Flowcharts to Scratch! 🐱

🗺️ What is a Flowchart?

A flowchart is like a map for your program! Before you write any code in Scratch, you draw out your plan using shapes and arrows. Each shape means something different — just like road signs!

💡 Think of it this way: Architects draw blueprints before building a house. Programmers draw flowcharts before writing code. The flowchart shows what the program should do — then Scratch blocks make it happen!

🏗️ Why use flowcharts?

🔍

Spot Mistakes Early

Fix problems before you even start coding!

🧠

Clear Thinking

Organise your ideas before the fun coding begins!

🤝

Share Your Plan

Show friends your idea without writing a single line of code!

🖱️ Click the shapes to explore! (Simple Flowchart)

🟢 Start

📥 Ask for name

Is name = "Alex"?

✅ YES

💬 Say "Hi Alex!"

❌ NO

💬 Say "Hello!"

🔴 End

Step 1 of 5

🔷 The 4 Main Flowchart Shapes

Every flowchart uses the same set of shapes. Once you know what each one means, you can read ANY flowchart — and convert it to Scratch!

Oval / Terminal

Marks where the program starts or ends. Every flowchart has these!

Rectangle / Process

An action that happens: move, say something, change a score!

Parallelogram

Input = get info in. Output = show info to the user!

Diamond / Decision

A YES or NO question. The program branches two ways!

🔗 Don't forget the arrows! Arrows connect all the shapes and show which direction the program flows — always follow the arrows to trace your program's path!

📏 Shape Summary Cheat Sheet

Shape	Name	Means…	Example
Oval	Terminal	Start or End	Start, Stop, Begin
Rectangle	Process	Do an action	Move 10 steps, Play sound
Slanted	I/O	Input or Output	Ask question, Say answer
Diamond	Decision	Yes/No branch	If score > 10, If touching?

Step 2 of 5

🧩 Flowchart Shapes → Scratch Blocks

Every flowchart shape matches a type of Scratch block! Once you spot the shape, you know which block to use. Let's go through each one:

🔄 Shape ↔ Block Matcher

📐 Flowchart Shape

Oval / Terminal

➡️

🟡 Scratch Block

🚩 When Green Flag clicked

Events Hat Block (yellow)

The oval "START" shape becomes the 🚩 When Green Flag clicked block in Scratch! This special hat-shaped block sits at the TOP of every script — it's where your program begins when someone clicks the green flag. The "END" oval usually means your script just stops running.

📐 Flowchart Shape

Rectangle / Process

➡️

🟡 Scratch Block

👟 move 10 steps

👁️ say "Hello!" for 2 secs

🎵 play sound Meow

Motion, Looks, Sound blocks

Rectangles are "DO something" shapes. In Scratch, these become Motion blocks (blue), Looks blocks (purple), or Sound blocks (pink) — anything that makes your sprite act, move, speak or change!

📐 Flowchart Shape

Parallelogram / I/O

➡️

🟡 Scratch Block

❓ ask "What's your name?" and wait

💬 say "Hello!" for 2 secs

Sensing + Looks blocks

The slanted parallelogram is for INPUT (getting info) and OUTPUT (showing info). In Scratch: ask block = input (the user types something), and the say block = output (the sprite shows a message on screen).

📐 Flowchart Shape

Diamond / Decision

➡️

🟡 Scratch Block

🔁 if <score > 10> then

💬 say "You win!"

else

💬 say "Try again!"

Control: if/else block (orange)

The diamond decision shape becomes the if/else block in Scratch! The diamond asks YES or NO — in Scratch that's the condition inside the <>. If it's TRUE (yes), run the top path. If FALSE (no), run the else path. This is called a conditional!

Step 3 of 5

🏗️ Let's Build: "Guess My Number!"

Here's a complete example! On the LEFT is the flowchart plan. On the RIGHT is the Scratch code it converts to. See how every shape becomes a block!

🗺️ Flowchart Plan

🟢 Start

Set secret = 7

📥 Ask "Guess: 1-10"

guess = secret?

✅ YES

💬 "You got it!"

❌ NO

💬 "Try again!"

🔴 End

🐱 Scratch Blocks

🚩 When Green Flag clicked

📦 set [secret] to (7)

❓ ask "Guess: 1 to 10" and wait

🔁 if <answer = secret> then

💬 say "You got it!" for 2s

else

💬 say "Try again!" for 2s

end if

Block Colours

Yellow = Events (When…)

Blue = Motion

Purple = Looks (say, think)

Teal = Sensing (ask)

Orange = Control (if/else)

Orange = Variables (set)

🔑 The 5-Step Rule for Converting:
1️⃣ Find the START oval → place the hat block
2️⃣ Follow the arrows in order
3️⃣ Each rectangle → one action block
4️⃣ Each parallelogram → ask or say block
5️⃣ Each diamond → an if/else block

Step 4 of 5

🏆 Quiz Time!

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🏆

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Step 5 of 5