Spark Tees Valley
None of the team at Spark are ‘hardcore’ coders. None of us pretend to be code wizards who can create incredible online animations or systems. Our approach is to look at impact, utility, why are we coding? How can we use it to support other aspects of the curriculum.?
That is why we have found Scratch to be the most effective tool for the thousands of pupils from Y1 – Y9 that we have worked with over the years. Professional coders learn from other coders. They see how someone else’s code works and adapt it to their needs. That is the ethos of Scratch.
To get started, you do need to know the basics and the built in tutorials are as good as any. Spark has organised these into a progressive model of complexity to allow schools to show progression in their planning. Supplementing this are a range of resources for our pre-literate learners using Scratch Jnr. You do need an iPad to run it but the structure and capability of the software allows young learners to develop an understanding of some key coding concepts while making lots of amazing animations.
We also add additional resources and ideas continually to showcase new devices, systems or ideas that may be of use. Shout if you need any help!
Click the images below to access resources