2. SCRATCH ScratchScratch is a programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art -- and share your creations on the web. As children create and share Scratch projects, they learn important mathematical and computational ideas, while also learning to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively.

3. Links to Draft ICT PoS NOVEMBER 2012 Key Stage 1 Pupils should be taught to: Understand what algorithms are, and that algorithms are implemented as programs on digital devices; write and test simple programs. Key Stage 2 Pupils should be taught to: Develop programs that accomplish given goals, including controlling or simulating physical systems; solve problems by decomposing them into smaller parts; use sequence, selection, and repetition in programs; work with variables and various forms of input and output; evaluate alternative algorithms and designs to solve the same problem; detect and correct errors in algorithms and programs.

4. The name Scratch comes from the scratching technique used by hip-hop disc jockeys, who spin vinyl records back and forth with their hands to mix music clips together in creative ways. You can do something similar with Scratch, mixing different types of media clips (graphics, photos, music, sounds) in creative ways. With Scratch, you can create characters that dance, sing, and interact with one another.

5. At the core of Scratch is a graphical programming language. Coding in Scratch is much easier than in traditional programming languages: to create a script, you simply snap together graphical blocks, much like LEGO bricks or puzzle pieces.

7. Once you’ve created a Scratch project, you can share it on the Scratch website, the same way you might share videos on YouTube or Photos. You can get new ideas for Scratch projects by browsing through projects on the Scratch website. If you like one of the characters or images or scripts in another project, simply download the project and use parts of it in your own Scratch project.