Unit 4.2

Digit dash

In this unit, students will design a game to apply their understanding of multiplication as a form of comparison. They will select sprites connected through a central theme and incorporate user input to control the motion of their main sprite, which will collect items to increase a score. Students will then personalize their game, adding variety and complexity to the behaviors of their items.

school
Grade 4
local_library
Subject Math
schedule
Length of unit 5 hours

Overview documents

1

Selecting sprites

Students are introduced to programming in Scratch. They investigate an existing program where they modify the values within different commands. They then select their character sprites.

2

Make it move

Students investigate how motion commands move sprites on the Stage. They then use conditionals and sensing commands to move their sprite in response to user input.

3

Here come the clones

Students are introduced to cloning as a way to program multiple copies of a single sprite. They then create a program to create a set number of clones before returning to their game to clone their own items

4

Collect your items

Students examine interactions between sprites. They are introduced to variables as a way to track a value in a program. Finally, students modify their program so the score increases when an item is collected.

5

Add variety

Students discuss ways to make a game more challenging. They modify their program so certain sprites have a larger points value and are more difficult to collect.

6

Arithmetic arcade

Students add instructions for their game before sharing their work with a peer. They then showcase their game and provide feedback to one another.