Using Scratch and Minecraft in Middle Years Maths
-
Upload
hawkesdale-p12-college -
Category
Education
-
view
823 -
download
3
Transcript of Using Scratch and Minecraft in Middle Years Maths
Science and Maths teacherHawkesdale P12 College
SW Victoria
Technomaths blog since 2010
Twitter @[email protected]
What is Scratch?
• ‘Scratch’ is an online website and offline software that can be used to create simple animations. It has a range of characters (called ‘sprites’) and backgrounds that can be combined in a multitude of ways. The ‘sprite’ performs on a stage, which is based on the Cartesian co-ordinate system, with (0,0) at the centre. The user creates an animation using simple drag-and-drop commands, such as ‘go to (x,y)’; ‘move 100 steps’ or ‘turn 90 degrees’.
General, transferable skills
• Logical and creative thinking
• Systematic reasoning with instant feedback
• Communication and collaboration with peers
• Problem solving
• Developing patience and persistence
• Greater sense of control and responsibility for the learning process
What Maths concepts can you learn?
• Cartesian co-ordinate system
• Identifying, creating and naming angles (acute, right, obtuse, straight and reflex)
• Identifying, creating and naming polygons
• How to calculate the perimeter of polygons
• How to calculate the area of polygons
Scratch Resources
• Scratch for Parents https://scratch.mit.edu/parents/
•
• Why Learn Scratch? http://learnscratch.org/resources/why-learn-scratch
•
• Why Kids Should Learn Scratch https://thecoderfactory.com/posts/Why-Kids-Should-Learn-Scratch
Victorian F-10 Curriculum
• Creating symmetrical patterns, pictures and shapes with (and without) digital technologies (Year 4);
• Applying the enlargement transformation to familiar two-dimensional shapes and exploring the properties of the resulting image compared with the original (Year 5);
• Introducing the Cartesian Co-ordinate system using all four quadrats (Year 6);
• Describing translations, reflections in an axis and rotations of multiples of 90 degrees on the Cartesian plane using co-ordinates (Year 7); and
• Plotting linear relationships on the Cartesian plane with (and without) the use of digital technologies (Year 8).