**Course Title:** Introduction to Programming with Scratch **Section Title:** Creating Animations and Interactive Stories **Topic:** Create an interactive animated story that allows users to make choices affecting the plot. (Lab topic) **Introduction:** In this lab, you'll apply the concepts and techniques learned in previous topics to create an interactive animated story that allows users to make choices affecting the plot. You'll use Scratch to design and develop a story that engages users and encourages them to participate in the storytelling process. **Objectives:** 1. Create an animated story with multiple scenes and characters. 2. Use broadcasting and events to navigate between scenes. 3. Implement user input and choice-making mechanisms. 4. Apply conditionals and variables to affect the plot based on user choices. 5. Experiment with storytelling techniques and design principles. **Materials:** * Scratch 3.0 (online or offline version) * Computer or laptop with internet connection * Creativity and imagination! **Step 1: Planning Your Story** Before starting to code, take some time to plan your story. Consider the following: * What's the main plot or theme? * Who are the main characters? * What are the key scenes or events? * What choices will you offer the user, and how will they affect the story? Create a rough outline of your story, including the main scenes and characters. You can use a tool like MindMeister (https://www.mindmeister.com/) or Coggle (https://coggle.it/) to create a mind map or diagram. **Step 2: Designing Your Sprites and Backgrounds** Create the necessary sprites and backgrounds for your story. Use the techniques learned in the "Costumes, Backdrops, and Sounds" topic to design and create: * Main character(s) * Non-player characters (NPCs) * Backgrounds for each scene Upload your sprites and backgrounds to Scratch and organize them in your project. **Step 3: Creating Scenes and Broadcasting** Create the main scenes for your story and use broadcasting to navigate between them. Use the techniques learned in the "Events and Message Broadcasting" topic to: * Create a new broadcast for each scene * Use the "when I receive" block to trigger events when a scene is started * Use the "broadcast" block to switch between scenes Experiment with different broadcasting techniques, such as using variables to track the current scene or using conditionals to determine which scene to transition to next. **Step 4: Implementing User Input and Choice-Making** Create user input mechanisms that allow users to make choices affecting the plot. Use the techniques learned in the "User Input and Sensing" topic to: * Create "ask" and "answer" blocks to collect user input * Use conditionals to determine which action to take based on the user's choice * Apply variables to track the user's choices and affect the plot Experiment with different user input techniques, such as using text input or mouse clicks to make choices. **Step 5: Applying Conditionals and Variables** Apply conditionals and variables to affect the plot based on user choices. Use the techniques learned in the "Variables and Operators" topic to: * Use conditionals to determine which action to take based on the user's choice * Apply variables to track the user's choices and affect the plot * Use operators to perform calculations or comparisons based on user input Experiment with different conditional statements, such as using "if" or "if-else" blocks to determine which action to take. **Conclusion:** Congratulations! You've created an interactive animated story that allows users to make choices affecting the plot. Experiment with different storytelling techniques, design principles, and Scratch features to enhance your story. Share your creation with others and ask for feedback to improve your project. **What's Next?** In the next topic, we'll explore lists (arrays) in Scratch and learn how to store and manipulate data in our projects. **Leave a comment or ask for help:** If you have any questions or need help with this topic, please leave a comment below. We'd love to hear from you and provide assistance. **External Links:** * Scratch 3.0 documentation: https://scratch.mit.edu/docs/ * Scratch tutorials: https://scratch.mit.edu/tutorials/ * MindMeister: https://www.mindmeister.com/ * Coggle: https://coggle.it/