your own games, animations and stories. You will bring a character to life: make it move, dance, jump and more. You will also give it a scene to live in, called a backdrop.

    Talk about these together:

    • What do you think coding is?
    • Have you ever wanted to create your own game or animation?
    • What kind of character would you like to bring to life?
    • Can you imagine making your character move, dance, or jump with your own code?

    3 - Introducing Scratch ~2 mins

    Welcome to the exciting world of Scratch!

    Next we're going to watch a short video that will introduce us to Scratch. As we watch, pay close attention to how the characters, or 'sprites', move around and interact. Think about how you might like to make your own sprite move. Maybe it could dance, jump, or even fly! After we've watched the video, we'll start exploring Scratch ourselves. So, let's get ready to dive into this fun coding adventure!

    4 - Open the Scratch Website ~3 mins

    Now the students are ready to try our scratch themselves. Get the students ready with their devices and go to the Scratch website:

    scratch.mit.edu

    Students (with your help) need to:

    1. Turn on their device
    2. Open a web browser
    3. Go to the Scratch website:
      1. Go to the URL scratch.mit.edu
      2. or search for 'scratch' in a search engine and open the website that way

    Once all the students are on the Scratch website, get them to click on the 'Create' link at the top of the page. This will open up the project editor.

    Sometimes a small tutorial box will open. Just get the students to close this by clicking on the X at the top right of the tutorials box.



    5 - Make the Cat Move ~2 mins

    Now let's add our first piece of code. We are going to add some code to give the cat sprite some instructions to move.

    Get the students to open the Events toolbox (yellow circle) and drag the

    when green flag clicked

    block into the code area. Next get them to open the Motion toolbox (blue circle) and then attach the

    move (10) steps

    block to the when green flag clicked block. 

    Once they have added those two code blocks, get them to click on the Green flag to run their code. Each time they click the green flag, their code will run and the cat should move a little to the right.


    Pupil practice · Investigation Journal
    Module 4 · Technology: Using Tech, Algorithms, Scratchjr and Robots
    Lesson 29 · From Scratchjr to Scratch: a Taster
    Download Investigation Journal sheet (PDF)
    DigitalSkills.org · Online learning platform

    Unlock the full learning experience

    You're previewing this lesson. Get full access to this lesson and hundreds more — each one ready to teach, with interactive activities, printable resources and pupil progress tracking built in.

    Hundreds of curriculum-aligned lessons
    Interactive activities in every lesson
    Printable resources & progress tracking
    Copyright Notice
    This lesson is copyright of DigitalSkills.org 2017 - 2025. Unauthorised use, copying or distribution is not allowed.

    Scratch is developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. It is available for free at https://scratch.mit.edu
    🍪 Our website uses cookies to make your browsing experience better. By using our website you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more