Scratch is a visual programming language. Because of this, it’s helpful to show what the blocks look like when teaching people to program using this language. Whether you’re creating presentations, planning sheets, or something else, I’ll show you how you can quickly and easily create images of Scratch blocks for these materials. At the end, I have a template you can use to create these blocks directly in Google Docs and Slides just by typing.

Scratch Blocks Generator

This Scratch Blocks Generator by Tim Radvan is great for creating mockups of blocks. On the webpage, type the Scratch blocks in the box, one block per line, in the editor box. As you type, you’ll see your text transformed into Scratch blocks. Animation showing Scratch code being typed and transformed into blocks

Saving Images

You can download your blocks in PNG and SVG formats using the Export buttons. The PNG format is good for plugging and playing. You can insert this type of image into just about any program/app. SVG is a vector format that needs to be opened with more specialized programs and exported into a more common format before it can be inserted into other apps/programs. SVG files offer more editing capabilities, such as making the shapes larger or changing their text.

What do I type?

In the editor, type one block per line. For most blocks, type the exact words that appear in the Scratch blocks. This page lists what needs to be typed for each type of block. Here are a few general-purpose blocks:

Flag

when flag clicked

whenclicked

Edit blocks

Text placeholders

Text placeholders go inside of [ and ]

say [Hello world!]

sayHello world!

Edit blocks

Number placeholders

Number placeholders go inside of ( and )

wait (3) seconds

wait3seconds

Edit blocks

G Suite add-ons

If you’re planning to make Scratch materials in Google Docs or Slides, I used Tim Radvan’s generator to create two add-ons that you can use to generate blocks directly in those apps. The Docs and Slides add-ons are available in the Chrome web store.

Using the add-on

This tutorial shows the process in Google Docs, but the Slides version works in exactly the same way. Use the “next” and “previous” buttons in the “Try” tab to walk through each step. Click the “view” tab to see all steps at once. Open tutorial in new window.

13 STEPS

1 Open your document or slideshow and click Add-ons

Step 1 image

2 Click Scratch Blocks

Step 2 image

3 Click Show Generator

Step 3 image

4 If necessary, change the version of Scratch and the language (if you don't want to use English)

Step 4 image

5 Click in the box and type the code for the blocks you'd like to use

Step 5 image

6 Some blocks require certain punctuation and/or symbols to display correctly. Click Syntax Guide to see how to type all block types.

Step 6 image

7 Click Preview blocks

Step 7 image

8 Check to make sure your blocks look the way you'd like them to.

Step 8 image

9 If any blocks appear red, you may be missing a punctuation mark or other character. Click Syntax Guide to see how to type each kind of block.

Step 9 image

10 Change the image size as you'd like it. Larger sizes are higher resolutions.

Step 10 image

11 Click Insert blocks

Step 11 image

12 The block(s) will appear in your document. If necessary, you can resize your blocks by clicking and dragging the handle in the corner.

Step 12 image

13 Happy Scratching!

Step 13 image

Here's an interactive tutorial for the visual learners

https://www.iorad.com/player/1605746/Scratch-Blocks-Docs-and-Slides

Tags:

Categories:

Updated:

Get new posts by email:

You May Also Enjoy

Illustration of a laptop with a color sort on the screen. Three dotted boxes are labeled red, yellow, and green. The red box has a red heart inside. A green leaf and yellow star are sitting outside, waiting to be sorted into their boxes.

Sliding New Activities into Google Slides

Google Slides can be used for much more than just presentations. In this tutorial, you’ll see ways to set up foolproof templates to maximize learning.