Remove Watermark Wondershare

PDFelement

UNIT 5
GAMES

YOU ARE HERE WHAT’S INCLUDED

SCROLLING GAMES
5 SCORE EXTENSIONS
INTERACTIONS
0 1 2 3 4 6 7 8
 Remove Watermark Wondershare
PDFelement

UNIT 5
OVERVIEW
THE
THE “BIG IDEA”IDEA”
“BIG
Personalization is an important guiding principle in the design of the creative computing experience. By “personalization”, we
mean both connecting to personal interests and acknowledging that personal interests can vary considerably. There are many
ways of knowing and doing – and exploring these multiple ways can help support interest, motivation, and persistence among
young learners. In this unit, learners explore some of the advanced concepts and challenging problems associated with game
design. An advanced concept or challenging problem can be made more accessible if rooted in activities that are personally
meaningful. As an example of the power of context, we turn to a story shared by Mitch Resnick – the director of the Scratch
project at MIT.
A few years ago I was at one of our Computer Clubhouse after
school centers and I saw a 13-year-old boy working on creating his
own game. He was able to control a character, in this case, a fish. He
wanted the game to keep track of the score, so you could see how
many little fish had been eaten by the big fish, but he didn’t know
how.

I saw this as an opportunity to introduce the idea of variables. I

showed this to him and he immediately saw how he could use this
block to keep track of how many fish had been eaten in his game. He
took the block and put it in the script right where the big fish eats
the little fish. He quickly tried it. Sure enough, every time the big
fish ate a little fish, the score goes up by 1.

I think that he really got a deep understanding of variables because

he really wanted to make use of it. That's one of our overall goals of
Scratch. It's not just about variables, but for all types of concepts. We
see that kids get a much deeper understanding of the concepts they
learn when they are making use of the concepts in a meaningful KEY WORDS, CONCEPTS, & PRACTICES
and motivating way.
+ abstracting and modularizing + sensing
+ conditionals + feedback fair
LEARNING OBJECTIVES + operators + arcade day
Students will: + data + puzzle jar
+ variables and lists + brain dump
+ be introduced to the computational concepts of
conditionals, operators, and data (variables and lists)
NOTES
+ become more familiar with the computational practices of
experimenting and iterating, testing and debugging, reusing + Many new concepts are explored in this unit, so we’ve
and remixing, and abstracting and modularizing by building included added support in the form of example project
and extending a self-directed maze, pong, or scrolling game studios, new programming puzzles for extra practice, and
project starter game projects that we encourage you to remix
+ identify and understand common game mechanics and reuse as needed.
 Remove Watermark Wondershare
PDFelement

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

In this unit, learners will become game designers and

experience creating their own game project. Guided by the
activities in this unit, students will be introduced to game
mechanics and game development while building
understandings of computational concepts (conditionals,
operators, data) and computational practices (abstracting
and modularizing).

You could get students started on their game projects with

the Starter Games activity and then support further
development through other activities. From learning
common game mechanics such as keeping score and
side-scrolling, to the creation of multiplayer games
(e.g., Pong), Unit 4 activities offer students multiple
opportunities to practice game development.

POSSIBLE PATH

SESSION 2 SESSION 3 SESSION 4 SESSION 5

SCORE INTERACTIONS DEBUG IT!

How can you add What are different Tackle nine Scratch Help!
score to a game ways of extending programming Can you debug
using variables? and increasing puzzles. these five Scratch
difficulty in a game? programs?
 Remove Watermark Wondershare
PDFelement

SCROLLING
HOW CAN YOU USE SCRATCH TO BUILD AN
INTERACTIVE GAME?

In this project, you will create a game. This game

includes interactions between sprites, score, and
levels. The game is similar to Flappy Bird, where
the goal is to keep an object from falling to the
ground or touching certain objects.

START HERE
❑ Create two sprites: one for the player to control Controls sprite movement

(helicopter) and one to avoid (gliding bars).

❑ Make the helicopter interactive.
❑ Bring your game to life by adding scripts to
make the gliding bars scroll across the stage!

THINGS TO TRY
This creates clones, which are used in the
Causes sprite to constantly fall downward
script below to make the bars scroll across
❑ How do you add difficulty to your game? the screen:
Creating different levels, using a timer, or
keeping score are a few examples of things
you could do.
❑ Experiment with changing the look of your
game by editing the backdrops!
❑ Explore using different key presses to control
your sprites!
Specifies when the game ends

FINISHED?
BLOCKS TO PLAY WITH FINISHED?

+ Add your project to the

Games Studio:
http://scratch.mit.edu/studios
/487504
+ Swap games with a partner
and walk each other
through your creations.
 Remove Watermark Wondershare
PDFelement

UNIT 4 ACTIVITY
SCORE OBJECTIVES
By completing this activity, students will:
+ be able to describe what a variable is and why
variables are useful
SUGGESTED TIME
+ be introduced to the computational concept of
30–45 MINUTES data
+ experience remixing and reusing a project or part
of a project

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION RESOURCES

❑ Optionally, explore the Fish Chomp starter project as a ❑ Score handout

group and have the Score handout available to guide ❑ Score examples studio
students. http://scratch.mit.edu/studios/218313
❑ Fish Chomp starter project
❑ Help students open the Fish Chomp starter project.
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/10859244
Give students time to explore variables by remixing
❑ Fish Chomp remix studio
the Fish Chomp Starter Project to add score to the
http://scratch.mit.edu/studios/475615
game. Optionally, give students time to incorporate
score into their previously started maze, pong, or
scrolling game projects. REFLECTION PROMPTS
❑ Allow students to share their Fish Chomp remixes or
game projects with added score. We suggest the + How would you explain variables to someone else?
Design Demo activity: invite a few students to present + What are variables good for?
their projects to the group and demonstrate how they
implemented score using variables. Optionally, have REVIEWING STUDENT WORK
students add their remixes to the Fish Chomp Remix
studio or a class studio.
+ Can students explain what a variable is and what
❑ Ask students to think back on the design process by variables are good for?
responding to the reflection prompts in their design
journals or in a group discussion.

NOTES NOTES TO SELF

+ Encourage students to clarify their understanding of ❑ _______________________

variables by exploring code from sample projects in
the Score examples studio. ❑ _______________________
+ Variables are an important mathematical and
computational concept. Students are taught about ❑ _______________________
variables in their math and science classes, but many ❑ _______________________
students have a difficult time learning them. Games
are one way to make the usefulness of variables more
concrete.
 Remove Watermark Wondershare
PDFelement

SCORE
HOW CAN YOU KEEP SCORE IN A
SCRATCH PROJECT?

Fish Chomp is a game where players try

to catch as many fish as they can by
guiding a sprite with the mouse. In this
activity, you will remix Fish Chomp by
adding a score with variables.

START HERE
❑ Go to the Fish Chomp project page:
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/10859244
❑ Click on the Make a Variable button in the Data
category to create and name a variable for
score.
❑ Experiment with your new variable blocks to
incorporate score into your project!

E E L I N G
F
U C K ?
ST E THIN
GS…
THES
THAT ’S OKAY! TRY FINISHED?

+ Add your project to the Fish Chomp

❑ Not sure how to work with variables? Check out this project for Remix studio:
more information: http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/2042755 http://scratch.mit.edu/studios/475615
❑ Or take a look at this video: http://youtu.be/uXq379XkhVw + Challenge yourself to do more! How can
❑ Explore and study code in games that use score to learn more you use score to add difficulty to your
about creating variables and incorporating score into a project. game design?
+ Find a game you are inspired by and
remix it!
 Remove Watermark Wondershare
PDFelement

UNIT 4 ACTIVITY
INTERACTIONS OBJECTIVES
By completing this activity, students will:
+ explore different approaches to making projects
interactive by solving a series of nine
programming puzzles
+ gain more fluency in the concepts of conditionals,
operators, and data, and the practice of testing and
debugging

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION RESOURCES

❑ On their own or in small groups of 2-3 people, ❑ Interactions handout

challenge students to further explore Scratch by ❑ Interactions studio
creating Scratch programs that solve each of the nine http://scratch.mit.edu/studios/487213
Interactions programming puzzles. These Interactions
puzzles explore Sensing blocks, engaging some of the
more advanced concepts in Scratch related to
REFLECTION PROMPTS
interactivity. Optionally, have the Interactions handout
available to guide students during the activity. + Which puzzles did you work on?
+ What was your strategy for solving the puzzles?
❑ Each puzzle can have several possible solutions. Invite
+ Which puzzles helped you think about your game
students or groups to share different solutions and
project?
strategies. We suggest the Pair-Share or Design Demo
activity to allow students to share their work and
describe their process. Optionally, have students add REVIEWING STUDENT WORK
their projects to the Interactions studio or a class
studio.
+ Are the puzzles solved?
❑ Ask students to think back on the challenge by + Did students explore other approaches for solving
responding to the reflection prompts in their design the puzzles?
journals or in a group discussion. + Are there certain blocks or concepts students are
still struggling with? How might you help?

NOTES NOTES TO SELF

+ Choose particular challenges that highlight new blocks ❑ _______________________

or concepts that you would like students to explore. Or
let students invent their own interaction puzzle ❑ _______________________
prompts.
+ Repurpose these puzzles as an unstructured activity for ❑ _______________________
students who finish other activities early or as a ❑ _______________________
warm-up challenge. Create a puzzle jar: print out, cut,
fold, and place copies of each puzzle description in a
jar. Then, let students pick puzzles from the jar to
solve.
 Remove Watermark Wondershare
PDFelement

INTERACTIONS ❑ PUZZLE 1: Whenever you press the B key, the sprite gets a little
bigger. Whenever you press the S key, the sprite gets a little smaller.

WHAT DIFFERENTIATES A SCRATCH ❑ PUZZLE 2: Whenever the sprite hears a loud sound, it changes color.
PROJECT FROM A STILL IMAGE OR A VIDEO?

Tackle these nine puzzles that engage some of ❑ PUZZLE 3: Whenever the sprite is in the top 25% of the screen, it
the more advanced concepts in Scratch related to says "I like it up here."
interactivity. Each of these challenges has several
possible solutions.
❑ PUZZLE 4: When the sprite touches something blue, it plays a high
note. When it touches something red, it plays a low note.

START HERE ❑ PUZZLE 5: Whenever two sprites collide, one of them says: "Excuse
me.”
❑ Create a Scratch program for each of the nine
interactivity puzzles.
❑ PUZZLE 6: Whenever the cat sprite gets near the dog sprite, the dog
turns and runs from the cat.

❑ PUZZLE 7: Whenever you click on the background, a flower appears

at that spot.

❑ PUZZLE 8: Whenever you click on a sprite, all other sprites do a

dance.

E L I N G
FE
❑ PUZZLE 9: Whenever you move the mouse-pointer, the sprite follows
but doesn't touch the mouse-pointer.

U C K ?
ST E THIN
GS…
HES
O KAY ! TRY T FINISHED?
THAT’S

❑ Before getting started in Scratch, write down ideas in + Add each of the projects you create to the Interaction
your design journal for possible ways of programming Studio: http://scratch.mit.edu/studios/487213
each of the interactivity puzzles. + Help a neighbor!
❑ Work with a neighbor. Collaborating with a partner can + Discuss your strategies for approaching each puzzle with
be a great way to solve problems and gain new a partner. Take notes about the similarities and
perspectives on ways of programming in Scratch! differences in your methods.