Learn to Program with Scratch: A Visual Introduction to Programming with Games, Art, Science, and Math

Gr 5 Up—This book delves into the world of Scratch and the limitless ways in which students can use it to learn concepts relating to logic, math, and digital design. Scratch is an MIT-created visual programming language aimed at imparting knowledge of programming concepts to young users. This textbook-like guide covers the fundamentals of Scratch, building in difficulty as chapters progress. Basic programming concepts such as the usage of variables, string processing, and lists are discussed in detail, as are the different methods in which said concepts can be demonstrated in Scratch. Chapters mimic those from math and science textbooks, with conceptual ideas listed first and followed by rich diagrams and images, a summary, and finally example problems and challenges. Explanations are offered on how to transfer skills learned in Scratch to actual programming languages like Python, C++, and Java, which sets this book apart from other lessons that do not present a clear enough link from Scratch to the real world of programming languages. A substantial number of physics equations are displayed in later chapters and may be intimidating for younger Scratch users. These chapters are more supplementary and less obligatory to fully comprehend the scope of conceptual programming ideas presented in Scratch. Overall, this is a solid volume that fills a void in the current literature on how to play with and manipulate Scratch.—Amy M. Laughlin, Darien Library, CT