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Video summary

A Year 6 class is using Scratch visual programming language to create their own computer games.

We see the children at Code Club, writing their own instructions for the sprites (or characters) in a cat and mouse chase game.

They talk science presenter Minna Kane through their use of commands such as FOREVER, REPEAT, IF/THEN and adding sounds to their games.

We see how they drag command blocks into a sequence to tell the sprites what to do.

They use variables to give the players a score. We see a young coder who has created a game with four sprites and is working through the problems this more complex game creates.

We hear that problem-solving and logical thinking are key skills for coding.

The children suggest more complex games they would like to code in the future.

This clip is from the series Cracking the Code.

Teacher Notes

Could be used as an example activity for designing and writing programs that accomplish specific goals.

Is also a good example of using logical reasoning to explain how a simple program works.

This clip will be relevant for teaching Computing at KS1 and KS2 in England and Northern Ireland, Design and Technology KS2 in Wales and Computing Science and ICT at Second Level in Scotland.

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