From Music to Math: Scratch Across Every Subject

Contributed by ScratchEd Team, July 18, 2017

Scratch isn't just for computer science classes. Scratch can be incorporated into any content area in any classroom!

Original Author: Patrick McGuire, Mary Adelaide, Wilhelmina Peragine
Education Level: Preschool and Kindergarten, Elementary School, Middle School, High School, College and University, Professional Development
Content Types: Activity, Audio and Video, Curriculum, Lesson Plan, Tool, Tutorial
Curricular Areas: Computer Science, Engineering, Language Arts, Mathematics, Music, Science, Social Studies, Teacher Education, Technology, Visual Arts
Keywords: math, social studies, music, project ideas, literacy, visual arts, scratch across every subject, Media Arts

Scratch is incredibly versatile–it's not just for computer science classes! Scratch can be incorporated into any content area in any classroom. Whether you teach English, Science, Math, History, or Art, Scratch can contribute to your students' learning in a number of ways!

Here are some examples from our Scratch Across Every Subject series. To learn more about a given subject, simply click on the subject link and you'll be directed to the full story.

Interested in seeing specific projects that relate to various curricular areas? Check out Scratch Projects Across The Curriculum

1. Literacy

Coding is increasingly described as an "essential literacy" that should be included with reading, writing, and arithmetic. But Scratch can also be a great tool for deepening and extending reading and writing. Students can record phoneme sounds, design interactive book reports, create autobiographical music videos and so much more! Explore the literacy resources and projects.

Also: Check out our interview with Rick Ashby to see how he has embedded Scratch into his English classroom culture!

2. Math

For many students, engaging with math and understanding its real world applications can be a challenge. They might get bored with the idea of learning formulas or intimidated by abstract problems and complicated rules. That’s where Scratch can step in. Explore the math resources and projects.

Also: See how Jennifer Junkin integrates Scratch into her 9th grade Math class!

3. Visual and Media Arts

How can Scratch be a platform for artistic expression and vice versa? Can visual and media arts help introduce and extend computational creativity? Together, Scratch and art have limitless potential for learning and creating! Explore the visual and media arts resources and projects.

4. Music

Can music help introduce and extend computational creativity? Check out this list of Scratch and Music resources and add your go-to projects, lessons, and activities.

Also: Interested in making music or teaching music theory through Scratch and MakeyMakey? You'll find this article interesting!

5. S ocial Studies

Scratch allows students to connect with their social studies curriculum in a visually engaging, interactive way. They can replay history’s major events with games and animations, show their knowledge of geography with responsive maps, and draw on what they learn in class to give historical figures new life on the computer screen. In the process, they can hone their storytelling abilities as they consider how to represent historical events and current issues. Explore the social studies resources and projects.

Also:

Take a look at our interview with Social Studies and Science teacher, Alfonso Mendoza, and see how he has brought his subjects to life using Scratch: "So often in schools it’s ‘here’s the handout,’ but students can’t bring that to life. They can’t make it their own. With Scratch, they can bring anything to life!”

We've also compiled a list of some cool ways to use Scratch in the service of Civic Engagement.