LESSON OUTCOMES

At the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:

1. Define what Scratch is, and what it can do.

2. Recognize the core principles behind Scratch.
3. Recall facts about the development of the
4. Scratch programming language.
5. Be introduced to the Scratch Editor interface.

LESSON OUTLINE
1. What Is Scratch?
A. Core Principles of Scratch
B. A Short History of Scratch
2. Meet Scratch
A. The Scratch Editor
B. Parts of the Editor Interface
a. Stage
b. Sprite List
c. Blocks Palette
d. Scripts Area
e. Toolbar
3. Scratch Sprites and Sounds
LESSON OUTPUT
Scratch Your Head on This: Each student will write a
paper answering the questions in the Connect section.
WHAT IS SCRATCH?

Scratch is a visual programming language that uses

graphical elements called “blocks” to form commands in
place of writing lines of code.
Scratch from “scratching,”

a technique from the music genres of hip-

hop and club music which requires a DJ moving a
vinyl record on a turntable to produce scratching
sound effects in sync with another music track,
creating a “remix.”
http://scratch.mit.edu
supports Scratch users at every stage of learning process
 CORE PRINCIPLES OF SCRATCH

CREATIVE FREEDOM

Like other kinds of Free, Open-Source Software or FOSS, the

Scratch programming language encourages its users to share,
reuse and combine code in new and interesting ways.
DESIGN PRINCIPLES

The development and growth of Scratch are also guided by three main design
principles.

More thinkable. Scratch has the same look and feel as Lego bricks when children
attempt to tinker and construct structures out of the bricks. Scratch uses graphical
“Programming blocks” to create a program.

More Meaningful. Real-life activities are the most successful tools in learning which is why
Scratch supports different themes for stories, games, animations, and simulations which can be
customized in projects.

More Social. Collaboration/sharing is embedded in the Scratch user interface which

allows members to support one another, collaborate with each other, and critique
each other’s work.
A SHORT HISTORY OF SCRATCH

LOGO
- 1967
- Daniel G. Bobrow, Wally Feurzeig, Seymour Papert,
and Cynthia Solomon
- led to the development of “turtle-graphics” concepts
A SHORT HISTORY OF SCRATCH

2003
MIT Media Lab’s Lifelong Kindergarten Group led by
Mitchel Resnick introduced the first version of Scratch to the
world.

Main versions:
- desktop-only version - released in 2003,
- Scratch 2.0 - May 9, 2013, introduced the browser-
based, online editor aside from the one installed
locally.
MEET SCRATCH
Two versions:
- a browser-based version and
- one that installs locally on a computer.

Scratch projects are saved in the .SB2 file format.

The Scratch online editor on Google Chrome
The Scratch offline editor
The installer for the editor can be downloaded at the Scratch community
sit and has the following system requirements:

• Windows, Mac OS or 32-bit Linux operating systems.

• Adobe Air version 2.6+. (This installs automatically when you
install Scratch on a Windows machine; Mac users need to
download the installer separately.)
• Over 23 MB of free hard drive space.
The Scratch editor has five main areas:

 Stage
 Toolbar
 Blocks Palette
 Sprite List,
 Scripts Tab.
STAGE

At the upper left side of the editor’s

workspace is the Stage. This is where
sprites (which is what Scratch calls
objects or assets) are drawn or placed
when these are used in a project; the
Stage is also where the sprites
interact.
The Scratch Editor’s Stage is laid out like a grid;
it is 480 pixels wide by 360 pixels tall.
• Presentation Mode icon - switches the editor
into full-screen mode
• Start (Green Flag) – run program
• Stop button - end program.
SPRITE LIST

1. The sprite thumbnails display the sprites that have been inserted into the Stage,
with active sprites having thumbnails with a blue outline. In the example, there is only
one sprite, so it is set as the active one.
SPRITE LIST

2. The Sprite Library has several pre-installed sprites that come with Scratch.
3. The Paint New Sprite button allows the creation of a new sprite by using basic drawing
tools similar those found in MS Paint.
SPRITE LIST

4. On the other hand, if you have drawn a sprite or downloaded one from the Internet,
these can be imported into a project with the Upload Sprite from file button.
5. You can even import a picture of yourself and use it as a sprite by using the New Sprite
from Camera button.
SPRITE LIST

6. The Stage Background thumbnail shows how your Stage looks without any sprites on it.
By default, it only has a white background.
7. The New Backdrop buttons allow the backdrop to be customized with either an uploaded
picture or a drawn image.
BLOCKS PALETTE

The middle part of the Scratch workspace is made up of the

Blocks Palette. It has three tabs on top:

Scripts,
Costumes and
Sounds.
Each block belongs to one of ten categories:
nine preset categories
and a tenth, custom-created block category.
Each block is assigned a color to avoid
confusion. There are several blocks ready for
use once each category is clicked on; just drag
and drop these to the Scripts
Area right beside the Blocks Palette to add
them to the project.
A sprite costume is simply a
variation of the original
one. The first sprite in the series
does not always have to serve as
the “original”.
1. The name of the sprite or sprites can be edited using the Edit Box here.
2. Click on the X button to delete a particular sprite.
3. The blue border indicates the sprite that is presently active.
4. The second sprite is the costume for the original sprite. If you want this to be the
“original,” or first sprite, click on it to make it active.
5. These are the costume tools buttons.
6. Click and drag the costumes to change their sequence in the series.
1. This thumbnail represents the sound clip currently open in the Editor. In
this example, the Wolf Howl clip lasts for 3.90 seconds.
2. These buttons let you work with other sound files in the Scratch editor.
The Speaker icon opens the Sound Library window. Scratch can onlyuse MP3 and WAV
sound files.
3. These buttons play, stop playback and record a loaded sound file.
4. This is the waveform, or a visual representation of the sound clip. Click anywhere in
the waveform to jump to a specific section of the sound clip.
5. Scratch has some preset effects that can be applied to a sound clip.
6. Finally, the name of the sound clip can be edited in this box.
SCRIPTS AREA

The space on the right side of the Scratch editor’s window is the
Scripts Area. This is where most of the coding in Scratch will be
done, by dragging and dropping in the blocks from the Scripts
Tab. The Scripts Area is relatively empty, except for the Zoom
In/Out controls in its lower right corner, and the sprite location
tracker in the upper right corner.
 TOOLBAR

Scratch Logo – Clicking the Scratch logo opens the Scratch homepage in
your browser.

Globe icon – This is the Language menu in Scratch, where the language that
the program uses can be selected. English is selected by default, but Scratch has
more than 50 languages available.
FILE MENU

New – Creates a new Scratch project.

Open – Opens an existing Scratch project.
Save – Saves any changes made to a Scratch project.
Save as – Saves a project under a new file name.
Record Project Video – Scratch can record a 60-second
video of a project, which it then exports as a Flash Video
(FLV) file.
Share to website – When a project is completed, click
here to upload it to the Scratch community site to share it
with other Scratch users.
Check for updates – For offline editor users, this option
makes sure that the latest version of the Scratch editor is
the one in the computer.
 SCRATCH SPRITES AND SOUNDS

SPRITE LIBRARY
The sprites that come with the Scratch editor can be accessed from the Sprite Library. The
Sprite library can be viewed by clicking on the Choose Sprite from Library icon from either
the Sprite list panel or the Costumes tab on the Blocks Palette.
Sound Library
Thank you