Scratch Creative Computing Guide
About this lesson
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Year band: 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
Curriculum LinksCurriculum Links
Years 3–4
Define simple problems, and describe and follow a sequence of steps and decisions (algorithms) needed to solve them (ACTDIP010)
Explain how student solutions and existing information systems meet common personal, school or community needs (ACTDIP012)
Plan, create and communicate ideas and information independently and with others, applying agreed ethical and social protocols (ACTDIP013)
Years 5–6
Design a user interface for a digital system (ACTDIP018)
Design, modify and follow simple algorithms involving sequences of steps, branching, and iteration (repetition) (ACTDIP019)
Explain how student solutions and existing information systems are sustainable and meet current and future local community needs (ACTDIP021)
Plan, create and communicate ideas and information, including collaboratively online, applying agreed ethical, social and technical protocols (ACTDIP022)
Years 7–8
Define and decompose real-world problems taking into account functional requirements and economic, environmental, social, technical and usability constraints (ACTDIP027)
Design the user experience of a digital system, generating, evaluating and communicating alternative designs (ACTDIP028)
Design algorithms represented diagrammatically and in English, and trace algorithms to predict output for a given input and to identify errors (ACTDIP029)
Implement and modify programs with user interfaces involving branching, iteration and functions in a general-purpose programming language (ACTDIP030)
Evaluate how student solutions and existing information systems meet needs, are innovative, and take account of future risks and sustainability (ACTDIP031)
Plan and manage projects that create and communicate ideas and information collaboratively online, taking safety and social contexts into account (ACTDIP032)
Learning sequence
Description
Assessment of programming projects often relies on the final product – the code and the functioning of the program. Student processes that underpin the design and development of the program are often neglected.
Activities and templates within this computing guide support students to make their learning journey visible. Students are guided through the process of self- and peer-assessment and programming project evaluations. In addition to the unit themes and learning activities, the guide includes a number of templates and activity outlines requiring students to document goals, processes and reflections, perform peer feedback, design and evaluate team projects, etc. The design, reflection and evaluation templates can be adapted to suit a range of year levels.
These activities and templates can be selected and used by teachers to support formative, or summative assessment in the classroom.
Example Templates
- Design journal: Students document their processes and reflections in a hardcopy or digital journal. The journal can be used to support formative assessment, and can be submitted with their final project to support summative assessment.
- Debug it challenges: Test students’ understanding of blocks, code literacy, debugging skills and computational thinking processes.
- Critique group: This template supports peer feedback activities.
- Activity design: Students document their design goals.
- Hackathon: Students document their teamwork project progress. They design implementation and evaluation processes. This unit can guide the development of a teamwork project that could form a summative assessment project.
ScratchED have released an editable version, allowing educators to download and customise documents as needed.
Guidance For Use
This computing guide can be used by teachers to support the design of visual programming learning activities. Teachers can implement or select from the learning activity units, or simply use the formative and summative assessment ideas and templates within the guide to support other visual programming activities (whether that be in Scratch MIT, or some other visual programming environment).