By: Joseph Darwiche

Understanding Cells Through Scratch

Students will be guided through a scratch code on how to create a cell with various organelles and enable it to display the name and function
of the organelles when clicked on. Students will learn a cell’s organelles while learning how to code. This code will use colour identifiers rather
than object identifiers which is done for other projects but requires more sprites.

Introduction: 

1. A brief introduction to cell organelles by showing a diagram and explaining what each of the organelles is responsible for.

2. There are six organelles, so groups of six will be given small cards of organelles and their function. Students will then act out
their organelles within their groups while the seated groups guess what they are.

3. Then, students will be shown an example on Scratch and an introduction to what Scratch can do. This example uses very
complex code. Students will be prompted to think about how they can simplify it.

Working Progress:

1. To scaffold this project, I will start by showing them how to use the colour identifiers and get started.

2. Then, students will break out into groups and work on their projects in groups of four that they select.
– Students will be explicitly taught to get their project started and how to add various sprites and make it so that when they are
clicked on they display the code.
– The project will start gradually as they will be walked through how to get everything started before they add the organelles
and the description for each of them.

This project will focus on all of the learning goals for coding, such as

Gr. 1 – Sequential events
Gr. 2 – Concurrent events
Gr. 3 – Repeating events
Gr. 4 – Nested events
Gr. 5 – Conditional statements and other control structures
Gr. 6 – Efficient code
Gr. 7 – Events influenced by a defined count and/or subprogram and
other control structures
Gr. 8 – Involves the analysis of data to inform or communicate decisions

3. Students will be responsible for their projects but can collaborate with others. This project can be scaled up to become
more difficult and become a future/ culminating project.

4. We will discuss why we chose certain code and what would happen if we didn’t change the distance to the mouse pointer or used a bigger sprite.

Consolidation:

1. Students will go around and play other students’ games. Students will be asked how they could scale up the project and
make it more interesting.

2. Students will brainstorm how they can scale up the project to make it more engaging and easier to access.

3. Students will think-pair-share why we chose to use a colour identifier rather than an object identifier; because there are less sprites with a colour identifier, we used that code.

Resource Information:

Tags: Cells

Grade(s): Grade 8

Main Subject:

Grade 8 Science – Life systems

B Life Systems

B2 Understanding Basic Concepts

B2.2 identify organelles and other cell components, including the nucleus, cell membrane, cell wall, chloroplasts, vacuole, mitochondria,
and cytoplasm, and explain their basic functions

Grade 8 Mathematics – Coding

C – Coding Skills

C3.1 solve problems and create computational

representations of mathematical situations by writing and
executing code, including code that involves the analysis of
data in order to inform and communicate decisions

3.2 read and alter existing code involving the analysis of data
in order to inform and communicate decisions, and describe
how changes to the code affect the outcomes and the
efficiency of the code

Other Integrated Subjects: Coding / Mathematics and Biology

Learning to Code: Yes

Coding to Learning: Yes

URL Link to Code:

Debugging code: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1135880169

Starter code:         https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1135879577