UNIT 5

DIVING DEEPER

YOU ARE HERE WHAT’S INCLUDED

KNOW WANT LEARN
ROUND TWO

0 1 2 3 4
5 6
ADVANCED CONCEPTS
HARDWARE & EXTENSIONS
ACTIVITY DESIGN
MY DEBUG IT!
UNIT 5
OVERVIEW
THE
THE “BIG IDEA”IDEA”
“BIG
After the release of the previous version of the
guide, a common piece of feedback that we received
from teachers was that they (and the learners they
support) wanted more “catch-up” time, time to
linger, revisit, and extend the ideas and projects
they had created in previous units. In response, we
added this “Diving Deeper” unit.

Whether pushing ahead with advanced concepts

and practices or revisiting previous experiences, this
is an opportunity for learners to engage in a
moment of contemplation and reflection. What isn’t
as clear as it could be? What do they still want to
know about Scratch? How might others help them –
and how might they help others?

This is also an opportunity for you, as educator, to

engage in similar acts of contemplation and
reflection. What has surprised you? What has made
you uncomfortable? What would you want to do
differently next time? Why?

LEARNING OBJECTIVES KEY WORDS, CONCEPTS, & PRACTICES

Learners will: + video sensing
+ hardware
+ reflect on past experiences to self-assess current learning + cloning
+ extensions
goals and needs + peer interviews
+ create a self-remix by extending a previously started project
+ be introduced to various hardware extensions that connect NOTES
Scratch to the physical world
+ gain more fluency in computational concepts and practices + Not finding what you’re looking for? Feel free to remix,
by exploring the newest Scratch features (video sensing, reuse, and reimagine any of the activities in this guide to
cloning) make it work best for you and your learners.
+ experiment with designing learning experiences for others + Search for lesson plans, activities, and resources designed
for a specific curricular area on the ScratchEd website:
http://scratched.gse.harvard.edu
 CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

Rather than focusing on a particular theme or genre like

the three previous units, this unit is intended to create a
space for reviewing and reflecting on prior work. This unit’s
activities are especially flexible, diving deeper into creative
computing by revisiting challenges, extending skills, or
refining practices.

Begin by inviting students to review their past work and

engage in self-assessment of their learning goals in the
Know Want Learn activity.

Then, encourage students to dive deeper into Scratch by

choosing which follow-up activities to pursue.

POSSIBLE PATH

SESSION 1 SESSION 2 SESSION 3 SESSION 4 SESSION 5

KNOW ROUND TWO HARDWARE & ADVANCED ACTIVITY MY DEBUG IT!

WANT LEARN EXTENSIONS CONCEPTS DESIGN

What do you know? Remix a past project, Creating with Scratch Create a project Design a learning Create your own
What do you go back to a missed can go beyond what that explores experience for Debug It! program
want to know? activity, or challenge happens on the video sensing others to try. and see if others can
What have you yourself to learn screen. or cloning. solve it.
learned? something new.
UNIT 5 ACTIVITY
KNOW WANT OBJECTIVES
By completing this activity, students will:

LEARN + reflect on past projects and experiences

+ self-assess current knowledge and learning goals
+ pursue personal learning interests in a
SUGGESTED TIME
30–45 MINUTES self-directed research activity

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION RESOURCES

❑ In this self-directed learning activity, students will ❑ Know Want Learn worksheet
reflect on current understandings and build new ❑ Scratch Wiki
knowledge based on their interests. Optionally, have http://wiki.scratch.mit.edu
the Know Want Learn worksheet available to guide ❑ Scratch Discussion Forums
students. http://scratch.mit.edu/discuss
❑ Scratch FAQ
❑ Ask students to reflect on what they know already and
http://scratch.mit.edu/info/faq
what they want to know next about Scratch and
creative computing. Guide students in answering the
first two reflection prompts in their design journals or REFLECTION PROMPTS
using the Know Want Learn self-assessment
worksheet. Next, give students time to pursue learning
+ What do you know?
interests from their “What do you want to know?”
+ What do you want to know?
responses. Finally, have students respond to the third
+ What did you learn?
and fourth reflection prompts in their design journals
+ What were your strategies for investigating what you
or using the Know Want Learn worksheet.
wanted to know?
❑ Help students share their reflections and learning
interests with one another. We recommend peer
interviews: divide students into pairs and have them
REVIEWING STUDENT WORK
take turns interviewing one another about their
processes of reflection, self-assessment, and research. + Were students able to learn what they wanted to know?
+ What strategies and resources did they employ?

NOTES NOTES TO SELF

+ Help students find and use other resources during ❑ _______________________

their research such as leveraging knowledgeable
peers, posing questions to family members and friends, ❑ _______________________
or posting a question in the Scratch discussion forums.
❑ _______________________
❑ _______________________
KNOW NAME: ____________________________________________________

WANT What do you know about creative computing & scratch? What do you want to know
next? This activity is an opportunity for you to consider which areas of Scratch you
feel comfortable navigating (What do I know?) and which areas you would like to

LEARN explore further (What do I want to know?). Use different resources around you to
investigate what you want to know, and then share your findings (What did I learn?).

WHAT DO I KNOW?
Reflecting on your design experiences so far, write down what you know about Scratch and creative computing.

WHAT DO I WANT TO KNOW?

Based on your personal interests, generate a list of things you want to find out more about or discover next.

WHAT DID I LEARN?

TIPS & TRICKS
Gather resources to investigate items from the list you created above, and then share what you learned from your research.
 UNIT 5 REFLECTION
NAME:
KNOW WANT
LEARN RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING REFLECTION PROMPTS
USING THE SPACE PROVIDED BELOW OR IN YOUR
REFLECTIONS DESIGN JOURNAL.

+ What do you know?

+ What do you want to know?

+ What did you learn?

+ What were your strategies for investigating what you wanted to know?
UNIT 5 ACTIVITY
ROUND TWO OBJECTIVES
By completing this activity, students will:
+ have the opportunity to create a self-remix of past
SUGGESTED TIME
work or spend time on a unit activity that was
45–60 MINUTES previously skipped or not completed

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION RESOURCES

❑ Optionally, have the activity handouts from Units 0-5 ❑ Units 0-5 handouts
available to guide students.
❑ Give students self-directed time to: REFLECTION PROMPTS
1. reimagine or extend a past project by creating a
self-remix: a remix of one’s own project. + Why did you choose that project or activity to work
2. revisit and work on a previous unit activity that was on?
either skipped or not completed. + What would you do if you had more time?
❑ Encourage students to share their self-remixes or
activity outcomes with one another. We suggest using REVIEWING STUDENT WORK
pair-share or design demo.
❑ Invite students to think back on the design process by + Did students create self-remixes or work on activities?
responding to the reflection prompts in their design + What did you learn about your students’ interests?
journals or in a group discussion. + What further support might your students need?

NOTES NOTES TO SELF

+ Invite students to review their design journals and ❑ _______________________

Scratch profiles to reflect back on previous work and
activities. ❑ _______________________
+ Encourage students to review their Unit 1 My Studio
inspiration projects for ideas. ❑ _______________________
❑ _______________________
 UNIT 5 REFLECTION
NAME:

ROUND TWO
REFLECTIONS RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING REFLECTION PROMPTS
USING THE SPACE PROVIDED BELOW OR IN YOUR
DESIGN JOURNAL.

+ Why did you choose that project or activity to work on?

+ What would you do if you had more time?

UNIT 5 ACTIVITY
ADVANCED OBJECTIVES
By completing this activity, students will:

CONCEPTS + gain more fluency with computational concepts

(events, parallelism, data) and practices
(experimenting and iterating, testing and
debugging, reusing and remixing, abstracting and
SUGGESTED TIME
modularizing) by creating a project exploring
30–45 MINUTES video sensing or cloning

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION RESOURCES

❑ Use the Advanced Concepts, Video Sensing examples, ❑ Advanced Concepts studio
and Cloning examples studios to show examples and http://scratch.mit.edu/studios/221311
help students get familiar with blocks that control ❑ Video Sensing handout
video sensing and cloning. Optionally, have the ❑ Video Sensing examples studio
Advanced Concepts handout available to guide http://scratch.mit.edu/studios/201435
students. ❑ Cloning handout
❑ Cloning examples studio
❑ Give students time to explore the code of example
http://scratch.mit.edu/studios/201437
programs to create a project that experiments with
one or more of the advanced concepts (video sensing,
cloning). REFLECTION PROMPTS
❑ Encourage students to share their explorations with
others. We suggest hosting design demo presentations. + Which advanced concept(s) did you choose to explore?
Optionally, have students add their projects to the + What was your strategy for learning more about the
Advanced Concepts studio or a class studio. concept(s) you selected?
❑ Ask students to think back on the design process by
responding to the reflection prompts in their design REVIEWING STUDENT WORK
journals or in a group discussion.
+ Do projects explore one or more of the advanced
concept(s)?

NOTES NOTES TO SELF

+ Students who want to explore the video sensing ❑ _______________________

feature will require a computer with a webcam.
+ Remind students that the backpack tool can be used to ❑ _______________________
borrow and remix code from example projects.
❑ _______________________
❑ _______________________
 VIDEO SENSING
HOW CAN YOU USE VIDEO SENSING
IN YOUR SCRATCH PROJECTS?

Did you know that you can make your

Scratch projects interactive through a
webcam? Explore this advanced Scratch
concept by creating a project that
incorporates the video sensing feature.

START HERE
❑ Open an existing Scratch project or start a new
project to add video sensing.
❑ Click on Extensions.
❑ Click on Video Sensing.
❑ Check out blocks for video sensing in the
Sensing category.
❑ Experiment with video on, turn video, and set
video transparency to blocks to program your
project to sense video motion.

THINGS TO TRY FINISHED?

❑ Make sure your webcam is connected! Test it out using the turn video on + Add your project to the Advanced Concepts
block. studio: http://scratch.mit.edu/studios/221311
❑ If you’re feeling a little stuck, that’s okay! Explore some of the other + Add video sensing to one of your past projects!
projects in the Video Sensing studio to see how they use the video blocks or + Help a neighbor!
use the Tips Window to learn more about video sensing. + Remix a project in the Video Sensing studio.
 CLONING
HOW CAN YOU USE CLONING IN
YOUR SCRATCH PROJECTS?

Cloning is an easy way to create

multiples of the same sprite. You can use
cloning to make many objects and create
cool effects in a project.

Explore this advanced Scratch concept by

creating a project that incorporates the
cloning feature.

START HERE
❑ Open an existing Scratch project or start a new
project to experiment with cloning.
❑ Check out blocks for cloning in the Control
category.
❑ Experiment with the blocks to create clones of
your sprite. Define behaviors for what your
cloned sprites will do.

THINGS TO TRY FINISHED?

❑ If you can’t see your clone initially, check if the original sprite is in the same + Add your project to the Cloning studio:
location – it might be covering the clone! Program your original sprite or http://scratch.mit.edu/studios/201437
the clone to move or go to different locations so you can see them. + Add cloning to one of your past projects!
❑ Stuck? That’s okay! Explore some of the other projects in the Cloning + Help a neighbor!
Studio to see how they use cloning or search in the Tips Window to learn + Remix a project in the Cloning studio.
more about the Create Clone and When I start as a Clone blocks.
 UNIT 5 REFLECTION
ADVANCED
NAME:

CONCEPTS RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING REFLECTION PROMPTS

USING THE SPACE PROVIDED BELOW OR IN YOUR

REFLECTIONS
DESIGN JOURNAL.

+ Which advanced concept(s) did you choose to explore?

+ What was your strategy for learning more about the concept(s) you selected?
UNIT 5 ACTIVITY
HARDWARE & OBJECTIVES
By completing this activity, students will:

EXTENSIONS + be introduced to various hardware extensions that

connect the digital world of Scratch with the
physical world
SUGGESTED TIME
45–60 MINUTES

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION RESOURCES

❑ (IMPORTANT: This activity requires access to one or ❑ LEGO WeDo construction set
more of these hardware products.) Introduce students http://bit.ly/LEGOWeDo
to ways Scratch can connect to other technologies and ❑ MaKey MaKey
hardware extensions including the LEGO WeDo, MaKey http://makeymakey.com
MaKey, and PicoBoard. Optionally, show examples from ❑ PicoBoard
the How can I connect Scratch with other https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10311
technologies? video playlist. ❑ How can I connect Scratch with other technologies?
videos: http://bit.ly/hardwareandextensions
❑ Divide students into small groups of 2-4 people. Give
the groups time to explore creating a Scratch project
that incorporates a physical world component using REFLECTION PROMPTS
one or more available hardware extensions.
❑ Allow each group to share their creations with others. + Which hardware or extension did you explore?
We suggest facilitating a gallery walk or feedback fair. + How did you incorporate the digital and the
physical?
❑ Ask students to think back on the design process by
+ What was difficult?
responding to the reflection prompts in their design
+ What was surprising?
journals or in a group discussion.

REVIEWING STUDENT WORK

+ Does the work have a digital and a physical

component?

NOTES NOTES TO SELF

+ Make this a group-wide activity! Using the LEGO WeDo and ❑ _______________________
Scratch, challenge students to connect their projects to
create a chain of reactions in the style of a Rube Goldberg ❑ _______________________
machine. See this video for an example:
http://bit.ly/ScratchChainReaction ❑ _______________________
+ Activate the Scratch blocks that control hardware
extensions by clicking on the Add an Extension button ❑ _______________________
located under the More Blocks category in the Scratch
project editor.
 UNIT 5 REFLECTION
NAME:

HARDWARE &
EXTENSIONS RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING REFLECTION PROMPTS
USING THE SPACE PROVIDED BELOW OR IN YOUR
DESIGN JOURNAL.

REFLECTIONS
+ Which hardware or extension did you explore?

+ How did you incorporate the digital and the physical?

+ What was difficult?

+ What was surprising?

UNIT 5 ACTIVITY
ACTIVITY OBJECTIVES
By completing this activity, students will:

DESIGN SUGGESTED TIME

30–45 MINUTES
+ design an activity or resource for supporting
others in learning more about Scratch and
computational creativity

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION RESOURCES

❑ Let students experience what it’s like to be in your ❑ Activity Design handout
teaching shoes! Challenge students to create, remix, or ❑ Scratch Cards
reimagine an activity or resource designed to support http://scratch.mit.edu/info/cards
others' explorations of creative computing. Optionally, ❑ Scratch Design Studio list
have the Activity Design handout available for http://scratch.mit.edu/users/ScratchDesignStudio/
additional support.
❑ Help students brainstorm and imagine different kinds REFLECTION PROMPTS
of creative learning experiences. Optionally, review
example project ideas and activities from this guide, or
encourage students to explore the Scratch Cards + Who do you envision using your activity or resource?
resource and Scratch Design Studio list for inspiration. + What do you hope people will learn from using your
Then, give students time to design their own learning activity or resource?
activity or resource. + What challenges might learners experience in doing
the activity or using the resource? How might you
❑ Give students opportunities to test out their activity or further support them in dealing with these
resource with learners. Encourage them to share their challenges?
activity or resource with family or friends, or invite
students to be peer mentors for other classes, clubs, or REVIEWING STUDENT WORK
events.
❑ Ask students to think back on the design process by + Does the activity or resource facilitate an
responding to the reflection prompts in their design introduction or exploration into creative computing?
journals or in a group discussion. What feedback can you offer the student?

NOTES NOTES TO SELF

+ Students particularly interested in supporting others’ ❑ _______________________

learning can be great candidates for becoming peer
mentors during class or at an afterschool or lunchtime ❑ _______________________
Scratch Club.
❑ _______________________
❑ _______________________
ACTIVITY NAME: _________________________________________________

DESIGN
How can you help others learn more about Scratch and creative computing? Design an
activity that helps other people learn Scratch. It can be an off-computer activity (like
Creature Construction), project idea (like Build-a-Band), or challenge activity (like Debug
It!). You could even develop a new type of activity or handout! Brainstorm using the
questions below, and then use the activity and handout planners to give more detail.

WHO IS THIS FOR?

Who is your audience? Who do you want to help learn more about Scratch and creative computing?

WHAT WILL THEY LEARN?

What are the learning goals? What new things do you hope people will learn from using your activity?

TIPSDO
WHAT & THEY
TRICKS
NEED?
What supplies will people need? What other types of support will help people successfully engage in your activity?
 (TITLE)
OBJECTIVES (2 LEARNING GOALS)
MY ACTIVITY
By completing this activity, learners will:
+

+
SUGGESTED TIME
__–__ MINUTES

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION RESOURCES

(PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS) (2 PROJECT RESOURCES - studios, handouts, etc.)

❑ What will learners create? How will they do this? ❑

REFLECTION PROMPTS

(3 REFLECTION QUESTIONS)
+
❑ How will learners share their work with others?
+

REVIEWING STUDENT WORK

❑ How will learners reflect on their designs?
(2 WAYS TO CHECK IF A LEARNER COMPLETED THE ACTIVITY)
+

NOTES NOTES TO SELF

(TIPS AND TRICKS) ❑ _______________________

+
❑ _______________________
+ ❑ _______________________
+ ❑ _______________________
 (TITLE)
(PROJECT PICTURE)

(PROJECT
OVERVIEW)

(PROJECT
DESCRIPTION)

START HERE

(PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS) (ILLUSTRATED PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS)

❑

THINGS TO TRY FINISHED?

(3 THINGS TO DO IF THEY GET STUCK) (3 THINGS TO DO IF THEY HAVE EXTRA TIME)
❑ +

❑ +

❑ +
 UNIT 5 REFLECTION
ACTIVITY NAME:

DESIGN RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING REFLECTION PROMPTS

USING THE SPACE PROVIDED BELOW OR IN YOUR

REFLECTIONS DESIGN JOURNAL.

+ Who do you envision using your activity or resource?

+ What do you hope people will learn from using your activity or resource?

+ What challenges might learners experience in doing the activity or using the resource? How
might you further support them in dealing with these challenges?
UNIT 5 ACTIVITY
MY DEBUG IT! OBJECTIVES
By completing this activity, students will:
+ become more fluent with computational practices
(experimenting and iterating, testing and
SUGGESTED TIME
debugging, reusing and remixing, abstracting and
15–30 MINUTES modularizing) by designing a debugging challenge

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION RESOURCES

❑ Optionally, have the My Debug It! handout available to ❑ My Debug It! handout
guide students during the activity. ❑ My Debug It! studio
http://scratch.mit.edu/studios/475637
❑ Give students the opportunity to create their own
debugging challenge for others to solve. Bugs can
focus on a specific computational concept, Scratch REFLECTION PROMPTS
block, interaction, or some other programming
challenge. Encourage students to take inspiration from
+ What was the problem?
their own experiences of getting stuck and unstuck
+ Where did your inspiration come from?
while developing Scratch projects.
+ How did you imagine others investigating and
❑ Let students swap and try testing and debugging one solving the challenge?
another’s buggy projects. Optionally, have students add + Did others have alternative approaches to finding
their debug-it program to the My Debug It! studio or a and fixing the problem than what you expected?
class studio. What were their strategies?
❑ Ask students to reflect back on their problem-creating
approaches by responding to the reflection prompts in REVIEWING STUDENT WORK
their design journals or in a group discussion.
+ Do projects include a debugging challenge to solve?
+ What different testing and debugging strategies did
students employ?

NOTES NOTES TO SELF

+ Remind students to include a challenge description in ❑ _______________________

the notes of the project page on the Scratch website.
+ Got extra time or need a warm-up activity? ❑ _______________________
Let students exercise their problem-seeking and
problem-solving skills on other contributed debug-it ❑ _______________________
programs in the My Debug It! studio. ❑ _______________________
 MY DEBUG IT!
IT’S TIME TO DESIGN YOUR OWN
DEBUG IT PROGRAM. WHAT WILL
YOU CREATE?

In this activity, you will create your own

Debug It! challenge for others to
investigate, solve, and remix.

START HERE
❑ Reflect back on the different kinds of bugs
you’ve encountered in creating and debugging
PLANS FOR MY DEBUG IT!
your own projects.
❑ Generate a list of possible debugging
challenges you could create. A Debug It! can
focus on a specific concept, block, interaction, or
some other programming challenge.
❑ Build your Debug It! program.

NOTES
S E LF
TO
FINISHED?

❑ + Add your debugging challenge to the My Debug It!

studio: http://scratch.mit.edu/studios/475637
❑
+ Swap Debug It! programs with a neighbor and try to
❑ solve each other’s buggy programs.
+ Help a neighbor.
❑ + Try debugging other programs in the My Debug It!
studio.
 UNIT 5 REFLECTION
NAME:

MY DEBUG IT!
REFLECTIONS RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING REFLECTION PROMPTS
USING THE SPACE PROVIDED BELOW OR IN YOUR
DESIGN JOURNAL.

+ What was the problem?

+ Where did your inspiration come from?

+ How did you imagine others investigating and solving the challenge?

+ Did others have alternative approaches to finding and fixing the problem than what you
expected? What were their strategies?