At that age, it doesn’t take long for students to make the connection between math and coding. In 2014, they released a special tablet-based version for kids aged 5-7 called ScratchJr, which limits the software appropriately to support early learners.Īt Living Computers, we like to use Scratch with students in Grades 4 and up - or right around the time when kids start to learn more about x and y coordinates. Youll practice creating a class, defining the main method, and organizing print statements. Write your first Java program from scratch by introducing yourself to users and planting a tree for them. In the newest version, students can use Scratch blocks to bring LEGO motors to life, integrate microcontrollers like Makey Makey, or even create multiplayer games. Learn to code in Java a robust programming language used to create software, web and mobile apps. Over the last 17 years, Scratch has gone through several iterations - the newest version being Scratch 3.0 and free to use either online or as a downloadable app. Scratch also offers students the option to learn and collaborate within the online Scratch community. Scratch publishes students’ projects using a familiar “Facebook-like” interface that allows students to comment, like, and borrow from each other - and reinforces good digital etiquette, such as leaving positive comments or giving credit to others. A “Stage Area” simulator makes for great exploration of 2-D graphics and geometry, while a diverse library of graphics and sounds provide endless inspiration for dynamic and imaginative projects. Students program active objects called “Sprites” by stacking blocks of code into lists of commands to create animations, games, and stories. This means all Scratch projects are highly interactive and easy to change. Scratch uses “event-driven programming” in which actions from the user - such as a mouse click, a key press, or a sensor reading - trigger events and other outcomes. Even better if they are allowed to do it with a computer alongside their peers. Papert believed that children learn best when they are actively engaged in making things that allow for playful and creative expression.
![code scratch code scratch](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UzWADBNCsYg/maxresdefault.jpg)
It was heavily inspired by the work of Seymour Papert, the creator of the Logo programming language and one of the pioneers of the constructionist theory of learning. Scratch was created in 2003 out of a collaboration between the Playful Invention Company and the Lifelong Kindergarten group at MIT, led by Mitchel Resnick.