Notes for Teachers

I happen to think that Scratch is "the best thing since sliced bread".  This software is awesome for students who have never programmed a computer before (be they 8 or 18 years old).

That being said, my students have managed to find a number of ways to take my awesome amazing  "bullet-proof" instructions and say:

• "Why isn't this working?" 
• "I followed your instructions and got this!" 
  
• "Where did all the words go?"
• "When I press Enter, this happens!"

And so, I humbly submit the following warnings for teachers.

I call these "The Weirdness of Scratch".

I hope this helps you to pull out less hair as you learn to teach something new!  

  

scratch.mit.edu

Weirdness of Scratch

Table of Contents for weird things that teachers may encounter when teaching Scratch:

SCRATCH CRASHES!

1. What does it look like when Scratch crashes?
   
2. How do I save when Scratch crashes?
   
   

WHY ISN'T MY SCRIPT WORKING?

1. Are my code blocks are attached properly?
2. Inside or below?  Does it matter?
3. Does the order of the code blocks matter?

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SCRATCH CRASHES

What it looks like, and what to do!

1.What does it look like when
     Scratch crashes?

When Scratch crashes, the window stays open, but many of the words disappear, especially variable names and the top menu "File Edit View ...".

However, the options themselves are still there, just invisible.  So, you can still click on the save icon (the Floppy Disk) and it will save your work.

Or, if the student's network folder is full, you can click where the word "File" used to be, go down to the fourth invisible option ("Save As..."), click the student's Desktop, and enter an invisible file name.  Even though it is weird, the file has always saved for me!  Strange but true.

Scratch menu options disappear during a crash.

   

Scratch variables, sound names and other user-entered data disappear during a crash.

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2. How do I save
     when Scratch crashes?

EASY SOLUTION:
Let's assume that you've already saved your work once, but now Scratch has decided to crash.

The easiest way to save is to click on the save icon (the Floppy Disk).  Wait for the notification blocks (they flit across the window.)

If you've already saved it once, then just press the save button before you close.

HARDER SOLUTION:

However, if you've never saved the file before, then you need to work with the invisible options!  Weird but true!

Let's assume that the problem might also include that the student's network folder is full (a common problem).  Therefore, we want to save to the student's Desktop.

1. Click where the word "File" word used to be.  It will highlight but the word "File" will remain invisible.
2. Move your mouse down four options to the invisible "Save As...".
3. Click the Desktop button.
4. Click in the "filename" area, and type in a file name.  It will move the cursor along, but the letters will be invisible.
5. Click the Save button (that may be invisible).
6. Check the student's Desktop to see that the file appears.

Strange but true!

If you haven't yet saved this file, then you may still be able to save it!
Just click the invisible FILE menu choice, and the 4th one down is 'SAVE AS...'.

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Why isn't my script
     working?

There are many reasons why your script might not work.  Here are the most common.

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[[ this page still under construction.... ]]

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Weirdness #1

Dragging blocks on top of each other DOESN'T guarantee that they are connected.

  Weirdness #1a

When blocks ARE connected, the white line appears, like this.

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When blocks AREN'T connected, they might look like this.

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Weirdness #1b

When blocks need to go inside other blocks, they look like this.

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When those blocks are not working, they often look like this.

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Weirdness #3

Question: When is an "IF" not an "IF"?    
Answer:  When the second "IF" is inside the first "IF"
                 (and it shouldn't be!)

The video here is one that I made for the students.

Here's what they are supposed to do.

And here's what you'll often find.

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Mr. Rich's "To Do" List
for Frogger Video Instructions

• Finish Teacher Page (for Scratch Weirdness)
• Re-do the "Welcome Screen" video so that it provides more specific instructions.
• Re-do the "Game Over screen" and add "go to front"
• Spend more time on the math involved in video 27
• Create another video to stop overlapping cars after cars appear in Level 3 & 6
• Re-do the Level 3 & 6 video, as the formula doesn't work (but cars do come in at levels 4 & 7....)
• Re-do the Game Over broadcast video to have a "say Game Over" before the STOP SCRIPT code.