Students will continue their work on their Touch or Avoid Games this week. To assist students with staying on track with a project of large scope such as this one, today we will create To Do Lists, that outline the smaller steps needed to complete the project. If students get stuck in one area (say, can't get something to work with one part of the scripts), they can switch gears and pick something else from the To Do List (say, create the artwork for the background of the game).
This week, students will each individually practise the sorting algorithms (selection sort, quick sort and bubble sort) that were introduced last class. While students are not working on sorting algorithms, they will work through Kodable Pro levels, or may choose to w
Today in class we will be exploring one of the Computer Science Unplugged lessons, where we learn how to sort objects from lightest to heaviest by only using a balance scale to compare weights.
A discussion about how images and pictures found on the web can be used while still respecting Canadian and international copyright law recently came up. The summary is that it is more complicated than we would like to think. Although it is likely that for educational purposes images may be freely used, for the purposes of computer science class at Academie de la Captiale, we will simply avoid the issue by only allowing the use of built-in images, or completely original student created artwork or photos.
Today in class will we discuss the rubric that will be used to grade completed projects. Student input and suggestions are encouraged! Here is a link to the document:
- Video Game Design Rubric In addition to the actual Scratch program, students are expected to complete the following documents (either by hand, on printed copies, or electronically then printed out): - Written Plan - Written Rules and Goals - Written Test Plan Recently, we had a discussion in our Grade 5-7 class about copyright law and how that applied to our Scratch projects. Trademark law is a different but related concept, and recently the Scratch Team had an issue they had to resolve. In short, they decided to rename a Scratch Studio to avoid a trademark issue.
For the details, read here: Scratch and Trademark This week, students will continue working on our Touch or Avoid Game planning. By the end of class, everyone needs to:
- Have a completed Project Plan worksheet If you finish your plan early: 1. Start working on the artwork (Sprites and Stage Backdrops) you will need for your program. 2. Think about how you will actually code your game. Write a little bit of test code if needed. 3. Talk with Mme Sarah about your plan. We want to make sure your game plan will work! After March Break, we will be collaboratively discussing how the game will be marked. This week we will be using Hopscotch to create a Catch the Cupcake program. If students finish early, they may use Kodable Pro.
Here is a link to the step-by-step instructions: Catch the Cupcake Instructions For students new to the Computer Science class, try these items to get yourself started:
1. Step by Step Intro 1. Login to Scrtach (see Mme Sarah for your username and password). 2. Press "Create" in the upper left corner. 3. Select "Tips" from the upper left corner. A help window will appear on the right. 4. Work through the "Step by Step Intro" 2. Starter Scratch Projects Check out these starter projects to look at and modify: Scratch Starter Projects This week, students will be creating a program in Hopscotch (on the iPads) that makes a sprite "march" towards them when the screen is tapped.
If there is time, students may continue playing in Kodable Pro. |
RSS Feed