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Module 2: Practice Activities

Time to Practice!

Here are 6 activities to help you practice patterns, loops, and Scratch skills from Module 2. Some are on paper, some use Scratch. Try them all!

Difficulty levels: Easy Medium Challenge

1 Pattern Detective Easy Screen-Free

Find the rule and fill in the blanks for each pattern:

A:

3, 6, 9, ___, 15, ___, 21

B:

A, C, E, G, ___, ___, M

C:

100, 95, 90, ___, 80, ___, 70
Answers:

A: 12, 18. Rule: add 3 each time. (3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21)

B: I, K. Rule: skip one letter each time. A, (B), C, (D), E, (F), G, (H), I, (J), K, (L), M

C: 85, 75. Rule: subtract 5 each time. (100, 95, 90, 85, 80, 75, 70)

2 Sort It Out Easy Screen-Free

Sort these 12 items into groups. You decide the groups! There is no single right answer.

Items: dog, rose, goldfish, daisy, cat, tulip, parrot, sunflower, hamster, lily, turtle, orchid

Try sorting them two different ways. For each way, name the groups you made and list which items go in each group.

Hint: One obvious way is animals vs. flowers. But can you find a different way? Think about number of legs, where they live, color, size, or something else entirely!
Example sorting 1 -- Animals vs. Flowers:

Animals: dog, goldfish, cat, parrot, hamster, turtle

Flowers: rose, daisy, tulip, sunflower, lily, orchid

Example sorting 2 -- By where they live:

Indoor pets: dog, goldfish, cat, hamster

Can be outdoor: parrot, turtle

Garden: rose, daisy, tulip, sunflower, lily, orchid

Your groupings might be different -- and that is great! The important thing is that you picked a rule and applied it consistently.

3 Rewrite with Loops Medium Screen-Free

These instructions have repeating patterns. Rewrite each one using a loop.

A:

  1. Jump
  2. Clap
  3. Jump
  4. Clap
  5. Jump
  6. Clap
  7. Jump
  8. Clap

B:

  1. Draw a line
  2. Turn right
  3. Draw a line
  4. Turn right
  5. Draw a line
  6. Turn right
A: Repeat 4 times: Jump, Clap. (The pair "Jump, Clap" repeats 4 times.)

B: Repeat 3 times: Draw a line, Turn right. (The pair "Draw a line, Turn right" repeats 3 times. This would draw a triangle!)

4 Scratch: Draw a Pentagon Medium Scratch

In Lesson 4, you drew a square (repeat 4, turn 90 degrees) and learned about triangles (repeat 3, turn 120 degrees). Now draw a pentagon (five-sided shape)!

Here is the secret: to figure out the turn angle for any shape, divide 360 by the number of sides.

Hint: 360 / 5 = 72. So the turn angle for a pentagon is 72 degrees. Use "repeat 5" with "move 80 steps" and "turn right 72 degrees" inside.
Solution: Stack these blocks:
  1. Events: "when green flag clicked"
  2. Pen: "erase all"
  3. Pen: "pen down"
  4. Control: "repeat 5"
  5.     Motion: "move 80 steps" (inside repeat)
  6.     Motion: "turn right 72 degrees" (inside repeat)

Bonus: Can you draw a hexagon (6 sides)? The angle would be 360 / 6 = 60 degrees!

5 Scratch: Rainbow Circle Art Medium Scratch

Create a beautiful design by drawing many shapes that rotate around a center point. Use the pen and a loop with color changes.

Goal: Draw 12 squares in a circle, each one rotated a little and a different color.

Hint: You need a loop INSIDE a loop! The outer loop repeats 12 times (for 12 squares). The inner loop repeats 4 times (to draw one square). After drawing each square, turn 30 degrees (360/12=30) and change the pen color.
Solution: Stack these blocks:
  1. Events: "when green flag clicked"
  2. Pen: "erase all"
  3. Pen: "pen down"
  4. Pen: "set pen size to 2"
  5. Control: "repeat 12" (outer loop -- 12 squares)
  6.     Pen: "change pen color by 15" (inside outer loop)
  7.     Control: "repeat 4" (inside outer loop -- draws 1 square)
  8.         Motion: "move 80 steps" (inside inner loop)
  9.         Motion: "turn right 90 degrees" (inside inner loop)
  10.     Motion: "turn right 30 degrees" (inside outer loop, after inner loop)

This creates 12 squares arranged in a circle, each a different color. It looks like a flower made of squares!

6 Scratch: Design Your Own Pattern Challenge Scratch

Create your own original geometric art in Scratch! Your design must include:

When you are done, show it to your parent and explain: What is the pattern? What is the rule? How does the loop help?

Ideas to try:
  • Draw a spiral: in each loop, increase the number of steps by a little bit (use "change" blocks or variables)
  • Stamp the sprite in different positions to create a grid pattern
  • Draw overlapping circles at different angles
  • Create a staircase pattern using move and turn blocks
  • Draw a star by using "repeat 5" with "move 100 steps" and "turn right 144 degrees"

Experiment! Some of the coolest patterns are discovered by accident when you try unexpected numbers.

Ready for the Quiz? →

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