What will be taught? -

Students will be taught using Scratch (scratch.mit.edu) and create several projects including games and movies (you can view some of them here https://scratch.mit.edu/users/C2TF_REX/).

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How it will be taught - 

I will show students a completed project and go over the steps in creating the project briefly at the beginning, explaining any new important concepts. Then, we will spend most of the class individually working on their projects, breaking each step down more slowly.

There is not a set amount of time for each project. Sometimes projects go slower, and other times faster. It is more important that all students understand what they are doing, even if it takes longer to complete.

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Teaching style -

Classes emphasize hands-on learning,  creativity, and collaboration. The teacher acts as a guide, helping students to understand how to set and achieve goals. 

Hands-on learning:
The teacher (as much as possible) does not simply give step-by-step instructions and have the students copy them. Instead, students are encouraged to think about what they want to code (for example, making their character move with the arrow keys) and the teacher will help them break the problem into steps (listen for the keys being pressed, then move the character) and guide the students into building the code themselves. 

Creativity:
Projects serve as a "guide" but students are encouraged to explore on their own. Students are encouraged to customize their projects and explore concepts that interest them. Projects are somewhat self-paced, with faster-working students being given extra time to expand on the project and push themselves harder, while slower-working students are given more time to work on the projects without feeling that they have fallen behind.

Collaboration: 
Students work on the same project together. At the end of the project, they present their project to the class. This creates a sense of community with the students and encourages them to give each project their best effort. They also are able to teach and learn from each other and riff off each other's ideas.

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In this lesson - 

Hello CodeQuest! 
(https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/387948090/)

In this first lesson of "CodeQuest", students learn the basics of Scratch and introduce themselves to the class by creating three "About Me" slides.

Students will learn how to solve problems using an algorithm (step-by-step instructions), create sprites, handle events, and if/then blocks.

This prerequisite class will allow students to enroll in the other CodeQuest courses!