Animal STEM Coding Class: Code a Game in Scratch to Defend the Turtles

In this lesson, students will begin by learning about the important first few steps of a baby turtle and how plastic pollution is a danger for them when trying to reach the sea. 

Students will code a turtle conservation game of their own using Scratch, a block-based programming language developed at MIT. This class has been designed for students ages 6-10 with any level of coding experience - all are welcome!

Students will learn:
- How to think like a game designer!
- How to code an object to fall from the sky and zap it with a click of the mouse
- How to use loops and cloning to create an endless count of hatching baby turtles
- How to use conditional statements to check if their character has hit something
- More advanced students will use variables to track their score and add a timer

The class will be highly interactive since we cap our classes at 6 students. The teacher will work with students to create a project they can be proud of while answering questions and providing support along the way.

Here’s what your student can expect to do during class:
- Welcome + Introductions (5 minutes)
- Scratch Setup + Login (5 minutes)
- Learn about turtles and plastic pollution (10 minutes)
- Code a turtle conservation game in Scratch! (about 60 minutes)
- Student Project Showcase + Say Goodbye (10 minutes)

> Note for Parents:
Your student will need:
- A Scratch account. Visit https://scratch.mit.edu/ to create a free account.
- Access to a laptop or desktop computer with Zoom installed and screen-sharing enabled
- An internet connection of 3mbs+
- A working speaker, microphone and webcam - all Windows and Mac operating systems of the past five years are supported

Note: iPads are not recommended, but reach out to our team if you have any questions.  Please make sure an adult is on hand for the first five minutes of class to help set-up and tackle troubleshooting.