Coding with Scratch Jr.
Introduce young learners to block-based coding by animating a simple story using Scratch Jr.
Learning objectives
- Understand that a program is a sequence of instructions
- Use block-based coding to make a character move and speak
- Identify start, action, and end blocks in a simple program
- Debug a simple program by finding and fixing an error
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Introduce Scratch Jr.
Open Scratch Jr. on the projector. Show students the main screen: the stage (where characters live), the blocks panel, and the programming area. Explain that blocks are instructions.
- 2
Make a character move
Drag a green Start flag block, then a Move Right block, into the programming area. Tap the flag and watch the character move. Ask: What happened? What block made it move?
- 3
Add more blocks
Students add a Jump block and a Say block to their program. They type a simple word or phrase for the character to say. Run the program and observe the sequence.
- 4
Create a mini story
Students choose a character and background, then build a short 5–8 block program that tells a simple story (e.g., a cat walks across the screen and says hello). Allow 10 minutes.
- 5
Share and debug
Pairs share their programs with another pair. If something doesn't work as expected, guide students to find the block that caused the problem — this is debugging! Celebrate fixes.
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