Studio build: first working sequence on screen
Ākonga move from paper to Scratch and make a sprite do exactly what their step list says, discovering where the computer needs more precision than a person did.
- Coding Studio move: First running project, saved and named
- Evidence it produces: A sequence that runs start to finish, plus one note on where paper and code disagreed
Lesson 2: Introduction to Scratch: Sprites, Stage & Sequential Code
Developing computational thinking through Scratch block coding, algorithms, and Te Ao Māori perspectives.
🎯 Ngā Whāinga Akoranga | Learning Intentions
Scratch interface navigation (Block palette, Script area, Stage, Sprites), visual block categories (Motion, Looks, Sound, Events), and sequential execution flow.
Create a new Scratch project, add and customize sprites, write sequential scripts using green flag events, and animate sprite movement across X/Y coordinates.
🎥 Media Anchor & Pedagogical Scaffold
Scratch Sprites for Beginners — Make, Draw, Upload and Download Sprites
Video Clip: A beginner-friendly walkthrough of the Scratch interface, sprites, and the stage — covers how to add and customise sprites, and how blocks snap together.
🧠 1. Before Viewing (Activate & Predict)
How do block-based coding environments like Scratch convert visual puzzle blocks into running software?
👁️ 2. During Viewing (Watch With a Job)
- Watch the full clip and identify the four ways to add a sprite in Scratch 3 — choose library, paint, surprise, or upload.
- As you watch, sketch a labelled diagram of the Scratch interface: block palette, script area, stage, and sprite list.
- Note: what is the difference between a sprite and a backdrop? How do they each affect what appears on the stage?
🗣️ 3. After Viewing & Kaiako Move (Process & Apply)
Kaiako Move: Model creating an animated sprite dancing to music on the projector while explaining block snapping.
Immediate Task: Complete Section 2 of your Digital Tech Logbook: Scratch Interface Tour & First Animated Sprite Project.
⚡ Whakaoho | Do Now: Sequence Recall (10 mins)
Back to your jam-sandwich algorithm from Lesson 1: circle every instruction that had to happen in an exact order. Today Scratch does the same job — the stage follows your sequence literally, exactly like the robot did.
📖 Activity 1: First Sprite Sequence — Build, Predict, Run (25 mins)
Follow the projector build: add a sprite, set a backdrop, then snap a sequence of move, say, play sound and wait blocks so your sprite dances to music. Before you press the green flag, predict out loud what the stage will do after each block — then run it and check your prediction line by line. Swap seats with your pair and add one step to their sequence without breaking the order they chose.
📝 Activity 2: Digital Tech Logbook & Code Reflection (20 mins)
Draft your formal Digital Tech Logbook entry for Lesson 2. Apply exact programming vocabulary (e.g., sprite, stage, script, sequence, block, snap) to explain your code decisions.
🏫 Kaiako Planning & Pedagogy Notes
Year 7 Curriculum Alignment: Sprites, the stage and strict sequencing (NZC Technology; Te Mātaiaho Phase 3) — Lesson 1's paper algorithms become scripts the computer executes literally.