🌟 Phase 1 · Getting Started
🟢 Beginner
MODULE 01
Meet Scratch
Your progress in Phase 125%
🎯 What you'll learn: What Scratch is and why it's so fun, how to find your way around the Scratch editor, what sprites and the stage are, how to use motion blocks, and how to make your very first project — a moving cat!
Section 1
What is Scratch?
Scratch is a visual programming language made especially for kids and beginners. Instead of typing complicated code like professional programmers do, you build programs by snapping colourful blocks together — just like LEGO!
Scratch was created by a group called the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at MIT (a very famous university in the USA). It's completely free, works in your web browser, and is used by millions of kids and even adults all over the world.
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Why is it called "Scratch"?
In music, DJs "scratch" records to mix sounds together. In Scratch, you mix code blocks together to create something new — that's where the name comes from!
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100+ Languages
Scratch works in over 100 languages. You can code in Urdu, Arabic, Hindi, and many more!
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100 Million Projects
Over 100 million projects have been shared on the Scratch website by creators worldwide.
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100% Free
Scratch is completely free forever. No downloads needed — just go to scratch.mit.edu!
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Made at MIT
Created by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Section 2
The Scratch Interface
When you open Scratch, you'll see three main areas. Learning these is your first step to becoming a Scratch creator!
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The Stage
The big white area on the right where your project runs. Like the screen of a TV!
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Sprites
Characters and objects in your project. The orange cat you see at the start is a sprite!
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Blocks Palette
The colourful blocks on the left. Drag them into the middle area to write your code!
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The Block Categories
Scratch blocks are sorted by colour: Motion (blue) moves sprites · Looks (purple) changes appearance · Sound (yellow) plays audio · Events (orange) starts things · Control (orange) loops and if-statements · Sensing (green) detects things.
Quick Tour of Scratch
SCRATCH
── LEFT PANEL ────────────────────────────── Blocks Palette → All the coding blocks, sorted by colour Code Area → Drag blocks here to build your program ── RIGHT PANEL ───────────────────────────── Stage → Where your project plays (480 × 360 pixels) Green Flag 🚩 → Click to START your project Red Stop ⛔ → Click to STOP your project ── BOTTOM PANEL ──────────────────────────── Sprite List → All your sprites shown as thumbnails Backdrop List → All your backgrounds
Section 3
Your First Blocks — Motion
Let's make something happen! The Motion blocks (blue) control where sprites move on the stage. Here are the most important ones to know:
Key Motion Blocks
SCRATCH BLOCKS
move (10) steps → Move forward by 10 pixels turn ↻ (15) degrees → Rotate clockwise by 15° turn ↺ (15) degrees → Rotate anticlockwise by 15° go to x: (0) y: (0) → Jump to centre of stage if on edge, bounce → Bounce when hitting the wall set rotation style → Choose how sprite turns
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The Stage has X and Y coordinates
The centre of the stage is
x:0, y:0. Moving right increases X, moving left decreases X. Moving up increases Y, moving down decreases Y. Don't worry — you'll get used to this very quickly!Section 4
Build Your First Project: Hello, Cat!
Let's put it all together! Follow these steps to build your very first Scratch project — a cat that moves when you click the green flag.
1
Open Scratch
Go to scratch.mit.edu in your browser. Click "Create" at the top. You'll see the editor open with the orange Scratch Cat already on the stage!
2
Find the Events block
In the Blocks Palette, click on Events (the orange section). Drag the
when 🚩 clicked block into the code area. This is your "start" block!3
Add Motion blocks
Click Motion (blue section). Drag
move (10) steps and snap it under your Events block. Then add if on edge, bounce under that.4
Add a Control loop
Click Control. Find the
forever block (orange, shaped like a mouth). Wrap it around your motion blocks so the cat keeps moving!5
Click the Green Flag!
Press the green flag ▶ button above the stage. Your cat should start walking back and forth across the stage. Congratulations — you just wrote your first Scratch program!
Hello Cat — Full Program
SCRATCH BLOCKS
when 🚩 clicked forever move (10) steps if on edge, bounce
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Make it better!
Add a
next costume block inside the forever loop to make the cat's legs animate as it walks! You'll find it in the Looks section (purple).Section 5
Lesson Summary
Great work! Here's everything you covered in Lesson 1:
✅Scratch is a free, visual block-based programming tool made by MIT — perfect for beginners!
✅The Scratch editor has three areas: the Blocks Palette, the Code Area, and the Stage.
✅Sprites are characters on the stage. The stage uses X and Y coordinates.
✅Motion blocks (blue) make sprites move, turn, and glide.
✅The
when 🚩 clicked block starts your program. The forever loop runs code repeatedly.🧩 Knowledge Check — Lesson 1
Answer all 5 questions to test your understanding. Instant feedback on every answer!
1. Where was Scratch created?
2. What are the characters in a Scratch project called?
3. What colour are the Motion blocks in Scratch?
4. What does the
forever block do?5. What is the X and Y position at the very centre of the Scratch stage?
Scratch Challenge — Lesson 1
Build something · Beginner Level
Open Scratch and build the project described below. Take your time and have fun!
Challenge: Bouncing Cat with Animation 🐱
Build a project where the Scratch Cat walks back and forth across the stage AND animates its legs as it moves.
Your program should:
1. Start when the green flag is clicked
2. Move 10 steps continuously using a
3. Bounce when it hits the edge of the stage
4. Switch costumes every step so the legs move (use
5. Use
Build a project where the Scratch Cat walks back and forth across the stage AND animates its legs as it moves.
Your program should:
1. Start when the green flag is clicked
2. Move 10 steps continuously using a
forever loop3. Bounce when it hits the edge of the stage
4. Switch costumes every step so the legs move (use
next costume from Looks)5. Use
set rotation style left-right so the cat doesn't flip upside down
💡 Show hints if you're stuck
- Start with the
when 🚩 clickedblock from Events - Add a
foreverloop from Control - Inside the loop:
move (10) steps, thenif on edge, bounce - Also inside the loop:
next costumefrom Looks to animate - Before the loop, add
set rotation style [left-right]from Motion
Finished this lesson?
Mark it complete to track your progress.
Module 01 of 16
Phase 1 — Getting Started