Teach computing: Moving from Scratch to Python

Course description

Support your learners to use the thinking and programming skills they learned in Scratch in the text-based programming language Python.

Block-based programming languages like Scratch make it simple to learn and teach programming. But once your learners have mastered it, it's time to move them on to a text-based programming language such as Python.

Throughout this course, you’ll discover how to transfer the programming and thinking skills learned while using Scratch to Python. You’ll look at how to help your learners develop basic text-based programming skills, understand error messages, and debug code.

The course will show you the power of text-based programming and give you the tools to support your learners' transition.

Required knowledge or skills

This course is designed for educators and volunteers who are supporting young learners (usually 7- to 14-year-olds) to move from Scratch to Python programming. You should have experience of programming in both Scratch and Python.

What you will learn

After completing these 3 modules, you will be able to:

• Think about why you should move learners from a block-based programming language to a text-based programming language

• Compare the syntax of Scratch and Python, and turn Scratch programs into Python programs

• Consider the challenges of introducing Python in your classroom, including the different types of errors that can occur

• Explore how you can support your learners to create text-based programs

• Explore how Python's built-in functions and standard libraries can make writing programs easier

• Create an action plan for helping your learners transition to a text-based language

What you will need

To complete the activities within this course, you will need:

• Access to Scratch 3. You can either:

  • Access Scratch 3 online or
  • Install Scratch 3 on your computer

• To be able to create and run Python 3 programs

You can complete most of the practical activities in this course using an online Python editor, such as the Raspberry Pi Foundation Code Editor.

In Module 3, you will be introduced to Python packages and there is an optional practical activity where you will download data from the internet. This activity cannot be completed on the Raspberry Pi Foundation Code Editor. You will need a different Python editor and the ability to install Python packages to complete this optional activity. I'll provide instructions regarding which Python packages to install at the start of this activity.

All the resources required to complete this course can be used for free.