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Students use their skills to plan a multi-scene story with characters and dialogue.
Imagine you are a famous movie director. How do you make sure your actors know exactly where to go and what to say without getting confused? It all starts with a secret map called a storyboard!
Before you touch a single coding block, you need a plan! A storyboard is a series of sketches that show what happens in your story. For a great interactive project, we divide our map into three parts: the Beginning (where we meet characters), the Middle (where something happens), and the End (how it finishes). Think of it like a comic strip. If you have scenes, you need to know which sprites (characters) are in each one. Planning helps you avoid 'coding tangles' where you forget what comes next!
Quick Check
What are the three main parts of a storyboard?
Answer
The Beginning, the Middle, and the End.
Once your map is ready, you need to pick the right blocks. To make a story interactive, we use three main types: Event Blocks (like 'When Green Flag Clicked') to start the action, Look Blocks (like 'Say Hello') for dialogue, and Motion Blocks (like 'Glide to') to move characters. If you want a character to wait for another to finish talking, you use a Control Block called 'Wait'. This keeps your story from having everyone talk at the same time!
Let's make two sprites say hello: 1. For Sprite A: Use a 'When Green Flag Clicked' block. 2. Add a 'Say Hello! for seconds' block. 3. For Sprite B: Use a 'When Green Flag Clicked' block. 4. Add a 'Wait seconds' block so Sprite B listens first. 5. Add a 'Say Hi there! for seconds' block.
Quick Check
Which block would you use to make a character move across the screen?
Answer
A Motion block (like 'Move' or 'Glide').
When you have many sprites, using 'Wait' blocks can get tricky. What if one sprite talks longer than you thought? This is where Broadcasting comes in! A Broadcast is like a silent signal one sprite sends to another. When Sprite A finishes their job, they send a 'message'. Sprite B 'receives' that message and immediately starts their next action. It is the best way to coordinate a big cast of characters!
How to change the background when a character reaches a door: 1. Sprite: 'If touching Door, Broadcast [Next Scene]'. 2. Backdrop: 'When I receive [Next Scene], Switch backdrop to [Forest]'.
Coordinating a dance party with sprites: 1. Sprite 1: Performs a dance, then 'Broadcast [Your Turn]'. 2. Sprite 2: 'When I receive [Your Turn]', dance, then 'Broadcast [Final Bow]'. 3. Sprite 3: 'When I receive [Final Bow]', everyone says 'Thank you!' together.
Why is a storyboard helpful in coding?
If Sprite A speaks for seconds, how long should Sprite B 'Wait' before responding?
A 'Broadcast' block sends a hidden signal that other sprites can hear.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow, try to remember the three parts of a storyboard and one block that helps sprites take turns.
Practice Activity
Grab a piece of paper and draw 3 boxes. Plan a short story about a cat meeting a robot!