CONNECT
Animation is the technique of creating the illusion of movement by rapidly displaying static images, using hand-drawn sketches, frame-by-frame animation, or computer graphics. The evolution began with optical toys in the 19th century and early shorts in the early 20th century.
The digital era, starting with “Toy Story” (1995), brought 3D animation and motion capture.
Today, animation is essential in entertainment, utilizing advanced software and streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+. Notable examples include Disney classics (“The Lion King”), Pixar films (“Toy Story”), Japanese animations (“Spirited Away”), modern animations (“Frozen”), and TV series (“The Simpsons”). Animation continues to evolve with technological and narrative innovations, offering a wide range of stories for all audiences.
CONTEMPLATE
DO YOU KNOW WHAT A PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE IS?
A programming language is a set of commands that allows humans to communicate with computers, specifying what should be done and how it should be accomplished.
Scratch, a visual programming language developed by MIT, offers an accessible and fun way to learn programming, replacing lines of code with colorful blocks in an intuitive graphical interface. It can be accessed via the website: https://scratch.mit.edu/
Learning programming with Scratch is easy because it uses a graphical interface with blocks that fit together like LEGO pieces.
Watch the video to see some examples of projects:
WHAT CAN BE CREATED USING SCRATCH?
With Scratch, it is possible to create a variety of projects, such as interactive stories, games, animations, educational projects, and interactive applications.
The platform offers a wide range of creative possibilities for users to explore.
GETTING TO KNOW THE PROGRAM INTERFACE
The program interface is very intuitive and easy to use.
1 – Stage: the area that will allow the visualization of all the graphic and animated part of the project, and where the tests will be carried out.
2 – Scripts Area: the area where programming will take place. Here will be the codes that will be developed and the blocks that will be dragged.
3 – Block Palette: all the blocks used will be in this area. They are divided by color, and within each color, the blocks have different shapes. Each color is responsible for a function, and depending on the shape, the block returns or reads a type of value.
In the Scripts Area will be the blocks that will be compiled, that is, transformed into a program, which will be visualized through the Stage.
4 – Actors List: the area that will allow the visualization, insertion, and alteration of images that will appear on the Stage. Also known as Actors.
BUILD
ACTIVITY PROPOSAL
Visit the Scratch website at https://scratch.mit.edu/ and create a balloon popping game. To embark on this journey, the user will need to interact with the scene. Follow the step-by-step instructions, and when you’re done, click the green flag and watch the animation you developed.
GETTING TO KNOW SOME PROGRAM FEATURES
1. To rename the actors, click the field next to the text “Actor”.
2. To adjust the position of the actors on the stage, enter the numbers in the x and y coordinate fields.
3. To make the actor visible or invisible, click the icons in the “Show” item.
4. To change the size of the actor, adjust the number in the “Size” field.
5. To change the direction of the actor, adjust the number in the “Direction” field.
PROGRAMMING THE PROJECT
1. Click on the Cat Actor and then the trash icon to delete it.
CREATING A GAME
2. Click the indicated place to select the background and insert the Blue Sky as a new background.
3. Click the indicated place in the list of actors and backgrounds (Choose an Actor) to insert the actor: Balloon1.
4. Click on the Balloon1 Actor, go to Events and drag the block “when this actor clicked” to the Scripts Area.
5. Go to Variables, click Create a Variable to open the blue box. Write the variable name: Score. Click OK. The variable is now created.
6. Still in Variables, drag the block “set my variable to” to the Scripts Area and insert it below the previous block. Change the block option “my variable” to the variable you created “Score”.
7. Go to Operators and drag the block 
into the block “set my variable to” where the value “0” is, and in the addition operation block insert the value “1”.
8. Return to Variables and drag the block “score” into the block in the blank space. At the end, it will look like this:
9. In Sound, drag the block “play sound Pop until done” to the Scripts Area and insert it below the previous block.
10. In Control, drag the block “wait 1 sec” to the Scripts Area and insert it below the previous block. Change the value to“5”.
11. In Variables, drag the block “change my variable by” to the Scripts Area and insert it below the previous block. Change the block option to “Score”.
12. In Control, drag the block “stop all” to the Scripts Area and insert it below the previous block.
13. Create a second programming block. Go to Events and drag the block “when 
clicked” to the Scripts Area.
14. In Variables, drag the block “show variable my variable” to the Scripts Area and insert it below the previous block. Change the block option to “Score”.
15. Click on Control, drag the block “forever” to the Scripts Area and insert it below the previous block.
16. In Looks, drag the block “change color effect by 25” to the Scripts Area and insert it inside the block “forever”.
17. In Motion, drag the block “go to random position” to the Scripts Area and insert it below the previous block.
18. In Control, drag the block “wait 1 sec” to the Scripts Area and insert it below the previous block.
19. Now, to play what you created, click and try to pop the balloons.
CONTINUE
Share with the class the results of the construction:
• Were you able to insert the “score” variable?
• Did the class have a competition, who won?
• What did you think of this game? Would you add anything?