Lesson 13: Mini-Project - Animation
Overview
Question of the Day: How can we combine different programming patterns to make a complete animation?
In this lesson, students are asked to combine different methods that they have learned to create an animated scene. Students first review the types of movement and animation that they have learned, and brainstorm what types of scenes might need that movement. They then begin to plan out their own animated scenes, which they create in Game Lab.
Purpose
This is a chance for students to get more creative with what they have learned. Some students may spend more time in the animation tab drawing than programming. Encourage students to spend time on parts of the activity that interest them, as long as they meet the requirements of the assignment.
Agenda
Lesson Modifications
Warm Up (5 min)
Activity (35 min)
Wrap up (5 min)
View on Code Studio
Links
Heads Up! Please make a copy of any documents you plan to share with students.
For the Teachers
- Mini-Project: Animation - Slides
- Animated Scene Planning - Exemplar
For the Students
- Animated Scene - Activity Guide
- Animated Scene - Rubric
Teaching Guide
Lesson Modifications
Attention, teachers! If you are teaching virtually or in a socially-distanced classroom, please see these modifications for Unit 3.
Warm Up (5 min)
Discussion Goal
The goal of this discussion is to review the different types of movement and animations that students have learned. As students talk about the different methods, make sure that they are mentioning why that type of movement would be useful. Press them to be specific about what they might animate using the various methods.
Review
Prompt: Write down as many types of movement and animations as you can remember from the previous lesson. Make sure you know what blocks and patterns you need to make those movements, and when those movements would be useful.
Share: Allow students to share out what they remember as a group review.
Remarks
Now that we can control the way that our sprites move a little better, we're going to have a chance to put everything together to make an animation from scratch.
Question of the Day: How can we combine different programming patterns to make a complete animation?
Activity (35 min)
Distribute: (Optional) pass out copies of the activity guide. Students can use this sheet to plan out the animation they create at the end of this lesson, but the planning can also be completed on scratch paper.
Transition Send students to Code Studio.
Teaching Tip
You may choose to formalize this process by having each student write down one positive quality of each project, or having students "draw names" to comment on one particular classmate's work.
Gallery Walk
Allow students to walk around the room and see the pictures that each of their classmates has coded. Celebrate all of the different ideas that students were able to implement with the same basic code.
Wrap up (5 min)
Discussion Goal
This discussion should serve as a celebration of what the students have accomplished. As students share out what they have seen, encourage them to learn from each other and ask questions if they were not sure how to do something. Highlight how students were able to do very different things with the same tool.
Journal
Question of the Day: How can we combine different programming patterns to make a complete animation?
Prompt: What was one interesting way that you saw sprite movement used today?
Share: Have students share out what they appreciated about their classmates' projects. You may want to do this "popcorn" style, with each student who responds choosing the next person to share.
- Lesson Overview
- 1
Teaching Tip
- Animated Scene Planner - Exemplar - Activity Guide (PDF | DOCX)
Student Instructions
- Example Animated Scene
- 2
Student Instructions
Animated Scenes
It's time to try out an animated scene. Take a look at this example and think about what you'd like to make.
Animated Example
- What movements do you see in this scene?
- Which movements use random numbers?
- Which movements use the counter pattern?
- Plan Your Scene
- 3
Student Instructions
Plan Your Scene
Before moving on, take a second to plan out a scene that you'd like to make.
Sketch It Out
Consider the simple shapes that you've used in the past, sprites for your characters, and any text that you'd like on the screen.
Plan the Movemement
- What movements do you want in your scene?
- Which will use random numbers?
- Which will use the counterpattern?
- Will you need variables to store information about where something is?
Learning More
- Is there anything else that you still need to learn how to do?
- Are there any skills that you'd like to review?
- Where can you find the information you need?
- Draw a Background
- 4
Student Instructions
Create Your Scene - Background
First, make the background of your scene, either with shape commands or sprites.
Do This
- Use a
background()command to fill the screen with a color. - Add any necessary shape commands or sprites to draw the background of your scene.
- Add Sprites
- 5
Student Instructions
Create Your Scene - Sprites
With your background in place, it's time to add your sprites.
Do This
- Add or create all of your sprite animations in the Animation Tab.
- Create each sprite and assign it an animation.
- Set the value for any sprite properties you'd like to use.
- Draw all of your sprites to the screen.
- Add Text
- 6
Student Instructions
Create Your Scene - Text
The next piece of your scene is to add text.
Do This
- Add a text to your project.
- Use any other commands to change the appearance of your text.
- Add Movement
- 7
Student Instructions
Create Your Scene - Movement
The final piece of your scene is to animate your scene by adding movement.
Do This
- Add movement to your sprites, text, or drawn shapes.
- Include one type of random movement.
- Include one type of counter pattern movement.
- Review Your Animated Scene
- 8
Student Instructions
Review Your Scene
Check over your animated scene one last time to make sure you have included everything that you want.
Do this
- Compare the animated scene that you drew to your plan.
- Make any last changes.
- What are you most proud of?
Standards Alignment
View full course alignment
CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards (2017)
AP - Algorithms & Programming
- 2-AP-11 - Create clearly named variables that represent different data types and perform operations on their values.
- 2-AP-13 - Decompose problems and subproblems into parts to facilitate the design, implementation, and review of programs.
- 2-AP-17 - Systematically test and refine programs using a range of test cases.
- 2-AP-19 - Document programs in order to make them easier to follow, test, and debug.