Fifth Grade ScratchJr Coding Lesson Plan – Animated Character Project 🤖🎨

⏰ Total Time: 45 minutes

This Fifth Grade ScratchJr coding lesson plan empowers students to design and animate an original character while building confidence with visual programming. Through hands-on exploration, students collaborate, problem-solve, and apply creative thinking using age-appropriate coding tools—without overwhelming setup or prep time. 🎯

🎯 Learning Objectives

• Create an animated character using ScratchJr

• Apply basic coding concepts through drag-and-drop block programming

📦 What’s Included ⏰

• Step-by-step ScratchJr character creation lesson plan

• Partner-based coding activity structure

• Guided discussion questions and reflection prompts

🛠️ How to Use / Lesson Structure ⏰

• Introduction (5 min): Spark engagement by connecting coding to cartoon creation and student creativity

• Teacher Modeling (5 min): Demonstrate how to open ScratchJr and access character tools

• Guided Practice (5 min): Explore default characters and introduce the paint editor tool

• Independent Work (20 min): Students work in pairs to design and experiment with character features using ScratchJr tools

• Assessment (5 min): Observe collaboration and intentional tool use

• Review & Closing (5 min): Reflect on the coding process, tools used, and peer learning

❤️ Why Teachers Love This Resource

• Hands-on ScratchJr coding that’s developmentally appropriate

• Built-in collaboration with partner work

• Low-prep, high-engagement technology lesson

• Flexible differentiation for beginners and advanced students

🏫 Classroom Use Cases

• Fifth Grade Science or Technology

• Intro to Coding & Computer Science

• STEM enrichment or center-based learning

Give your students a creative entry point into coding—and watch their confidence come alive on screen! 🚀