< Course F (2021)

Lesson 2: Making Sprites

50 minutes

Overview

In this skill-building lesson, students will work through a series of programming levels on the computer, finishing with an open-ended “free play” task where they can build whatever they like. Students will write programs and learn about the two concepts at the heart of Sprite Lab: sprites and behaviors.

Purpose

This lesson is designed to introduce students to programming in Sprite Lab. Students will begin to form an understanding of the programming model of this tool, and explore ways they can use it to express themselves.

CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards (2017)
    • 1B-AP-10 - Create programs that include sequences, events, loops, and conditionals.
    • 1B-AP-12 - Modify, remix or incorporate portions of an existing program into one's own work, to develop something new or add more advanced features.

Agenda

Objectives

Students will be able to:
  • Create an animation using sprites, and behaviors.
  • Create new sprites and assign them costumes and behaviors.

Preparation

Play through the levels and review the *lesson slides.

Links

Heads Up! Please make a copy of any documents you plan to share with students.

For the teachers

Vocabulary

  • Algorithm - A list of steps to complete a task.
  • Behavior - An action that a sprite performs continuously until it’s told to stop.
  • Program - An algorithm that has been coded into something that can be run by a machine.
  • Sprite - A graphic on the screen with a location, size, and appearance.

Teaching Guide

Warm Up (10 minutes)

Introduction

Instructions for a Scene

Remarks

Last time, we explored apps and games created with Sprite Lab. Today we are going to begin writing our own code to create simple sprite animations.

Do this: Using the lesson warm up slides, or this sample project, show students the animation of the ant and dragonfly.

Discuss: How would you describe this sprite scene? If you wanted someone to create this scene for you on a computer, what instructions would they need?

Discussion goal: Students should identify both sprites in this project, describe their behaviors (movements), and also notice the background. Give students time to brainstorm ideas. If they aren’t sure what to say, clarify that you are just asking them to state observations about what they see.

Next, show the actual code used for this project and invite students to attempt to read through it.

Reflect: What is the same or different about our instructions and this code?

Main Activity (35 minutes)

Making Sprites

Prediction (3 mins)

Do This: Have students read the provided code and make a prediction about what will happen. After pressing “Run”, provide time for students to reflect on anything they found interesting or that surprised them.

Teaching Tip

In prediction puzzles students are asked to read a provided program and answer a question about it. The question must be answered before the student may press the “Run” button. While it is possible to use these questions as a form of assessment, keep in mind that they are often placed at the start of a lesson as a way to get students questioning things before they are even formally shown how something new works.

Do This: Play the video, “How to Make a Sprite”

Skill Building and Practice (20 mins)

Transition: Have students move to their computer and sign in.

These activities are suitable for independent learning or pair programming.

Students should complete the Skill Building levels and then spend any remaining time choosing from the various Practice activities.

Teaching Tip

Many lessons in this course include both “Skill Building” and “Practice” levels. In terms of assessment, all students should complete the skill building section. Practice levels can be used for differentiation or for providing more choice for students.

Free Play (10 mins)

Transition: Students should now skip to the final level in the lesson where they will be able to make their own project.

Teaching Tip

Free Play levels are designed to be a quick opportunity for students to apply what they have been learning in a creative way. Students should experiment with their own ideas and can be encouraged to share and collaborate with each other.

Wrap Up (5 minutes)

Reflection

Remarks

Today you learned how to write code to create programs in Sprite Lab.

Program - An algorithm that has been coded into something that can be run by a machine.

Algorithm - A list of steps to complete a task.

Journaling

Having students write about what they learned, why it’s useful, and how they feel about it can help solidify any knowledge they obtained today and build a review sheet for them to look to in the future.

Prompts: What advice would you have for a friend who is interested in creating their own programs in Sprite Lab?

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