Making a Conversation
Year Four
Unit Overview
This unit re-visits Scratch, and the world of programming. It gives children the opportunity to use programming blocks that they are yet to experience.
This unit is based on Phil Bagge’s ‘Conversation’ - http://www.code-it.co.uk/scratch/scratchconversation.html
Children will cover:
Decomposition as a way of analysing how a programme works.
How to create simple programming blocks that link input to output.
Making decisions in programming.
Using a variety of inputs to control different outputs.
Planning, testing and refining algorithms.
Expectations
Curriculum Links
Prior Skills
Children will be able to create programming blocks for
two sprites that work in sync with each other so that two
sprites can conduct a conversation.
This is a band new unit to BWJS. Links could be made to
any curriculum area that involves people who could
conceivably have a conversation – you could link it to
more or less anything.
Children will have some pre-existing knowledge of how
Scratch works. They will be used to adding sprites and
backgrounds, and how to create some blocks of
programming.
Software Used
-
BWJS Computing Planning - Year Four – Making a Conversation
Jon Senior for Bishop’s Waltham Junior School, 2014
Adapted from ‘Scratch Conversation’ by Phil Bagge – (code-it.co.uk)
Scratch.
Making a Conversation
Year Four
Assessment Strands Relevant to this Unit
Programming & Gaming
Bronze
Understand that elements in a game or simulation can be
controlled.
Control a device or on screen character using simple
commands.
Programme a sequence of commands for a device or
screen character.
BWJS Computing Planning - Year Four – Making a Conversation
Jon Senior for Bishop’s Waltham Junior School, 2014
Adapted from ‘Scratch Conversation’ by Phil Bagge – (code-it.co.uk)
Silver
Programme a series of commands to achieve a specific
outcome.
Adapt commands to change the eventual outcome.
Programme complementary sequences of commands to
control more than one thing.
Use repetition in a programme.
Use selection in a programme (if/else).
Gold
Use variables in a programme.
Test and refine a series of commands.
Evaluate commands and make changes where necessary.
Making a Conversation
Year Four
1
Learning Objectives
- To understand what
an algorithm is.
- To decompose a
simple programme.
- To edit an image file
within Scratch.
- To sequence a
monologue.
Key Skills
- Insert a
background into a
Scratch project.
- Insert a photo into
a Scratch
programme as a
Sprite.
- Change the size of
a sprite.
- Edit an image file
within Scratch.
- Create a ‘looks’
programme block.
Concepts
- To know what an
algorithm is, and how to
put one together.
- To know that a
programme can be
broken into smaller
steps.
Lesson Content
Remind children of the word ‘algorithm’ and what it means. Explain that, over
the course of this unit, we are going to programme some algorithms that create
some simple speech-base animations.
Show the first example Scratch file of the unit. What are the elements we will
need to consider when creating a project like this (remind children that this
process of breaking down a project is called decomposition). Children should
identify: the background image, the character image, and the blocks of speech.
Children to open Scratch and import a background from the gallery supplied.
Children to then import a photograph of themselves (the traditional photos taken
at the beginning of the year will work for this – they will need to be accessible
through Student Resources). Shrink the sprite so the child’s head does not fill the
stage entirely! In order to make the photo merge with the background, you will
need to edit the sprite image to remove the existing background. Show children
how to rub out bits of background until only the head is left. (Don’t be too
perfectionist about this – this is only a quick introductory session!)
Show children how to create a programming block which makes their character
appear to speak. Show children how the speech, and the timing of the speech
can be adjusted. Then show children how to build up the blocks of speech so
your sprite can say a number of things in a sequence.
Children to build up their own sequence so that their character ‘says’ some facts
about themselves.
At this point, you may want to add a lesson to integrate this unit with another area of your curriculum. You are going to go on to create a conversation between two characters.
You may want those characters to be based on a topic you are doing. If so, you might want to spend some time finding or drawing characters that will be appropriate to that topic
– you might choose to draw and/or edit these characters within Scratch, or you may choose to import work created in a programme such as Paint. If this unit is taught as
standalone Computing, you can jump straight to the next lesson and use existing sprites from the Scratch gallery.
BWJS Computing Planning - Year Four – Making a Conversation
Jon Senior for Bishop’s Waltham Junior School, 2014
Adapted from ‘Scratch Conversation’ by Phil Bagge – (code-it.co.uk)
2
-
To make a
conversation between
two characters.
-
-
Insert more than
one sprite.
Create a separate
programming block
for each sprite.
Test and debug
your project.
-
-
To understand that, in a
game or animation, each
item or sprite will require
separate programming.
To understand the need
for testing and
debugging.
Open Scratch and show the second example project. What is different about this
example? Children should realise there are two separate sprites, and that each
sprite will need its own programme.
Show the programming that makes the example project work. Look at the
differences between the two programming blocks. What is the secret to success
here? (It’s timing – you need to make sure that the duration of each speech
block and the pauses between them are in sync with each other so that the
characters don’t appear to be speaking over each other).
Children to add two sprites to a project and create their own conversations.
Depending on time, and what you’re doing with this unit, there are many ways you might want to continue. You might want to allow children time to develop their conversations
further, or experiment with other programming ideas. You may want to create a second conversation which follows on from the first (or is in a new context with new characters).
There are no new skills which need to be learned here, but plenty of scope for reinforcing the skills already learned in the previous lessons.
BWJS Computing Planning - Year Four – Making a Conversation
Jon Senior for Bishop’s Waltham Junior School, 2014
Adapted from ‘Scratch Conversation’ by Phil Bagge – (code-it.co.uk)