Scratch: Code Your Own Universe

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Curriculum Guide

Scratch: Code Your Own Universe

Age Group:6-8
Grades:1-3
Learning Hours:10 hours
Domain:Game Development
Key Skills: 
Assessment:No formal assessment
Hardware/System Requirements: Scratch account
Progression:  

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Course Overview

Scratch Programming Adventure: Code Your Own Universe! is a 22-hour foundational programming course with 7 hours of bonus content designed specifically for students in grades 1-3. This course introduces young learners to computational thinking and coding concepts through Scratch, a block-based visual programming language. Students will progress from basic navigation and simple animations to creating interactive stories and games, all while developing critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration skills. The curriculum employs themes and characters that resonate with this age group to maintain high engagement and motivation.

No. Topic Outline Module
1
Your First Coding Powers
  1. Main Activity: Learn to navigate the Scratch interface, identify key components like the stage, sprite list, and code blocks palette.
  2. Key Concepts: Introduction to sprites and backdrops.
  3. Hands-on: Change the colour and size of a sprite and a backdrop.
1
2
Meet the Scratch Creatures
  1. Main Activity: Explore the Sprite Library, add, delete, and customize sprites to create unique characters.
  2. Key Concepts: Sprites, costumes, personalization, and storytelling through design.
  3. Hands-on: Choose or draw a creature, customize its look using the Costumes tab, give it a name and backstory, and place it in a new backdrop.
1
3
Make Things Move and Transform!
  1. Main Activity: Use Motion and Look blocks to bring sprites to life through movement and transformations.
  2. Key Concepts: Absolute vs. relative motion, gliding, turning, changing costumes, and effects.
  3. Hands-on: Animate a sprite to move, jump, or spin; apply transformation effects such as size, color, or costume changes; combine actions to tell a short story with at least two sprites.
1
4
Sound Studio Spectacular
  1. Main Activity: Add, record, and edit sounds to enhance sprites and scenes with music and effects.
  2. Key Concepts: Sounds tab, sound blocks, triggers/events, and sound editing tools.
  3. Hands-on: Assign sounds or instruments to different sprites, experiment with recording or editing, and create a short performance, sound adventure, or sound-based story.
1
5
Story Magic Workshop
  1. Main Activity: Break a story into beginning, middle, and end using Scratch scenes and events.
  2. Key Concepts: Story structure, backdrops, sequencing with event blocks.
  3. Hands-on: Plan a simple story with characters, setting, and problem/solution. Switch costumes and backdrops to create scenes, and use events like “when green flag clicked” to trigger story actions.
2
6
Character Creator Lab
  1. Main Activity: Design unique characters and worlds using the Sprite Library, Paint Editor, and Backdrops tab.
  2. Key Concepts: Character design, costumes, personalisation, and world-building.
  3. Hands-on: Create and customize a sprite with costumes and accessories, give it a name and personality, design its world with a backdrop, and animate it with a simple action (wave, jump, blink).
2
7
Talking Characters and Magic Choices
  1. Main Activity: Script conversations and branching story choices using dialogue and broadcast messages.
  2. Key Concepts: “Say/Think” blocks, event triggers, broadcast and receive messages, branching paths.
  3. Hands-on: Create a dialogue between two sprites, add interactive choices using events, and use broadcasts to trigger multiple outcomes. Build at least two different story paths.
2
8
Premiere Party
  1. Main Activity: Add interactive player input and showcase completed projects.
  2. Key Concepts: “Ask and wait,” “answer” blocks, conditionals with “if…then,” player interaction.
  3. Hands-on: Script a question-and-answer interaction (e.g., riddle, password, or choice) that changes the story outcome. Present projects to classmates, share feedback, and celebrate creative achievements.
2
9
Game Designer Training Camp
  1. Main Activity: Play and analyse example Scratch games, then brainstorm and sketch original game ideas.
  2. Key Concepts: Player controls, goals, obstacles, feedback, scoring, and challenge.
  3. Hands-on: Play sample games (e.g., Bouncy Frog, Crossy Duck, Space Dodge). Break down common elements (player, goal, obstacles, rewards). Sketch and share original game ideas with the group. Optional: Combine two ideas into one new game concept.
3
10
Create Your First Awesome Game
  1. Main Activity: Follow a chase game tutorial, then expand into building a custom game.
  2. Key Concepts: Event blocks, sensing blocks, scoring variables, controls, and debugging.
  3. Hands-on: Build a chase game with movement controls and scoring. Customize sprites, backdrops, and add sound effects. Plan, build, and test unique game mechanics (obstacles, rewards, power-ups). Optional: Add a power-up or secret feature.
3
11
Power-Ups and Level Designer
  1. Main Activity: Create collectible power-ups and multi-level gameplay with progressive challenges.
  2. Key Concepts: Power-up mechanics, sensing blocks, scoring variables, level progression, broadcast messages.
  3. Hands-on: Add a power-up sprite with effects (score, speed, invincibility). Script level progression using backdrops, broadcasts, or variables. Add a victory celebration animation and sound. Optional: Experiment with advanced power-ups (e.g., shields, secret unlocks).
3
12
Game Testing Laboratory
  1. Main Activity: Playtest peer games, identify bugs, and give constructive feedback.
  2. Key Concepts: Debugging, feedback loops, collaboration, iteration.
  3. Hands-on: Play and review classmates’ games using feedback forms. Share insights and suggest improvements. Revise projects to fix bugs, refine controls, or add polish. Optional: Run a mini “game jam” combining features from multiple games.
3
13
Variable Vault
  1. Main Activity: Create variables to track growth, hunger, and happiness in a dragon egg simulator.
  2. Key Concepts: Variables, initialization, conditional changes, displaying values.
  3. Hands-on: Play and analyze example “virtual pet” games. Create variables (e.g., growth, hunger, happiness). Link variable changes to actions like feeding or playing. Display variable monitors for live updates. Optional: Add extra variables such as warmth or dragon colour.
4
14
Clone Commander
  1. Main Activity: Use cloning to generate multiple sprites in a bubble-popping game.
  2. Key Concepts: Cloning with [create clone], [when I start as a clone], random properties, deleting clones.
  3. Hands-on: Build a bubble popper game where clones move and disappear on click. Add score tracking with variables. Customise clone behaviours (position, speed, costume). Optional: Experiment with themed swarms (butterflies, meteors, spells).
4
15
Animation Studio Pro
  1. Main Activity: Create smooth transformations and effects using costumes, loops, and look blocks.
  2. Key Concepts: Costume changes, repeat + wait blocks, animation timing, visual effects.
  3. Hands-on: Build a basic transformation animation (robot, spell, weather). Customize costumes and sequence them with timing. Add effects like color shifts, fades, or size changes. Optional: Animate multiple sprites at once or sync animations with sound.
4
16
Extension Explorer
  1. Main Activity: Explore and apply Scratch extensions (Music, Text-to-Speech, Pen, etc.).
  2. Key Concepts: Extensions menu, event-driven triggers, combining features.
  3. Hands-on: Add Music and Text-to-Speech extensions. Mini-project 1: Create a dance party with music blocks. Mini-project 2: Make talking animated characters with speech and movement. Optional: Combine multiple extensions (e.g., singing sprites that draw with the Pen extension).
4
17
Team Coding Challenge
  1. Main Activity: Work in squads to design a multi-scene adventure game.
  2. Key Concepts: Collaboration, broadcast events, scene transitions, task roles, debugging together.
  3. Hands-on: Brainstorm and storyboard a multi-scene adventure. Assign team roles (designer, artist, programmer, tester). Use broadcasts to switch scenes and trigger sprite actions. Share sprites and scripts using the Scratch Backpack. Optional: Add a hidden bonus level or multiplayer twist.
bonus
18
Bug Busters
  1. Main Activity: Debug intentionally broken Scratch projects.
  2. Key Concepts: Debugging process, persistence, logic checks, variable monitoring, teamwork.
  3. Hands-on: Test buggy projects step-by-step to spot errors. Fix missing events, broken loops, or incorrect variable updates. Document the bug and how it was solved. Optional: Create your own “debug challenge” game with hidden errors for classmates to fix.
bonus
19
Code Powers in the Real World
  1. Main Activity: Explore coding in movies, games, robotics, apps, and problem-solving.
  2. Key Concepts: Real-world applications of coding, creative/technical roles, teamwork, reflection.
  3. Hands-on: Watch videos or meet a guest speaker about coding careers. In groups, discuss coding’s role in different industries. Plan a final Scratch program inspired by movies, games, apps, or robotics. Optional: Design an app or simulation that tackles a real-world challenge.
bonus
20
Ultimate Coder Showcase
  1. Main Activity: Present and celebrate final Scratch projects.
  2. Key Concepts: Presentation skills, iteration, reflection, peer feedback.
  3. Hands-on: Debug and polish final projects. Present projects at a “Digital Expo” and share coding journeys. Participate in a “Code Exchange Jam” to try classmates’ games. Optional: Give awards or badges for creativity, teamwork, and persistence.
bonus