Year 6 Programming with Scratch (Teacher notes)
Progression of skills in this pack
1. Program inputs, selection, loops and random variables (operators) for unpredictability. (Scratch Skiing Activity 1 and Scratch Space Activity 2)
2. Program inputs, selection (conditions), sensing, random variables, operators for direction and data variables for scoring. (Scratch Tennis Activity 3)
3. Use inputs, selection (conditions), loops, sensing, costume changes and broadcasts. (Scratch Paint Activity 4)
4. Work with multiple sprites to send broadcast messages between them. (Scratch Phone Simulator Activity 5)
📝 National Curriculum Content
Design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals; solve problems by decomposing them into smaller parts.
Use sequence, selection, and repetition in programs; work with variables and various forms of input and output.
Use logical reasoning to explain how some simple algorithms work and to detect and correct errors in algorithms and programs.
⏱ 7-9 hours
👨🏫 Teacher Input
The free online Scratch editor is one of the most popular platforms in education to teach programming. If your pupils have completed all of the activity packs from our years 3-5 Scratch packs then they should have the independence to work through the three packs below, using the video tutorials to build their skills.
🛠 What will pupils and teachers need?
Access to the Scratch website.
The Scratch Pupil Activity Packs (details below).
The Scratch Tips and Tricks posters plus display below provide excellent prompts for the pupils.
Differentiation
Each pupil activity below is similar in terms of difficulty but each has additional challenges. Less able pupils should focus on activity 1 as that covers many of the skills whereas the more able could start with activity 2, which is similar but a little more complex. Activity 5 (phone simulator) is less challenging in terms of coding but it includes lots of independent elements for pupils to build their own phone simulator using different sprites. More able pupils could use the Year 6 Graphic Design Pack to design the app icons for the sprites in this activity too. Pupils could also follow the tutorials to program different games using the Microsoft MakeCode Arcade.
✅ Assessment
You can also request a Scratch Teacher account here; the teacher account allows you to create pupil logins and then see the projects that the pupils create, helping with assessment. You can create pupil logins for each of your pupils or it may be easier to create one that all pupils share – if so pupils will need to name their project in order to differentiate it from each others.
Pupils will need to share their projects from their login (see image below) to enable teachers to see them on your teacher account.
The video below describes how to create individual or shared pupil logins, change the password, name and share projects and see the projects pupils create.
Use the downloadable assessment grid below to record what each pupil has achieved. Next to each objective we have put the Scratch pupil activity pack that the objective/skill is covered in.
📝 Unplugged Assessment Activities
Below is a downloadable and printable activity sheet/cards that can be used to assess pupil understanding of the vocabulary and application of the skills, either individually or as a group task/extension task. Also includes teacher answer sheet.
📝 Other resources
Below is a downloadable and printable activity sheet/cards that can be used to assess pupil understanding of the vocabulary and application of the skills, either individually or as a group task/extension task. There is also a Top 10 Tips and Tricks video that is worth showing to pupils once they have begun using Scratch.
Pupil Activity 1. Program inputs, selection (conditions), loops and random variables (operators) for unpredictability.
Pupil Activity Code: SKW4 – What is it?
Scratch Slalom Skiing Pupil Activity Pack
This covers many skills from the Year 4 and 5 Scratch packs but also introduces random variables for unpredictability:
– Keyboard inputs for control
– Conditions (selection) for interaction and game-play so that the sprite makes choices.
– Random variables (operators) for unpredictability.
– Use variables and loops for a game timer.
Pupil Activity 2. Program inputs, selection (conditions), loops and random variables (operators) for unpredictability.
Pupil Activity Code: SP4W – What is it?
Scratch Space Invaders Pupil Activity Pack
This is similar to activity 1 but a little more complex for more able pupils. Pupils can learn to program a space invaders style game using:
– Keyboard inputs for control
– Conditions (selection) for interaction and game-play so that the sprite makes choices.
– Random variables (operators) for unpredictability.
Pupils can also adapt the game into a Dodgeball-style game using the skills from this activity.
Pupil Activity 3. Program inputs, selection (conditions), sensing, random variables, operators for direction and data variables for scoring.
Scratch Tennis Pupil Activity Pack
Pupil Activity Code: 541A – What is it?
Pupils can learn to program a tennis-style game in Scratch using:
– Keyboard inputs for control
– Conditions (selection) for interaction and game-play, including sensing.
– Random variables for unpredictability, including operators for direction.
– Use data variables for scoring.
Pupil Activity 4. Use inputs, conditions (selection), loops, sensing, costume changes and broadcasts.
Pupil Activity Code: SQ4P – What is it?
Scratch Paint Pupil Activity Pack >
Pupils can learn to program a phone or tablet simulator using:
– Mouse inputs and loops.
– Pen commands and costume changes.
– Selection (Conditions) with sensing.
– Broadcast commands.
Pupil Activity 5. Work with multiple sprites to send broadcast messages between them.
Pupil Activity Code: SA4Q – What is it?
Scratch Phone/tablet Pupil Activity Pack >
Pupils can learn to program phone or tablet simulator using:
– Click or touch inputs
– Message commands
– Show and hide sprites
– Costume changes
The tutorials show how to program one app icon and app screen, which pupils can then develop further independently.
Can be linked with the Year 6 Graphic Design Pack to design the app icons for the sprites.