CREATE A STORY / EDUCATOR GUIDE CREATE A STORY / EDUCATOR GUIDE
EDUCATOR GUIDE Workshop Overview
Create a Story Here’s a suggested agenda for a
one-hour workshop:
With this guide, you can plan and lead
a one-hour workshop using Scratch.
Participants will create a story with settings, First, gather as a group to
characters, and dialogue. introduce the theme and
IMAGINE spark ideas.
10 minutes
Next, help participants as
they create story projects,
CREATE working at their own pace.
40 minutes
At the end of the session,
gather together to share
SHARE and reflect.
10 minutes
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CREATE A STORY / EDUCATOR GUIDE CREATE A STORY / EDUCATOR GUIDE
Get Ready for the Workshop Imagine IMAGINE
Use this checklist to prepare for the workshop. Begin by gathering the participants to introduce
the theme and spark ideas for projects.
Preview the Tutorial
The Create a Story tutorial shows participants Warm-up Activity: Draw a Hat
how to create their own projects. Preview the
tutorial before your workshop and try the first
few steps: Give each participant a piece of paper. Ask them to think of a
scratch.mit.edu/story favorite character (for example, from a book, movie, or their
imagination). Then, ask them to imagine a new scene. Where could
their character go? Who would they meet there? What would they
say? Suggest that they write or draw the scene from their story.
Print the Activity Cards
Ask them to share their scene with someone else in the group.
Print a few sets of Create a Story cards
to have available for participants during
the workshop. Provide Ideas and Inspiration
scratch.mit.edu/story/cards
Show some example Story projects to spark ideas. You can
find some in the Create a Story examples Studio on the Scratch
Make sure participants have Scratch accounts website.
Participants can sign up for their own Scratch accounts at
scratch.mit.edu, or you can set up student accounts if you
have a Teacher Account. To request a Teacher Account, go to:
scratch.mit.edu/educators
Set up a studio for project sharing on Scratch
Set up a studio so participants will be able to add their projects.
Go to your My Stuff page, then click the + New Studio button.
Type in a name for the studio (such as ‘Our Fashion Projects’).
Set up computers or laptops
View the studio at: scratch.mit.edu/studios/3757922
Arrange computers so that participants can
work individually or in pairs.
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CREATE A STORY / EDUCATOR GUIDE CREATE A STORY / EDUCATOR GUIDE
Demonstrate the First Steps IMAGINE Create CREATE
Demonstrate the first few steps of the tutorial Support participants as they create Story
so participants can see how to get started. projects, on their own or in pairs.
In Scratch, click Create. Start with Prompts
Choose a setting from the Backdrop library: Ask participants questions to get started
Where will your What will
story take place? happen first?
Choose a character from the Sprite library:
Provide Resources
Offer options for getting started
Start your story:
Some participants may want Others may want to explore
to follow the online tutorial: using the activity cards:
scratch.mit.edu/story scratch.mit.edu/story/cards
Choose a new character and make it appear:
Suggest Ideas for Starting
• Choose a backdrop. • Make a character say something
• Choose a character. • Make a character hide and show.
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CREATE A STORY / EDUCATOR GUIDE CREATE A STORY / EDUCATOR GUIDE
CREATE Share SHARE
More Things to Try
Help the participants add their projects to a
shared studio in Scratch. Give them a link to the
• Switch backdrops.
• Make your characters studio. Then they can click ‘Add Projects’ at the
have a conversation. bottom of the page.
• Move your characters.
• Change something
when you click on it. Ask for volunteers to show their project to the
group.
Support Tinkering
What’s Next?
Scratch is designed to support creating Participants can use these ideas and concepts to create a
by experimenting and tinkering. So, variety of projects. Here are some variations on the story
your participants may want to start their project you could suggest:
stories without planning beforehand. As
they create, one idea can spark another.
Retell a story
Celebrate their sparks of creativity and the
unexpected turns their stories may take. Start with a story you know and make
it in Scratch. Imagine a new ending or
a different setting.
Prepare to Share Neighbourhood story
Take photos of your classroom, school,
To add instructions and credits or neighborhood and use them as
to a project, click the button: backdrops in your story.
“See project page”.
Round-robin story
This video shows how to share a
project on the Scratch website: Give everyone 5 minutes to start a story.
vimeo.com/llk/share Then, have them switch to the next
computer to add to the story. Repeat.
Scratch is a project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab.
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