Course Overview

This course offers two separate tracks designed to introduce children to the fundamentals of programming through the visual, block-based Scratch platform.

Scratch Jr Programming Class

Scratch Jr is a programming language and platform redesigned from the core Scratch architecture specifically for children aged 5-7. It allows young learners to engage in creative activities like digital art, storytelling, and interactive games, fostering logical thinking and problem-solving skills. Scratch Jr was developed by the DevTech Research Group at Tufts University and the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at MIT.

Class Curriculum:

Session 1: Cat on the Move - Introduction to Scratch Jr, learning movement commands and the reset button.
Session 2: Bouncing Cat - Learning to change backgrounds and using the green flag start block.
Session 3: Big Fish, Little Fish - Creating new characters and using the tap-to-start block.
Session 4: Dancing Cat - Learning to record sounds and applying wait and speed blocks.

Scratch Programming Class

Scratch is a graphical programming software ideal as an introductory tool for students aged 8 and above. It enables users to easily create interactive stories, animations, games, and music, and share their creations with a global community via its built-in online sharing features. Scratch was developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab.

Class Curriculum:

Session 1: Cat Follows Me - Introduction to Scratch, its capabilities, downloading/installing Scratch, opening project files, and navigating the Scratch interface.
Session 2: Scratch Character Creation - Learning program structure, creating new characters, drawing characters, exporting characters, and saving files.
Session 3: Scratch Background & Character Creation - Creating backgrounds and characters, and learning the workflow for making animations or games.
Session 4: Personal Project - Creating your own story, game, or animation.