Overview

Storytelling is a complete theme designed to be completed over eight, 45-75 minute sessions. For each lesson, students will watch a series of videos and create one coding project with opportunities to personalize their work using “Add-Ons,” which are mini-coding challenges that build on top of the core project.

Storytelling: At-A-Glance

In Storytelling, students use computer science to tell fun and interactive stories. Storytelling emphasizes creativity

by encouraging students to tell a unique story each day.  If you get stuck, review the Storytelling Solution Sheets.

Digital materials are accessible online. For more details on using CS First, review the Starter Guide.

Storytelling: Theme Outline

    Lesson 1: Dialogue

Dialogue: Agenda Highlights

1. Recap the last lesson and have students log in to the CS First website using their student accounts.
2. Students watch videos and create a "Dialogue" project in Scratch for CS First.
3. Check in with students as they watch the videos and complete their projects.

• Video 1: Students should use the tabs on their internet browser to switch between the Scratch for CS First tab and CS First tab.

4. Students choose Add-ons to enhance their project.
5. When there are five minutes left in class, instruct students to find the Wrap Up page and complete the short survey.
6. Your students’ projects are automatically shared with your teacher account.  Encourage students to also show their projects to a neighbor/classmate.
7. Discuss the lesson and facilitate a brief discussion about what students learned and experienced.

• Question 1: What was your favorite part of this lesson?
• Question 2: What was challenging about sequencing your code?
• Question 3: What was most interesting about your story or a neighbor's story?

 Lesson 2: Check it Out

Introduction and Discovery:  Agenda Highlights

1. Have students log in to the CS First website using their student accounts.
2. Students watch videos and create a "Check It Out" project in Scratch for CS First.
3. Check in with students as they watch the videos and complete their projects.

• Video 1: Students should use the tabs on their internet browser to switch between the Scratch for CS First tab and CS First tab.

4. Students choose Add-ons to enhance their project.
5. When there are five minutes left in class, instruct students to find the Wrap Up page and complete the short survey.
6. Your students’ projects are automatically shared with your teacher account.  Encourage students to also show their projects to a neighbor/classmate.
7. Discuss the lesson and facilitate a brief discussion about what students learned and experienced.

• Question 1: What was your favorite part of this lesson?
• Question 2: What story did you tell?
• Question 3: What blocks did you use, and what did they do?

Lesson 2: Check it Out

Introduction and Discovery:  Agenda Highlights

8. Have students log in to the CS First website using their student accounts.
9. Students watch videos and create a "Check It Out" project in Scratch for CS First.
10. Check in with students as they watch the videos and complete their projects.

• Video 1: Students should use the tabs on their internet browser to switch between the Scratch for CS First tab and CS First tab.

11. Students choose Add-ons to enhance their project.
12. When there are five minutes left in class, instruct students to find the Wrap Up page and complete the short survey.
13. Your students’ projects are automatically shared with your teacher account.  Encourage students to also show their projects to a neighbor/classmate.
14. Discuss the lesson and facilitate a brief discussion about what students learned and experienced.

• Question 1: What was your favorite part of this lesson?
• Question 2: What story did you tell?
• Question 3: What blocks did you use, and what did they do?

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Lesson 3: Setting

Setting: Agenda Highlights

1. Recap the last lesson and have students log in to the CS First website using their student accounts.
2. Students watch videos and create a "Setting" project in Scratch for CS First.
3. Check in with students as they watch the videos and complete their projects.

• Video 2: Common problem: The rain moves off the stage and is difficult to retrieve.

• If a sprite is ever out of view (preventing you from dragging it), click a "go to" block with x and y values of 0 (in the motion menu). This will move the sprite to the middle of the stage.

• Common problem: A student wants to reorder the layering of sprites (either the earth sprite is on top of the rain, or the rain sprite is on top of the earth).

• To set a sprite to the front stage position, select the looks menu, and click "go to front."

• Video 3: Common problem: The backdrop is "stuck" on the lightning flash.

• The program ended with the lightning backdrop shown. This can be fixed by placing a "change backdrop to: night sky" block after a "when flag clicked" block. Or, simply click the stage, select the backdrops tab, and select the night sky.

• Video 4: Students will need to place a loop within a loop. The ordering of these instructions can be confusing (especially to novice programmers). If you notice students have difficulty sequencing these instructions, ask them to read the inner loop first, then the outer loop. The inner loop should make the lightning flash by changing backdrops. The outer loop should make that lightning flash at random times throughout the program.
• Video 5: This video asks students to create a story on top of this stormy day setting. If they are having difficulty, suggest they start by using "say" blocks, and see where the story takes them.
  

Setting: Agenda Highlights - continued

4. Students choose Add-ons to enhance their project.
5. When there are five minutes left in class, instruct students to find the Wrap Up page and complete the
   short survey.
6. Your students’ projects are automatically shared with your teacher account.  Encourage students to also show their projects to a neighbor/classmate.
7. Discuss the lesson and facilitate a brief discussion about what students learned and experienced.

• Question 1: What was the story you built in the stormy day setting?
• Question 2: What does it mean if something happens randomly?
• Question 3: What do loops do? (answer: repeat instructions)

Premise: Agenda Highlights

1. Recap the last lesson and have students log in to the CS First website using their student accounts.
2. Students watch videos and create a "Premise" project in Scratch for CS First.
3. Check in with students as they watch the videos and complete their projects.

• Video 1: Students will choose one starter project with which to build their story.

4. Students choose Add-ons to enhance their project.
5. When there are five minutes left in class, instruct students to find the Wrap Up page and complete the short survey.
6. Your students’ projects are automatically shared with your teacher account.  Encourage students to also show their projects to a neighbor/classmate.
7. Discuss the lesson and facilitate a brief discussion about what students learned and experienced.

• Question 1: What was your favorite part of this lesson?
• Question 2: What did you like about your story once you finish.

Lesson 5: Characterization

Characterization:  Agenda Highlights

1. Recap the last lesson and have students log in to the CS First website using their student accounts.
2. Students watch videos and create a "Characterization" project in Scratch for CS First.
3. Check in with students as they watch the videos and complete their projects.

• Video 2: Students may get stuck planning their story. Encourage them to start with whatever ideas they have, and that there are no wrong answers.
• Video 3: Students may get confused as to which blocks should go with each sprite. The narrator (cat) sprite should have a lot of "say" blocks and "broadcast" blocks. No code is added to the character sprite during this video.
• Video 4: All code from this video will be for the character sprite. At the end of this video, the code won't run in the project unless students click on it. The code will be integrated into the story in the next video.
• Video 5: Common problem: Make sure the narrator broadcasts the message with a "broadcast" block, and that the character sprite receives it with a "when I receive" block.

• If the character doesn't walk, students may have forgotten to change the message being sent and received. Make sure they have created a separate message for "walking."

4. Students choose Add-ons to enhance their project.
5. When there are five minutes left in class, instruct students to find the Wrap Up page and complete the short survey.
6. Your students’ projects are automatically shared with your teacher account.  Encourage students to also show their projects to a neighbor/classmate.  
7. Discuss the lesson and facilitate a brief discussion about what students learned and experienced.

• Question 1: What was your favorite part of this lesson?
• Question 2: How did you use broadcast in your story?

Interactive Storytelling: Agenda Highlights

1. Recap the last lesson and have students log in to the CS First website using their student accounts.
2. Students watch videos and create an "Interactive Storytelling" project in Scratch for CS First.
3. Check in with students as they watch the videos and complete their projects.

• Video 2: Show students that what they type at the box in the bottom changes the value of "answer."

If they can't see the value of "answer" in the top left corner of their screen, go to the sensing menu, and check  the box next to "answer."

• Video 3: Possible problem: If the condition contains spaces that aren't in the answer, the program won't work. For example, " yes" does not equal "yes."

• Possible problem: The "switch backdrop to" block has the wrong backdrop selected. Have students compare the name of the backdrop to the backdrop selected in the dropdown.

4. Students choose Add-ons to enhance their project.
5. When there are five minutes left in class, instruct students to find the Wrap Up page and complete the short survey.
6. Your students’ projects are automatically shared with your teacher account.  Encourage students to also show their projects to a neighbor/classmate.
7. Discuss the lesson and facilitate a brief discussion about what students learned and experienced.

• Question 1: What was your favorite part of this lesson?
• Question 2: How did you use an if/else statement in your project?
• Question 3: What did you program in each world you created?

Lesson 7:  Personal Narrative

Personal Narrative: Agenda Highlights

1. Recap the last lesson and have students log in to the CS First website using their student accounts.
2. Students watch videos and create a "Personal Narrative" project in Scratch for CS First.
3. Check in with students as they watch the videos and complete their projects.

• Video 1: Circulate around the room and ensure that students are moving on from the survey. Remind students that there are no right or wrong answers.

4. When there are five minutes left in class, instruct students to find the Wrap Up page and complete the short survey.
5. Your students’ projects are automatically shared with your teacher account.  Encourage students to also show their projects to a neighbor/classmate.
6. Discuss the lesson and facilitate a brief discussion about what students learned and experienced.
7. The projects of students in your class are automatically shared with your teacher account. Encourage students to  show their projects to a neighbor/classmate.
8. Discuss the lesson and facilitate a brief discussion about what students learned and experienced.

• Question 1: What did you program your story to do?
• Question 2: What types of blocks did you use in your story?
• Question 3: Did you use any blocks for this lesson that you haven't used before?

Lesson 8:  Your Innovation Story

Your Innovation Story: Agenda Highlights

1. Recap the last lesson and have students log in to the CS First website using their student accounts.
2. Students watch videos and create a "Your Innovation Story" project in Scratch for CS First.
3. Check in with students as they watch the videos and complete their projects.

• Video 2: Look for signs that students haven't selected an innovation (Scribbling in the paint editor, dragging out many unconnected blocks, etc.).

4. Students choose Add-ons to enhance their project.
5. When there are five minutes left in class, instruct students to find the Wrap Up page and complete the short survey.
6. Your students’ projects are automatically shared with your teacher account.  Encourage students to also show their projects to a neighbor/classmate.
7. Discuss the lesson and facilitate a brief discussion about what students learned and experienced.

• Question 1: What was your favorite program that you made in this class and why?
• Question 2: What was the most surprising thing that you were able to do?
• Question 3: What was the most important thing that you learned about computer science?
• Question 4: What do computer scientists do?
• Question 5: Does anyone have any questions for me about what we've worked on in this class or about computer science in general?

CS First projects are coded using Scratch, a block-based coding tool developed by the Scratch Foundation in collaboration with the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab. Learn more about Scratch at scratch.mit.edu.

 CS First lesson plans are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Scratch is developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. See http://scratch.mit.edu