Scratch Day: Hands-On Computational Thinking Activites for Youth and Adults

Article Sidebar

Lesson PDF Lesson DOCX Olympics Presentation ScratchJr Presentation Scratch Day Presentation Gymn Floor Image Track Image
Published: Jun 13, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.13001/jtilt.v4i1.9345
Keywords:
Scratch, ScratchJr, Computer Science Education, Hands-on Learning, teacher education, Block Coding, Elementary Education, Secondary Education

Main Article Content

Ayanna Perkins
The University of Memphis
Elexis Allen
CodeCrew, Eastern University
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8829-5389
Kiyah Stokes
CodeCrew
Danielle Jones
University of Florida
https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5461-5755

Abstract

This lesson engages K-12 students, educators, and parents in original Scratch Day activities developed for lower-level (K-5th grade), upper-level (6th-12th grade), and post-secondary (adult) audiences. These lessons targeted individuals with limited knowledge regarding computational thinking. Activities involved sequencing and algorithmic expressions using block-based coding on the ScratchJr and Scratch web apps. Participants engaged in collaborative conversation and problem-solving as they made creative design decisions and debugged when they encountered coding issues.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article Details

How to Cite
Perkins, A., Allen, E., Stokes, K., & Jones, D. (2025). Scratch Day: Hands-On Computational Thinking Activites for Youth and Adults. Journal of Technology-Integrated Lessons and Teaching, 4(1), 96–107. https://doi.org/10.13001/jtilt.v4i1.9345
Issue
Vol. 4 No. 1 (2025): Journal of Technology-Integrated Lessons and Teaching
Section
Article
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Author Biographies

Ayanna Perkins, The University of Memphis

Dr. Ayanna Perkins is an Instructional Designer at Carle Health and a part-time instructor and consultant at The University of Memphis. Her career focuses on CS education, teacher development, and research, to enhance student learning and promote diversity and inclusion. Ayanna's previous roles include Teacher Professional Development Facilitator at CodeCrew, where she developed training materials and workshops for over 200 teachers at CodeCrew. Her research explores assistive technology in virtual learning and justice-centered computing in K-12 education. She has presented at various conferences and holds a Doctor of Education in Instructional Design and Technology.

Elexis Allen, CodeCrew, Eastern University

Elexis Allen is a CS Instructor at CodeCrew in Memphis, TN, with a biomedical engineering and data science background. She integrates technology and medical device knowledge into K-12 programming and software development curricula. She also developed and led the Healthy Bytes program, which bridges computer science and physical therapy through hands-on applications in coding, biomechanics, and data analysis. Allen is pursuing a Master’s degree in Data Science at Eastern University, specializing in computational modeling and machine learning.

Kiyah Stokes, CodeCrew

Kiyah Stokes is a graduate of the University of Memphis, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Programming and Web Development from the College of Professional Studies. Stokes possesses extensive experience as an instructor and is proficient in a variety of programming languages, including Java, Python, C#, and C++. She has further honed her expertise through leadership roles in initiatives such as STEM from Dance and Tech Wearables. In recognition of her exceptional contributions and leadership, she was honored as a Class of 2023 Sphero Hero by the Sphero Education Ambassador Program.

Danielle Jones, University of Florida

Danielle L. Jones is an EdD student in the University of Florida Computer Science Education Ed.D. Program. She has a research interest in computing education within early education and pair programming. Danielle has 10+ years of experience in Software development and 7+ years of experience in computing education.