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6. STEM Stage 1 Activity 9

Stage 1 – STEM Activity 9

Digital green

Description of activity

Students will develop an animated multimedia presentation based on a story they have written about an aspect of sustainability that interests them. An example of this could be endangered animals, the effects of water shortage or human intervention is having on their habitat.

This activity will take approximately 90 minutes for:

• storyboarding
• familiarisation with ScratchJr (if new to students)
• programming a simple presentation.

Context

Students have been studying ways in which the environment provides for the needs of living things.

Using ScratchJr (a free app for iPad or Android tablet) enables students to develop a digital story.

Outcomes

Skills

ST1-4WS investigates questions and predictions by collecting and recording data, sharing and reflecting on their experiences and comparing what they and others know
ST1-5WT uses a structured design process, everyday tools, materials, equipment and techniques to produce solutions that respond to identified needs and wants
MA1-2WM uses objects, diagrams and technology to explore mathematical problems

Knowledge and understanding

ST1-9ES identifies ways that people use science in their daily lives to care for the environment and the Earth’s resources
ST1-11LW describes ways that different places in the environment provide for the needs of living things
ST1-15I describes a range of familiar information sources and technologies and how their purposes influence their design
MA1-8NA creates, represents and continues a variety of patterns with numbers and objects
MA1-13MG describes, compares and orders durations of events, and reads half- and quarter-hour time
MA1-16MG represents and describes the positions of objects in everyday situations and on maps
EN1-3A composes texts using letters of consistent size and slope and uses digital technologies
EN1-10C thinks imaginatively and creatively about familiar topics, ideas and texts when responding to and composing texts
GE1-1 describes features of places and the connections people have with places

Resources

• IPads or Android tablets with ScratchJr. app installed
• Storyboard template that is clearly aligned to the presentation

Work, health and safety

• Check relevant Work, health and safety guidelines.

Evidence of work for assessment purposes

• Animated, multimedia presentation produced using ScratchJr.
• Storyboard related to the presentation.

STEM teaching and learning activities

• Teacher uses a storybook dealing with sustainability and/or extinctions to initiate discussion.
• Students are challenged to retell or extend the chosen story.
• Students are presented with a storyboard template and instructed on its use.
• Students use this template to build their presentation. Teacher checks the storyboard. It helps the teacher understand the intent of the presentation and thus the teacher can help the student execute their idea.
• Demonstration to refresh students’ understanding of how to make a character move and how to change a background in ScratchJr.
• Once the teacher approves the storyboard, students commence programming. They may need help with the logical (computational) thinking required to achieve their desired multimedia presentation.
• Students will consider the following while programming ScratchJr:
  • relative positions and movements of the characters
  • duration and sequencing of each scene
  • recurring patterns of movement
• Students share their presentation with the class in order to receive and get feedback.

Vocabulary list

Algorithm – a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem.
Coding – the symbolic arrangement of statements or instructions in a computer program
Multimedia – any collection of data including text, graphics, images, audio and video
Storyboard – a series of drawings that show what the presentation will look like. It is annotated to indicate the action sequence, any sounds and dialogue (recorded or written).

Key inquiry questions

The main inquiry questions will come from the story that students have read. Some possibilities might be:

• Will the forest be here next time we come back?
• What happened to the forest?
• Where did the dinosaurs go?

Additional information

ScratchJr. is a simple way to introduce students to coding. It has a graphical interface that most students are very familiar with through app game play and use of mobile phones. It uses drag-and-drop processes and is very simple and engaging.

Support materials

• ScratchJr: teacher information, activities and videos
• Introduction to ScratchJr: set of simple tutorials
• YouTube video: How to storyboard
• YouTube video: Coding for kids general information about coding.

Diversity of learners

For extension

• Preparation for this activity may involve study of a particular text. See One World for suggestions.
• Use ScratchJr for any sequencing task, eg instructions on how to make a storyboard.
• Students design their own background in ScratchJr.

Review

In this STEM activity, students use computational thinking to create a presentation. They are linking fictional texts to scientific understanding of sustainability and extinction and have been provided with the opportunity to create an animated presentation.

The ability to organise and sequence thoughts and actions is an essential cognitive skill that is used in all facets of life.