Computer Science, Coding & Scratch

I've been developing several lessons using Scratch recently. I am hoping to offer an after school program to start to develop student interest in computer science and programming fields. There are more than 1 million unfilled programming jobs available in the US right now and that number is only going to continue to climb. 

It's an incredibly important area of study for students. First because so many jobs (well-paying jobs!) are going to be in this field. Second because even if aren't a programmer, computers, and therefore computer programming, will probably be a still be a part of your job. Third learning computer science teaches kids how to think logically, create multi-step plans, problem solve, collaborate and research all while hopefully having fun. Programming allows kids to have a creative, concrete outlet for some of the most abstract, difficult thinking we ask them to do. 

Scratch

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Scratch is a computer programming language designed by MIT for students. It allows students to easily create interactive art, stories, simulations, and games. Students can create their own projects or remix samples from Scratch. They can share their Scratch projects and take inspiration from others. Students program sprites to move across their screens using snap together blocks that make coding fun, easy, and accessible.

The video below shows a wide overview of the types of projects you can create using Scratch. It was published by people at ScratchEd which provides ideas, lesson plans, and a community for teachers who are using or learning to use Scratch in their classrooms. However, it shows an older version so the website will look different than it appears in the video and there's no longer a download needed when working on a PC. 

Video Source from ScratchEd

Below is a video I made that goes over how to create a True/False game. Students researched animals as part of a science unit and then they can create a game using facts from that research. 

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