Elementary Computing for ALL
ACT 1 Curriculum
This Act 1 Curriculum for 4th-grade students was developed under the Elementary Computing for All (ECforALL) Project to incorporate structured inquiry, linguistic scaffolds, collaborative learning, and exploration of diverse pioneers CS field to learn computer science with Scratch.
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Overview: This unit introduces the field of Computer Science and orients students to the Scratch programming environment. Students will learn about the study of computers and relate it to skills they will learn with the Scratch program. Components of the Scratch project will be introduced, such as color-coded-blocks, sprites, and backdrops. They will understand how the sprites and code interact through an unplugged activity. Students will then learn the Scratch platform by exploring the interface in a scavenger hunt activity and modifying an existing project.
Overview: When creating an algorithm, the order of the actions matters. In this module, students explore algorithms a sequence of actions to complete a task and sequence - the order of steps in a script. Students will start a sprite in the specific location using the go to x: y: block and move a sprite using the glide block. Students learn by modifying an existing project. Students will then plan the 3-step sequence for each letter of a name poem, then begin building their project in Scratch.
Overview: In event-based programming, scripts are triggered when specific events occur (e.g., a sprite is clicked or a key is pressed). In this unit, students learn to use a variety of events to trigger scripts that resize sprites or cause a sprite to do or say something. Students learn by modifying an existing project, then building their own project.
Overview: A loop can be used to animate a sprite by repeating a sequence of instructions. In this module, students will learn by playing Scratch Charades, to introduce the use of loops in block-based programming, then modify a project to animate a sprite by switching costumes or moving to the next costume along with repeated step movement. Finally, they will plan and build their own animated project. Wait blocks will be included to increase or decrease the speed of the animation.
Overview: In this unit, students will choose a country and create a cartoon with a sprite that shares information about the culture of the chosen country. Students will incorporate the CT concepts of sequence, events, and loops in order to meet the project's requirements.