Studio build: give the program a decision
Ākonga implement an if-then that changes what the sprite does, then deliberately test both branches rather than assuming the untested one works.
- Coding Studio move: Two-branch test log — the true case and the false case both run
- Evidence it produces: A conditional that demonstrably behaves differently under two named inputs
Lesson 5: Conditional Logic: Making Decisions with 'If-Then-Else'
Developing computational thinking through Scratch block coding, algorithms, and Te Ao Māori perspectives.
🎯 Ngā Whāinga Akoranga | Learning Intentions
Selection and conditional logic (If-Then, If-Then-Else), boolean logic statements (true/false conditions), and sensing collision triggers.
Construct scripts using conditional blocks to trigger actions when sprites touch colours, edge boundaries, or mouse cursors.
🎥 Media Anchor & Pedagogical Scaffold
Scratch Basics: Conditional Statements
Video Clip: A clear beginner tutorial on if-then and if-then-else blocks in Scratch — how Boolean conditions work, and how to branch your code based on what is true.
🧠 1. Before Viewing (Activate & Predict)
How does a game know when a player has touched a coin to gain a point, or touched a lava hazard to lose a life?
👁️ 2. During Viewing (Watch With a Job)
- Watch the full clip and identify the shape of Boolean condition blocks in Scratch — why are they hexagon-shaped instead of rectangular?
- Notice the difference between if-then (one outcome) and if-then-else (two outcomes) — when would you choose each?
- After watching, add a conditional to a sprite in your project so it reacts when it touches another sprite or a specific colour.
🗣️ 3. After Viewing & Kaiako Move (Process & Apply)
Kaiako Move: Demonstrate a maze game script where touching black walls resets sprite position to the start coordinates.
Immediate Task: Complete Section 5 of your Digital Tech Logbook: Conditional Logic Flowchart & Maze Collision Code.
⚡ Whakaoho | Do Now: If-Then Walk to School (10 mins)
On paper, write one "if… then… otherwise…" sentence about your walk to school — for example, "if it is raining, then take the covered walkway, otherwise take the field". Today you translate exactly that structure into blocks Scratch can execute.
📖 Activity 1: The Boundary Maze — Make the Condition True on Purpose (25 mins)
Build the boundary maze with the projector: if <touching colour black?> then go to x:-180 y:0 resets the sprite to the start. Deliberately drive into a wall and watch the condition flip to true — then deliberately stay on the path and watch it never fire. Pairs add the else branch (a bounce, or a "try again" sound) and one win condition of their own design, then prove both branches run: one clean run, one deliberate crash.
📝 Activity 2: Digital Tech Logbook & Code Reflection (20 mins)
Draft your formal Digital Tech Logbook entry for Lesson 5. Apply exact programming vocabulary (e.g., condition, if-then-else, true, false, branch, boundary) to explain your code decisions.
🏫 Kaiako Planning & Pedagogy Notes
Year 7 Curriculum Alignment: Conditional logic with if-then-else (NZC Technology; Te Mātaiaho Phase 3) — Lesson 4's stored variables become the conditions scripts test.