Intro to Scratch & Monster Creation

💭 Think About...

1. What are some of your favorite animated monsters or creatures from movies, TV shows, or video games? What makes them interesting or unique?
2. If you could create any kind of monster, what special abilities or features would it have? How would it move or interact with its environment?
3. Have you ever used a computer program to create art, animation, or games before? What was that experience like?
4. When you hear the word "code" or "programming," what comes to mind? How do you think code is used to create digital monsters or characters?
5. What do you hope to learn or create during today's lesson about Scratch and monster creation?

🔨 Your Project

  1. Open Scratch and start a new project by clicking "Create" in the top left corner.
  2. To add your monster sprite, click the "Choose a Sprite" button in the bottom right corner. You can choose a pre-made sprite from the library, draw your own, or upload an image file.
  3. Give your monster a name by clicking the blue "i" button above the stage and typing in the "Sprite name" field.
  4. Next, click the "Costumes" tab to customize your monster's appearance. Use the paint editor tools to change colors, add features, or draw entirely new costumes. Remember to give each costume a descriptive name!
  5. Now it's time to bring your monster to life with code! Click the "Code" tab and look at the different categories of color-coded blocks.
  6. To make your monster move, find the "Motion" category and drag out blocks like "move 10 steps" or "turn 15 degrees." Snap them together in the scripting area and click on the stack to see what happens!
  7. Experiment with blocks from the "Looks" and "Sound" categories to change your monster's appearance or add sound effects.
  8. Finally, use blocks from the "Events" category to make your code start when you click the green flag or press certain keys.
  9. As you work, feel free to ask for help if you get stuck or have questions. Don't be afraid to try new things and see what happens!
  10. When you're finished coding, click the green flag above the stage to watch your monster come to life! Share your creation with the class and explain how you used code to make it work.