Recommendations and curriculum resources for teaching programming to kids in Grades 1-12. Tips for programming using Scratch Jr, Scratch, HTML, and Python.
Can beginners learn basic coding and design games for their friends? Yes! TechnoKids has a cool program called TechnoRace to teach game design for kids in grades 3 to 6. This project develops programming skills and builds confidence in coding. Also, it shows students how to use Scratch, an easy tool for beginners, to make […]
Game Design for Kids: Scratch Programming with Easy Teacher Resources Read More »
Do your students want to make a truly one-of-a-kind Scratch project? Or are they having trouble finding just the right main character or object in the Sprite Library? One option is to use the Paint Editor tools to create your own. But if you are in a hurry, or lack artistic skills like me, you
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To personalize a game or story, you can import a sound into Scratch. It is true that Scratch, has more than 350 sounds. That is a lot of effects and music from which to pick! However, your students may want to produce a unique game by downloading sounds from an external source. This allows them
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Consider phases of game development when planning a programming curriculum unit. This framework provides a learning experience that simulates the real-world. For this reason, divide game development tasks into three phases: pre-production, production, and post-production. Now, it is important to realize that there is little agreement on how many phases are in game development. Some
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Games should be fun and just the right level of challenge. They shouldn’t be too easy, so that the player finishes quickly and has no incentive to play again. And games should not be too hard. Then the player may give up and abandon play. One way to inspire and motivate players is to script
Game Development: How to Script Obstacles Read More »
Teachers, are you assessing your students’ Scratch coding projects? How do you know that they understand the code that they have written? Here’s a quick tip to have your students demonstrate their learning: ask them to write brief comment notes in Scratch. In this way, they will confirm that they recognize the function of the
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If you are teaching a game development or coding unit, you may want to know how to build player controls in Scratch. The good news is that it is easy to have the player move around the stage using arrow keys. Discover the blocks you will need, sample scripts, and time saving tips. Why Build
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When teaching a game development curriculum unit use a Game Development Rubric. A rubric is an efficient way to consistently grade student work. Especially when teaching multiple classes. Moreover, this tool makes it easy to rate students’ performance from beginner to expert. What is a Rubric? To clarify, a rubric is an assessment tool that
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Do you want to freeze a sprite in Scratch when the player hits an obstacle? You can! It is one line of code, with a combination of three blocks. Quickly and easily, you can add this feature to your game. Please note, this solution works best if arrow keys control the player. If your player
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Do you need Scratch how-to tips? You are in luck! This article provides tricks for mastering the Paint Editor tools. Specifically, how to mix color to fill an object or text. Scratch is an online platform that empowers beginners to learn essential coding skills. By snapping together blocks you can build scripts. These can be used
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