5th Grade Coding an Ocean Tour
Fifth graders at Trevvett Elementary have been learning about the ocean (SOL5.6), so today students in Ms. Adamonis’ class used code to create an ocean tour in Scratch. First, we discussed different topics they could include in their tour: parts of the ocean floor, different depth zones, and various ecosystems. Next, we went to Scratch, and I showed them how to change the background by either drawing it or uploading a picture. Then they needed to add a tour guide (called a “sprite” in Scratch). Most of the students chose one from the built-in library, but they could also draw their own. Finally, I explained how to use code to create the tour. The drag and drop pieces of code could be used to animate the tour guide and make it “speak.” They quickly discovered the sound effects code and had fun adding audio to their projects. Some of the students went way beyond the original scope of the assignment and added keyboard strokes so that it could be played by an external controller (like a Makey Makey). They shared their finished projects on Schoology, but you can see them all here.