Hi there! My name is Maria. I’m studying at the University of Washington and I’m training to be an Amazon future engineer. I love computer science because it’s all about solving problems and thinking creatively. After working hard on a project, you can create something amazing and fun!
So far, you’ve been able to play around with different dancers and program them to do cool dance moves. But have you ever wondered how these moves actually work? Every dance move is made up of a series of pictures called frames. Each frame is a little different from the one before it. When your program runs, the computer shows these frames one after another really fast. This makes it look like the dancer is moving. This is the magic behind all animations!
Not only can you change your dancer’s moves, but you can also change their properties. Properties are things like where the dancer is on the screen, how big they are, and what color they are. To change these properties, you’ll use something called a “set” block.
Let’s try using a “set” block to make our dancers smaller. First, drag the set block into your program. Then, choose the dancer you want to change and type in the size you want them to be. A full size is 100. If you pick a smaller number, the dancer will look smaller. The smaller the dancer, the further away they seem. This is a cool way to create backup dancers!
With the set block, you can also change the dancer’s shape, how they turn, where they are on the screen, and even their color. By trying out different properties, you can make all sorts of changes and match them to different parts of the song. Just remember, you can only change the properties of a dancer that already exists. Make sure your set block comes after the “Make a new dancer” block. Feel free to experiment, be creative, and most importantly, have fun!
Imagine you are a movie director! Create a flipbook using sticky notes to understand how frames work in animation. Draw a simple dancer in different positions on each note. Flip through them quickly to see your dancer move. This will help you understand how animations are made up of frames.
Let’s play a game! Use a computer program to change the properties of a virtual dancer. Try changing their size, color, and position. See how these changes affect the dance performance. Share your favorite creation with the class and explain what properties you changed.
Use a simple coding platform to program a dance party. Choose different dancers and program them to perform a sequence of moves. Experiment with changing their properties like size and color. Present your dance party to the class and explain the coding blocks you used.
Design your own dance routine on paper. Draw your dancers and label their properties, such as size and position. Think about how these properties can change during the dance. Share your design with a partner and discuss how you would program it on a computer.
Keep a journal of your experiments with dancer properties. Each day, try changing a different property and write down what happens. Include drawings or screenshots of your dancers. At the end of the week, review your journal and reflect on what you learned about properties and animations.
**Hour of Code | Dance Party: Properties**
My name is Maria. I’m a junior at the University of Washington and I’m an Amazon future engineer. I love computer science because it incorporates problem-solving and critical thinking. After putting hours of work into something, you can create something really cool and rewarding.
So far, you’ve had a chance to play with different types of dancers and program them to perform various dance moves. But how do these moves really work? Every dance move is made up of a series of images called frames. Each frame is slightly different from the one before it. When your program runs, the computer shows one frame after another. They’re displayed so quickly that it looks like the dancer is moving. This is the secret behind all animation.
Not only can you change your dancer’s moves, but you can also change a dancer’s properties. Properties describe things like the dancer’s position on the screen, size, and color. To change the properties of a dancer, you’ll use a “set” block.
Let’s use a “set” block to make our dancers look smaller. First, drag the set block into your program. Then, select the dancer you’d like to change and type in the size that will appear on screen. Full size is 100. If you choose a lower number, that will make the dancer smaller. The smaller the dancer is, the further away it looks. This is a great way to create backup dancers.
Using the set block, you can also change the dancer’s dimensions, rotation, position, and color. By experimenting with these properties, you can make all kinds of changes and link them to different parts of the song. Remember, you can only set the properties of a dancer that already exists. Make sure that your set block comes after the “Make a new dancer” block. Feel free to experiment, be creative, and have fun!
Computer – An electronic device that can store and process data to perform tasks. – Example sentence: “I used my computer to write a story for my class project.”
Program – A set of instructions that a computer follows to perform a specific task. – Example sentence: “We learned how to write a simple program to make the robot move forward.”
Frames – Individual images or drawings that are shown in a sequence to create an animation. – Example sentence: “The cartoon is made up of many frames that play quickly to make the characters look like they are moving.”
Properties – Characteristics or attributes of an object in a computer program, like size or color. – Example sentence: “We changed the properties of the ball in the game to make it bounce higher.”
Dancer – A character or object in a computer program that moves in a rhythmic way, often used in animations or games. – Example sentence: “In the coding game, I programmed the dancer to spin and jump to the music.”
Size – The measurement of how big or small something is in a computer program. – Example sentence: “I adjusted the size of the text on the screen so it was easier to read.”
Color – A property that defines the appearance of an object in terms of hue, like red, blue, or green. – Example sentence: “We changed the color of the background to make the game more exciting.”
Block – A section of code that performs a specific function, often used in block-based programming languages like Scratch. – Example sentence: “I used a loop block to make the character repeat its dance moves.”
Animations – A series of images or frames that create the illusion of movement when shown in sequence. – Example sentence: “We created animations of animals running across the screen in our coding class.”
Creative – Using imagination to make something new or original, especially in coding or design. – Example sentence: “Being creative with code, I designed a game where you can paint with virtual brushes.”
