Lesson 4: Introduction to Visual Programming
Learning Objectives
- Understand the basic concepts of visual programming: Students will be able to understand the difference between visual programming and traditional programming, and gain a preliminary understanding of the modularity and visualization of programming.
- Learn the basic operations of visual programming: Students will master how to implement simple programs by dragging and dropping code modules.
- Experience the creativity of programming: Through simple programming projects, students will be able to experience the joy of creative programming and stimulate their hands-on abilities.
Course Outline
1. Introduction (10 minutes)
- Introducing the Topic: Ask students: “Did you know that many of the little games we usually play can actually be made by dragging and dropping some blocks?” This will introduce the concept of “visual programming.”
- Brief Introduction: Explain that visual programming is a method of writing programs by dragging and dropping graphical modules, often used for children and programming beginners. Give examples to show that traditional programming uses text to write code, while visual programming allows for a more intuitive way to “build” programs using block-like modules.
2. Main Content (25 minutes)
- Basic Concepts of Visual Programming (10 minutes)
- Introducing Scratch: Introduce Scratch or a similar visual programming platform in simple, easy-to-understand language, showing its interface and main functional modules.
- Module Demonstration: Demonstrate simple operations like dragging instruction modules and controlling a character’s movement or rotation. A small example (like “making the cat dance”) can be used to show the actual effects of programming.
- Basic Programming Operations Practice (10 minutes)
- Task Description: Students follow the demonstration to complete a simple task, such as “making a character draw a square on the screen.”
- Explaining Code Blocks: Introduce basic control modules like “motion,” “looks,” and “events” to help students understand how to make characters move, change color, change shape, etc.
- Interactive Session: Encourage students to try combining different modules to see what effects are produced. Through trial and observation, students can deepen their understanding of programming instructions.
- Mini-Project: Creating an Animation or a Small Game (5 minutes)
- Project Introduction: Students design a simple animation or a small game, which could be a character walking or jumping on the screen, or a simple maze game.
- Group Activity: Students work in groups to create, exercising their hands-on abilities and teamwork, and applying the programming modules they have learned in the process.
3. Work Display and Feedback (10 minutes)
- Display and Sharing: Each group of students presents their work, explaining how they achieved the character’s actions. Other students can be invited to give feedback or suggest improvements.
- Summary and Inspiration: The teacher summarizes the highlights of each work, encourages students to be creative, and explains the application of visual programming in animation and game design.
4. Conclusion and Q&A (5 minutes)
- Review of the Lesson: Summarize the basic operations and instruction modules of visual programming, and review the concepts students learned in the project.
- Q&A Session: Answer students’ questions and encourage them to continue trying to create their own small works with visual programming after class.
Teaching Resources
- Computers and Tablets: To allow each student to have hands-on practice.
- Visual Programming Tools: It is recommended to use Scratch or a similar online visual programming platform.
- Sample Works: Prepare a few simple Scratch examples so that students can have a visual understanding of the work’s effects before they start.
After-Class Activity
- Hands-on Task: Have students design a simple animation or a small game using Scratch and share it with family and friends.
- Thinking Task: Encourage students to think about what instruction modules would need to be added to make a character perform more complex actions or interactions. More features can be explored in the next lesson.