What's included
4 pre-recorded lessons
average 30 mins per video4 weeks
of teacher support2 hrs 0 mins
total video learning hours1 year access
to the contentHomework
Each Scratch project will take approximately one hour to complete. Students will draw and code projects independently but share them with the group weekly. Video discussions should be kept to 1-2 minutes in length and may take 15 minutes to create and upload into the Outschool classroom.Assessment
In this class, assessments will primarily consist of personal assessments conducted by the teacher through observation of students through project submittals. These assessments serve to gauge each student's understanding, progress, and engagement with the material covered. Various types of assessments, such as coding exercises, project presentations, and participation in discussions, may be offered periodically to provide a comprehensive evaluation of students' learning. While participation in assessments is highly encouraged for all students to track their development and receive tailored support, they are not mandatory. However, engaging in assessments offers valuable insights and opportunities for growth, making them a beneficial aspect of the learning experience.Grading
Upon submission of their final project, students who have integrated teacher feedback to demonstrate progress will receive a certificate of completion.Class Experience
US Grade 2 - 5
Beginner - Intermediate Level
This class is designed for beginner and intermediate coders using Scratch. An RPG, or Role-Playing Game, is a genre of video game where players assume the roles of fictional characters within a virtual world. In these games, players typically take on the persona of a character and embark on an adventure filled with exploration, storytelling, and character development. RPGs often feature immersive narratives, richly detailed environments, and complex gameplay mechanics that allow players to make choices that impact the outcome of the game. Key elements of RPGs include character customization, leveling up abilities, completing quests, interacting with non-player characters (NPCs), and engaging in combat with enemies. Overall, RPGs provide players with the opportunity to escape into fantastical worlds, assume different identities, and embark on epic adventures limited only by their imagination. Each lesson a new video will be shared to build the student's confidence in drawing and coding in Scratch. We begin by drawing our player sprite and coding it to move. Then we will layout our game map. We will code our map to be able to move between 9 areas of our map. Finally, we will code an NPC to interact with and develop a few menus. What you get each lesson: 1 instructional video, asynchronous engagement throughout, and a personalized video with feedback sent directly to your learner (and you). ************************************* Students should be able to read and navigate a browser efficiently. Students should have or can create, an account at https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/editor/?tutorial=getStarted *************************************
Learning Goals
Develop programs with sequences and simple loops, to express ideas or address a problem.
Develop plans that describe a program’s sequence of events, goals, and expected outcomes.
Identify and fix errors using a systematic process. Using correct terminology, describe steps taken, and choices made during the iterative process of program development.
Syllabus
4 Lessons
over 4 WeeksLesson 1:
Create the Player and Main Scene
Intro to Scratch, Create your Main Room and your Player
26 mins of video lessons
Lesson 2:
Backgrounds and Player Movement
Write your Storyline; Start Moving
Lesson 3:
Building Interactions and NPCs
Add to your Map (North and South Rooms)
45 mins of video lessons
Lesson 4:
Collecting an Item and adding an Item Tracker Bar
Add Interaction with NPCs (non-player characters) and Cut-scenes
50 mins of video lessons
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Remember to keep your private information private - for example, no last names, home cities, or gaming handles shared within the classroom. Please review with your student before class.
For students using Scratch at https://scratch.mit.edu/ a user account should be created by parents in order to save students' progress. In creating an account, certain personally identifying information, generally consisting of the student’s or parents' name and e-mail address, must be provided to Scratch's website operator in order to create an account. Projects are UNSHARED by default and user information is not shared within the Outschool classroom. Scratch does not make private account information available to anyone. For more information, please see Scratch's Privacy Policy located here: https://scratch.mit.edu/privacy_policy
An alternative to creating an account is to download the Scratch 3 app found here: https://scratch.mit.edu/download
This will save all work locally to your computer and your student will not be able to share with the online community until you decide to create an online account.
For added engagement, we will be using activities in Nearpod.
You can read the privacy policy here: https://nearpod.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360049188592-Nearpod-Privacy-Policy
Supply List
An external mouse is REQUIRED. Please no touchpads. A physical keyboard is REQUIRED. iPad virtual keyboards will not work. A computer desktop or laptop is preferred over the use of an iPad for Scratch. Two devices or two monitor displays would be ideal. One to watch instructions on zoom and one to use for coding. Scratch 3.0 works offline and can be downloaded from https://scratch.mit.edu/download If you can not get Scratch 3.0, the online version can be used by creating an account here: https://scratch.mit.edu/join Please create a username that does NOT reveal the identity of your student.
Teacher expertise and credentials
Pennsylvania Teaching Certificate
Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering from University of California, Santa Barbara
Great teachers form strong relationships with their students by engaging them in the subjects they are passionate about. I have always been a logical thinker who enjoys science, math, technology, and engineering both for work and play.
I worked as an engineer for companies like Frito-Lay, Anheuser-Busch, Amgen as a consultant for many years improving their systems with automation and equipment. Once I became a parent, I began teaching extra-curricular classes as a way to have more time at home, but stay involved in subjects that bring me joy.
Realizing that by being warm, professional, and enthusiastic, I am able to engage students. My creative lessons and strong classroom presence help build student confidence while increasing interest in subjects that may otherwise seem intimidating.
Reviews
Self-Paced Course
$20
weekly or $80 for all content4 pre-recorded lessons
4 weeks of teacher support
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1 year of access to the content
Completed by 11 learners
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Ages: 7-12