Baltimore County Public Schools Department of Digital Learning

Office of Instructional Technology & Library Information Services: Scratch Project Guide Culminating Project
July 2013 Page 1 of 4
Scratch Project Guide: Culminating Project























Preparation:
Prepare your students for group work:
o Assign students to project development teams (preferably three or four per team).
o Set goals, expected team roles, and parameters .
o Suggest work plan/stages, identify key components/tasks of the project, make it simple for
students to determine who does what.
o Provide a template or checklist for the team agreement.
o Establish checkpoints.
Create a specific content checklist for students in each team to follow based on their chosen content.
Edit the Project_Rubric.docx to meet your own needs

Materials:
What Most Schools Dont Teach
BrainPOP: Digital Animation
Computers with speakers and microphones
Projects on Scratch website: Animation, Game, Interactive Diagram, Song
Simulation.sb
PackagePlanning.docx
ExamplePackagePlanning.docx
Game_Design_Planning.docx
Program_Timeline_Template.pptx
Storyboard.docx
Baltimore County Public Schools Licensed Digital Content
Team_Checklist.docx
Project_Rubric.docx

Objective: Students will demonstrate their knowledge of Scratch by collaborating with their peers to design
and program an instructional package.

Performance Task: Your principal is really impressed with all of the Scratch projects you have created. He
has asked you and your classmates to design some instructional programs that other students at your school can
use to learn about various topics. But it cant just be a simple slideshow. He wants your package to include
multiple ways of delivering the content and . And maybe even a way for learning to be assessed! Its up to
you and your team to design and program the pieces of this instructional package. You will have to use your
extensive knowledge of Scratch, your understanding of the design process, and your ability to collaborate with
others.

Suggested Activities:
Activity
Animation
Game
Interactive Diagram
Quiz
Simulation
Song

Comment [jaw1]: Found in the game design
project folder
Comment [jaw2]: Found in the Tell a Story
project folder
Baltimore County Public Schools Department of Digital Learning
Office of Instructional Technology & Library Information Services: Scratch Project Guide Culminating Project
July 2013 Page 2 of 4
Engage:
DISCUSS THIS: View the video What Most Schools Dont Teach. How did you feel about this video?
Did it change your feelings about programming in the real world? Was there anything in the video that
surprised you?

DISCUSS THIS: Review the movie BrainPOP: Digital Animation. Take a look at the related features
that are found at the end of every BrainPOP movie. You can see a screen shot below. How do they increase
your understanding of movie?

TRY THIS: Each member of your group should choose one related feature to explore further. Use the
outline below to guide your explorations and record your observations in your journal. When you have
finished, come back together to jigsaw share what each of you learned.

Name of feature:
Description of feature:
How does this feature help extend the audiences knowledge of the content in the video?
What Scratch blocks would the programmers of BrainPOP have used to build a script for this feature?

DISCUSS THIS: With your group, view the sample programs below:
1. Animation
2. Game
3. Interactive Diagram
4. Simulation.sb
5. Song

What do all of these examples have in common?
What is unique about each one?
Why do you think it is helpful to deliver the content in multiple formats?

Comment [S3]: Bold instead of italics?
Baltimore County Public Schools Department of Digital Learning
Office of Instructional Technology & Library Information Services: Scratch Project Guide Culminating Project
July 2013 Page 3 of 4

Summative Assessment:

Performance Task: Your principal is really impressed with all of the Scratch projects you have created. He
has asked you and your classmates to design some instructional programs that other students at your school can
use to learn about various topics. But it cant just be a simple slideshow. He wants your package to include
multiple ways of delivering the content a. And maybe even a way for learning to be assessed! Its up to you
and your team to design and program the features of this instructional package. You will have to use your
extensive knowledge of Scratch, your understanding of the design process, and your ability to collaborate with
others.

Imagine: Project Planning

First, you must work with your project design team to decide on the content that you will be covering in your
project package as well as the different delivery formats you will use to teach your audience. Together, use the
PackagePlanning.docx to select a topic and four delivery formats for your content. You can view
ExamplePackagePlanning.docx to see one that has been filled in.

Once you have worked together to determine your content and delivery, each of you should begin planning and
sketching out your part of the package. Use any templates or planning resources that you are comfortable with.
You may choose from the ones listed below or make your own.
Game_Design_Planning.docx
Program_Timeline_Template.pptx
Storyboard.docx

As you plan your feature, think about:
Which sprites are needed? What are possible costume changes? Do you need to draw your own?
What backgrounds are needed and what are possible background changes?
Which blocks will you be using? Start sketching out the scripts for each of your sprites.
Draw out the scripts in the sequence you want them run. Note if scripts are running parallel to one
another.
What sounds might you need to record or import?
How is your feature going to enhance someones understanding of the content?
How is your feature going to be different than ones your team members are designing?

Share your planning sketches and ideas with your team members to get their feedback. Remember that the final
product must be a cohesive package.

Create: Research and Program

Go to the Baltimore County Public Schools Licensed Digital Content Wweb site to research your content. Take
notes in your journal to ensure that the facts you use in your program are correct. Collaborate with your team
by sharing resources and information.

Use Scratch to script your project.

Baltimore County Public Schools Department of Digital Learning
Office of Instructional Technology & Library Information Services: Scratch Project Guide Culminating Project
July 2013 Page 4 of 4
Debug
Test your program and adjust for the following:
The user can easily understand how to use the program.
Your program begins and ends as expected.
Program operation works smoothly.
Sprites and the Stage act as expected.
Sounds match the movement and backgrounds.
Recorded sounds are easy to understand.
After the program is over, the user can play it again if desired.

Share

Show your program to your team members for feedback. Use Team_Checklist.docx and Project_Rubric.docx
to guide you.


Reflect
Write a written reflection of your teams final product and your own contribution to it. Be sure to include:
A description of how your team decided to solve the performance task.
How your selected feature contributes to the overall quality of your teams finished package.
How your program demonstrates your understanding of everything you have learned in Scratch.
What you like best about your program and why.
What you wish you could improve if you had more time.
What problems you ran into along the way and how you solved them.