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Broadcast blocks and variable changes
This Computing video supports teachers in delivering a lesson on broadcast blocks and variables in Scratch. It explains how sprites are hidden at the start, triggered to appear using broadcast blocks, and how costumes and variables such as ‘animal’ are selected using random numbers. Teachers are shown how to model the difference between changing a sprite’s costume and simply changing the variable text—clarifying why both steps are needed for meaningful animation. The food sprite uses a similar structure, but with a different number range, helping reinforce the learning through repetition and contrast.
This video is part of Kapow Primary’s Computing scheme of work – videos. It supports teacher confidence in helping pupils personalise their projects and understand how broadcast messages coordinate actions across sprites. By exploring how to customise images and variables, teachers can encourage children to make connections to cross-curricular topics such as history or science. The video also prepares teachers for the next lesson, which introduces combining programming skills to create complete algorithms.
