CATCH GAME / EDUCATOR GUIDE CATCH GAME / EDUCATOR GUIDE
EDUCATOR GUIDE Workshop Overview
Catch Game Here’s a suggested agenda for a
one-hour workshop:
With this guide, you can plan and lead
a one-hour workshop using Scratch.
Participants will make a game where First, gather as a group to
they catch things falling from the sky. introduce the theme and
IMAGINE spark ideas.
10 minutes
Next, help participants as
they make catch games,
CREATE working at their own pace.
40 minutes
At the end of the session,
gather together to share
SHARE and reflect.
10 minutes
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Get Ready for the Workshop Imagine IMAGINE
Use this checklist to prepare for the workshop. Begin by gathering the participants to introduce
the theme and spark ideas for projects.
Preview the Tutorial
The Catch Game tutorial shows participants Warm-up Activity: Make a wish!
how to create their own projects. Preview the
tutorial before your workshop and try the first Gather the participants in a circle. Ask, “What do you wish could
few steps: fall from the sky?” and give an example, such as a favorite food
[Link]/catch or flower. Then, toss a ball of yarn to someone. The person who
catches the ball shares what they would like to fall from the
sky. Then they toss the ball to someone, until each person has
Print the Activity Cards shared what they imagine.
Print a few sets of Catch Game cards
to have available for participants during
the workshop.
[Link]/catch/cards Provide Ideas and Inspiration
To spark ideas, show a couple of examples of catch games from
Make sure participants have Scratch accounts the Catch Game Studio on the Scratch website.
Participants can sign up for their own Scratch accounts at
[Link], or you can set up student accounts if you
have a Teacher Account. To request a Teacher Account, go to:
[Link]/educators
Set up computers or laptops
Arrange computers so that participants can
work individually or in pairs.
Set up a computer with projector or large monitor View the studio at [Link]/studios/3553067/
You can use a projector to show examples and
demonstrate how to get started.
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Demonstrate the First Steps IMAGINE Create CREATE
Demonstrate the first few steps of the tutorial Support participants as they create catch
so participants can see how to get started. games. Suggest working in pairs.
In Scratch, choose a new sprite to fall. Start with Prompts
Ask participants questions to get started
What would you like to Which backdrop would you
catch? How will you catch it? like to choose for your game?
Choose a backdrop. Provide Resources
Offer options for getting started
Make your sprite start from Then, make it fall down
a random spot at the top. repeatedly.
Others may want to explore
Some participants may want using the activity cards:
to follow the online tutorial: [Link]/catch/cards
[Link]/catch
Suggest Ideas for Starting
• Choose a backdrop
• Choose or draw an object to fall
• Make it fall down repeatedly from the top.
• Select a catcher and make it move with arrow keys.
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CREATE Share SHARE
More Things to Try Have participants share their projects with
• Make a script to catch the falling sprite their neighbors.
• Add a point when it’s caught
• Add sounds
• Use the duplicate tool to make more Ask questions that encourage reflection:
falling sprites
• Add a bonus sprite that scores extra
What do you like best If you had more time, what
points
about your game? would you add or change?
Encourage Tinkering
• Encourage participants to feel comfortable trying combinations of
blocks and seeing what happens.
• Suggest participants look inside other catch games to see the What’s Next?
code.
• If they find code they like, they can drag the scripts or sprites into
The Catch Game projects provide an introduction to creating
interactive games in Scratch. Here are a few ways that participants
the backpack to reuse in their own project.
can build on the concepts they learned from this project.
Prepare to Share Add a Level
Encourage participants to experiment with how
To add instructions and credits they might add a level to their game.
to a project, click the button:
“See project page”.
Video Sensing
This video shows how to share a If the computers have a web camera attached or
project on the Scratch website: built-in, participants can make a game that they
[Link]/llk/share interact with by moving their body. To start, play
with the project: Save the Mini-Figs
[Link]/projects/10123832. Then, open
and remix to customize the sprites and scripts.
Scratch is a project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab.
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