A block-coding project such as one made in Scratch is like a little theatre. The characters are sprites, the scenery is a backdrop, and each sprite follows its own script. In the Sprite Studio, Year 3 coders learn the parts and how they work together.
What your child will learn
- Name the parts of a project: sprite, stage, backdrop, costume and script
- Know that each sprite has its own scripts
- Describe a sprite’s position with x (across) and y (up and down)
- Know how costumes and messages bring a project to life
Every sprite has its own script
Clicking the green flag starts every script that begins with “when ▶ clicked” — all at once. One sprite can walk while another talks. To make a sprite seem to move its legs, switch quickly between two costumes; to make sprites react to each other, one broadcasts a message and the other listens for it.
Example questions
Here are a few questions like the ones in the first quest. Can you solve them?
1. True or false? A project can have more than one sprite.
Show answer
Answer: True. You can add as many sprites as you need.
2. What does the block “move 10 steps” do?
- Changes the backdrop
- Moves the sprite forward
- Plays a sound
- Makes the sprite bigger
Show answer
Answer: Moves the sprite forward. The sprite moves in the direction it is facing.
3. What is a script?
- The colour of the stage
- A stack of blocks joined together
- A picture file
- A single sprite
Show answer
Answer: A stack of blocks joined together. Blocks snapped together run in order, from the top.
Tips for grown-ups
- Open Scratch or ScratchJr and name each part of the screen together.
- Give a sprite two costumes and make it “walk”.
- Make one sprite say something when another is clicked.