Block-Based & Text Coding Flashcards

A teacher assigns students to create a Scratch quiz game that tracks a score. Which type of block is essential for storing the running score?

Answer: Variable block

Variable blocks store and update data like a running score, making them essential for tracking changing values in a program.

Which pedagogical approach is most effective when teaching the transition from block-based to text-based coding?

Answer: Show side-by-side comparisons of block and equivalent text code

Side-by-side comparisons help students map familiar visual blocks to their text equivalents, reducing cognitive load during the transition.

In a STEM classroom, a student writes a Python function that calculates the area of a rectangle. What block-based concept does this most directly correspond to?

Answer: A custom block in Scratch

Custom blocks in Scratch define reusable procedures, which directly correspond to defining functions in Python.

What does 'computational abstraction' mean in the context of teaching block-based coding?

Answer: Hiding implementation details to focus on what a block does

Computational abstraction means hiding implementation details so users can use a block by knowing what it does, not how it works internally.

A student's Scratch animation runs too quickly and the teacher asks them to slow it down. Which block should be added inside the loop?

Answer: wait 1 seconds

Adding a 'wait' block inside a loop introduces a delay between iterations, slowing down the animation to a visible pace.

Which K-12 CS Framework strand most directly aligns with teaching students to sequence blocks correctly in Scratch?

Answer: Algorithms and Programming

Sequencing blocks to create working programs falls under the Algorithms and Programming strand of the K-12 CS Framework.

A student wants a Scratch sprite to ask the user their name and then greet them. Which combination of blocks is needed?

Answer: Ask and Answer blocks combined with Say block

The 'ask' block collects input stored in 'answer', which the 'say' block can then use to display a personalized greeting.