After showing you the similarities and differences of Scratch and Python, and how the skills learned using one can be applied to the other, the course looks at turning more complex Scratch scripts into Python programs showing how programs can be simplified in a text-based language and providing tips for debugging Python code. Participants will also be encouraged to share ideas for introducing more complex programs to students.

The course then moves on look at different data types in Python and write a script to calculate how old you are in dog years. Finally, you’ll dive deeper into the possibilities of Python by installing and using external Python libraries to perform some amazing tasks.

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to:

• Transfer programming and thinking skills from Scratch to Python
• Use fundamental Python programming skills
• Identify errors in your Python code based on error messages, and debug your scripts
• Produce tools to support students’ transition from block-based to text-based programming
• Understand the power of text-based programming and what you can create with it 

The course has been designed to help people, specifically K-5 teachers, who have mastered Scratch transfer the programming and thinking skills they have acquired to Python. If you don't come into this category, or are a complete beginner in programming, then look around for another course.

If you are a K-5 teacher not yet familiar with Scratch there's another course from the Raspberry Pi foundation that can be considered as a prequel -  Teaching Programming in Primary Schools.

Another new course Build a Makerspace for Young People also starts today and is, of course, related to Prepare to Run a Code Club which I covered on I Programmer when it launched last November.

More Information

Scratch to Python: Moving from Block- to Text-based Programming 

Transition from Scratch to Python with Future Learn

Related Articles

Prepare to Run a Code Club with Future Learn

Raspberry Pi For Teachers on Future Learn

Popular Python Course Updated

Free Python Courses From Alison

Python Becomes Most Popular CS Teaching Language

To be informed about new articles on I Programmer, sign up for our weekly newsletter, subscribe to the RSS feed and follow us on Facebook or Linkedin.

 

AI - It's All Downhill From Here? 31/12/2025 AI is a complex beast, but it is based on some very simple and very powerful ideas that deserve to be better known as they throw much light not only on the way AI works but on the way the universe wor [ ... ] + Full Story

Ruby 4 Adds Ruby Box On Its 30th Anniversary 08/01/2026 Ruby 4 has been released with new features including a new just-in-time compiler called ZJIT and an experimental sandbox called Ruby Box. The new version also adds features to the experimental pa [ ... ] + Full Story

More News Charles Babbage - Born This Day 154 Years Ago Ncurses 6.6 Improves Windows Terminal Support Google Releases Gemini 3 Flash Apache Beam 2.70 Improves Python Support pg-aiguide - Agentic Coding For PostgreSql Linux Demonstrates That Bugs Can Hide For 20 years! Google Launches Open Source Standard For Agentic Commerce Photos Of Ada Lovelace Saved For UK Google Keeps Iron Grip On Play Store The Thinking Game GSoC Offers Opportunities For Open Source Engagement Android AOSP Goes Biannual Docker Releases Hardened Images For Free - What Does It Do Differently?

 

Comments

Make a Comment or View Existing Comments Using Disqus

or email your comment to: comments@i-programmer.info