Quality Assured
Tooltip
These resources have been reviewed and selected by STEM Learning’s team of education specialists for factual accuracy and relevance to teaching STEM subjects in UK schools.

Generating Art: Shape Calculator

This resource, intended for an extended workshop session, uses sequences of instructions for creating drawings as a basis for learning about algorithms. Following the activity (taken from the series CSUnplugged), an introductory look at Scratch explores the different parts of the program and would be suitable for novices. Scratch programs that use the pen for drawing are then debugged, both on and off the computer. Improvements are made to lengthy programs such as creating procedures for repeated commands. The programs are also edited to include user input of variables. A detailed explanation of variables follows, including how they would be used in a calculator program. The children are challenged to create a drawing program that accepts a range of variables to draw different images of varying size. They then add to this program to create abstract art – example code and images for several 2D and 3D shapes is included, with Scratch files for the ‘offline’ Scratch editor. For those who have used the programming language Logo, a quick reference guide sheet compares instructions in both Scratch and Logo. The resource includes model answers for all the challenges, as well as a wipe-clean whiteboard template and several video tutorials. The activity plans can easily be adapted for delivery over a series of separate lessons. Digital School House is associated and fully supported by Ukie

Show health and safety information

Please be aware that resources have been published on the website in the form that they were originally supplied. This means that procedures reflect general practice and standards applicable at the time resources were produced and cannot be assumed to be acceptable today. Website users are fully responsible for ensuring that any activity, including practical work, which they carry out is in accordance with current regulations related to health and safety and that an appropriate risk assessment has been carried out.

Downloads

Show downloads

Close

Download all files as a .zip6.68 MB
Information on the permitted use of this resource is covered by the Category Three Content section in STEM Learning’s Terms and conditions.
Subject(s)Computing
Age5-7, 7-11
Published2010 to 2019
Published by
Collections
Direct URLhttps://www.stem.org.uk/rx357r
RequirementsYou will need to install Scratch. <a href="http://scratch.mit.edu/" target="_blank">Click here to download from the MIT website</a>

Actions

Add to favourites list

Share this resource

Lists that tag this content

KS2 Programming and development, POSTED BY
Scratch Resources, POSTED BY Dave Gibbs