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Scratch Programming and Problem Solving - Introduction To Scratch - Tessellations

Scratch Programming and Problem Solving- Introduction to Scratch ­- Tessellations

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112 views

Scratch Programming and Problem Solving - Introduction To Scratch - Tessellations

Scratch Programming and Problem Solving- Introduction to Scratch ­- Tessellations

Uploaded by

Helder Durao
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Drexel-SDP GK-12 ACTIVITY

Science
ScratchProgrammingandProblemSolving
IntroductiontoScratchTessellations

GradeLevel _6_ (_5_-_8_)


Lesson#2
LessonDependency Lessons in the Scratch group
TimeRequired:2Hours
Summary
Inthislesson,webuildonthefirstlessonbyintroducingvariables,andthenusingthemotionand
shapesideatodrawtessellationsonthescreen.Studentswillexperimentwithanglesandseethatnot
allshapescanformtessellations.Studentswillexperimentallydeterminewhatdictatesthatashapecan
formatessellation,andthencreateagenericprogramtodrawtessellationsgiventhedesirednumber
ofsides(ifpossible).

EngineeringConnection
Aknowledgeofsoftwareengineeringfacilitatesinthegeneralapproachtoproblemsolving.Thegoalis
toprovidestudentswiththeskillsneededtoidentifyprocessesappropriatetosolvingaparticular
problem.Oftenstudentshavetherequisitetechnicalskillstosolveaproblemlikedivision,buttheydo
nothavetheskillsrequiredtoidentifywhendivisionisappropriatetosolveaproblem.Rather,theywill
onlyusedivisionwhenitisexplicitlyaskedofthem.Computersareexceptionalproblemsolvingtools,
buttheyrequiretheusertodirectthemintheiraction.Scratch,asakidfriendlyprogramming
environment,allowsstudentstoexploreproblemsolvingandobtainimmediatefeedback.

Keywords
Scratch

Programming

SoftwareEngineering

ProblemSolving

Tessellations

Angles

Geometry

PAScienceEducationalStandards
3.1.7AExplainthepartsofasimplesystemandtheirrelationshiptoeachother.
3.1.7BDescribetheuseofmodelsasanapplicationofscientificortechnologicalconcepts.
3.2.7AExplainandapplyscientificandtechnologicalknowledge.
3.2.7CIdentifyandusetheelementsofscientificinquirytosolveproblems.

LearningObjectives
After this lesson, students should be able to:
CreatevariablesinScratch,andmanipulatethem.

UsethepentoolinScratch.

Modifyagiven(orcreated)Scratchprogramtodrawtessellationsusing3hexagons.

Determingtheinteriorangleformedbythesidesofthehexagonaswellastheadjacent
hexacons,studentsshouldfindwhatdetermineswhetherashapecanformatessellation,and
howmanyshapesarerequiredtodoso.

ModifythespecificTessellationScratchprogramtoagenericonethatusesavariableforthe
desirednumberofsides.

Introduction/Motivation
Lastweek,weexploredhowtomovetheScratchspritearoundthescreen.Weobservedthatwemade
aperfectsquarebymovingthespritefourtimesin90degreeangles(andthenmovingthesame
distance,ofcourse).Weevenmadealoopoutofthosesteps.Thisweek,wewillusethatlooptodraw
ahexagon.Howmanysidesdoesahexagonhave?Six.Thatseasy.Buthowmanydegreesshouldhe
turnthistime?Not90,weneeded90degreeturnswhentherewerefoursidestodraw.Letstudents
experimentwiththistodeterminethat60degreeturnsareneeded.ShowstudentsthePen
commandstoclear,putthependown,andsetpensizeandcolortodrawastheSpritemoves.These
stepsshouldgooutsideoftheloopandbeforetheprogrambegins,justliketheFacerightstepwehad
inlastweeksprogram.

Onceonehexagonisdrawn,wewouldliketodrawthreeadjacenthexagons.Thiswouldbea
tessellationonthehexagon!Wecandothisbyturninganddrawinganotherhexagon.Butagain,how
manydegreeswouldweturn?Againallowstudentstoexperimentandguesstodeterminethat,ifthree
turnsaremadeandwewishtomake360degreesofturn,120degreesmustbeturnedeachtime.The
resultingprogramlooksliketheonebelow.Wechangethepencolorbetweenhexagonsjusttomake
thingsinteresting.

Whilewerethinkingaboutit,noticethetwoloopsintheprogram.Thereisoneloopinsidetheother.
Whatdoeseachlooprepresent?Theouterlooprepresentsthenumberofshapestodraw,andthe
innerloopisthenumberofsidesineachfigure.Howmanytotallineswilltheprogramdraw?Itwill
drawtheproductoftheouterandinnerloopnumbers!Doesthismakesense?Well,ifyouwantedto
drawthreehexagons,howmanylineswouldyoudraw?Threehexagons,eachcontainingsixsides,so3
*6=18lines.

Now,howwouldyoumodifythisprogramtomakeatessellationonatriangleorasquare?Whatwould
theangleofturnbebetweeneachside,andwhatwouldbetheangleofturnbebetweeneachshape?
Hereinbothcasesitis90forasquare,andforatriangleitisa120degreeturnontheinside,anda60
degreeturnbetweentriangles(orviceversa).Seeifstudentscanderiveagenericformulathatforeach
sideintheshape(theinnerloop),oneturns360dividedbythenumberofsidesintheshape,andfor
eachshapeinthetessellation(theouterloop),oneturns360dividedbythenumberofshapesinthe
tessellation.Ifthesedivisionscantbedoneevenly(say,forapentagon),thefigurewillnottessellate
properly.

UsetheNumberstabtomanipulatevariablestotakeinthenumberofsides,computethenumberof
shapes,anddrawthem.Asaclass,addtheIFControlstatementtocheckwhetherornottheshape
couldbetessellatedaspertheGenericTessellationexample.

Materials
Enoughlaptopsforthestudents,groupsupto3areappropriate.

TheScratchsoftwareenvironment(seeReferencessection).

AlaptopandprojectorcombowithScratchforpresentingtothestudents.

References
http://scratch.mit.edu

Author
WilliamM.Mongan

Date
12/2/2007

Copyright
Copyright2007DrexelUniversityGK12Program.Reproductionpermissionisgrantedfornonprofit
educationaluse

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