Learning Goals 3 min
By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
- Name the nine block categories in Scratch and match each to its colour.
- Click any colour dot in the Blocks Panel and jump straight to that category.
- Find a named block (like say [Hello!]) by colour first, then scroll.
Warm-Up 7 min
Last lesson you placed your cat on the Stage and gave it a name. Now you need blocks to make it move and speak. Today you'll map the Blocks Panel — the long, colourful strip on the left — so you can grab any block for your scene in seconds.
Quick-fire puzzle
Faiz dragged this two-block script. He says, "I picked one yellow block and one blue block." Predict — which category did each block come from?
when flag clicked
move (25) steps
Reveal the answer
The yellow when ⚑ clicked is from the Events category. The blue move (25) steps is from the Motion category. Colour tells you category — that's the rule of the Blocks Panel.
New Concept — colour is category 15 min
Imagine you walk into a sweet shop. The chocolates are all on the brown shelf. The mints are all on the green shelf. The gummies are on the pink shelf. You don't read every label — you look for the colour first. The Blocks Panel works the same way.
The nine categories
Down the far-left strip of the Scratch editor, there are nine little round dots. Each dot is one category. Click a dot and the panel jumps to that group of blocks.
| Colour dot | Category | What its blocks do |
|---|---|---|
| Motion | Motion | Move, turn, glide, point — anything that changes where the sprite is. |
| Looks | Looks | Say, think, switch costume, grow, shrink, show, hide. |
| Sound | Sound | Play sounds, change volume, stop all sounds. |
| Events | Events | Hat blocks that start scripts — when ⚑ clicked, when a key is pressed. |
| Control | Control | Wait, repeat, forever, if-then, stop. |
| Sensing | Sensing | Touching, key pressed, mouse position, ask & wait. |
| Operators | Operators | Add, subtract, compare, join text, pick random. |
| Variables | Variables | Make a variable, set it, change it, show it on the Stage. |
| My Blocks | My Blocks | Build your own custom blocks. Empty until you make one. |
The pattern: colour first, then scroll
When you need a block, ask yourself: what does it do? Then pick the colour. Then scroll down that category until you spot the block. Two clicks, no hunting.
- Need to make the cat move? → blue → Motion → scroll.
- Need the cat to talk? → purple → Looks → scroll.
- Need a meow sound? → pink → Sound → scroll.
- Need a green flag start? → yellow → Events → top of the list.
Why it matters
Scratch has hundreds of blocks. Reading the panel top-to-bottom every time would waste your whole lesson. Colour is the shortcut. Once you know it, you find any block in seconds.
Worked Example — a colour-tour of the panel 15 min
Open Scratch in a new tab. We won't build a new script — instead, we'll click every colour dot in order and look at what's inside.
Step 1 — Start at the top, blue Motion
The Blocks Panel opens on Motion by default. The blocks here are blue. Scroll down the panel. Spot these familiar ones: move (10) steps, turn ↻ (15) degrees, go to x: (0) y: (0). All blue. All about where the sprite is.
Step 2 — Click the purple dot — Looks
The dots run down the left edge of the panel. Click the second one — purple. The panel now shows the Looks blocks. Find say [Hello!] for (2) seconds near the top. All blocks here change what the sprite looks like or says.
Step 3 — Click the pink dot — Sound
Click the third dot, pink. Sound blocks. play sound [Meow v] until done. start sound [Meow v]. These run noises through your speakers.
Step 4 — Click the yellow dot — Events
Click the yellow dot. Events. The first block is the one you already know: when ⚑ clicked. Every script needs one of these at the top.
Step 5 — Click the orange dot — Control
Click the soft orange dot. Control. wait (1) seconds is near the top. Below it, you'll see chunky C-shaped blocks. We use those starting next week.
Step 6 — Cyan, green, dark orange, pink-red
Keep clicking down: Sensing (cyan), Operators (green), Variables (dark orange), My Blocks (pink-red). Don't drag anything yet — just look. You've now seen all nine categories with your own eyes.
What you learned: every block in Scratch has a home category, and every home has a colour. From now on, when a teacher says "drag the purple say block", you'll know exactly which dot to click first.
A reminder of what your Script Area can still do
Your script from last lesson still works. Click the green flag — the cat moves. Today is about finding blocks, not building new scripts.
when flag clicked
move (50) steps
Try It Yourself — three colour hunts 12 min
Goal: Find the turn ↻ (15) degrees block and the turn ↺ (15) degrees block. Which dot did you click? What colour are they?
when flag clicked
turn cw (15) degrees
turn ccw (15) degrees
Think: Both turn blocks live in the same category. The arrow direction (↻ clockwise, ↺ anti-clockwise) is different — but the colour is the same blue.
Goal: Build a small stack that uses three different colours. Find one yellow Events block, one blue Motion block, and one purple Looks block. Snap them together.
when flag clicked
move (40) steps
say [I found three colours!] for (2) seconds
Think: Click the green flag. The cat moves, then speaks. Three categories, three jobs — Events to start, Motion to move, Looks to talk.
Goal: Click the Variables dot (dark orange). The category looks almost empty — just two buttons and no draggable blocks. Why? Because you haven't made a variable yet. Don't make one — just notice the difference.
when flag clicked
say [Variables is empty for now!] for (2) seconds
Think: Some categories come pre-loaded with blocks (Motion, Looks, Sound). Others (Variables, My Blocks) only show blocks after you create your own. We'll fill Variables up in lesson 40.
Mini-Challenge — name-that-colour quiz 5 min
"Priya's blindfold round"
Priya covers the labels of every block in the panel — she can only see the colours. Can you still tell her which block does what? Match the colour to the correct job. No editor needed for this one — answer on paper or out loud.
It works if you can answer all five without peeking at a label:
- You see a blue block. What does its category control?
- You see a yellow block. What is it most likely to be?
- You see a cyan block (lighter, sky-blue). What does it sense?
- You see a green block. Is it Motion or Operators?
- You see a pink block (bright magenta). Sound or Looks?
Reveal the answers
- Blue = Motion. Anything that changes where the sprite is.
- Yellow = Events. A hat block that starts a script.
- Cyan = Sensing. Touching, key pressed, mouse, ask.
- Green = Operators. Maths and comparisons. (Motion is darker blue.)
- Pink (bright) = Sound. Looks is purple — a different shade.
Recap 2 min
Today you met the Blocks Panel and learned its biggest secret: colour is category. Nine dots, nine colours, nine jobs. You can find any block by picking the colour first, then scrolling. You didn't write a new script — but you'll never lose a block again.
- Blocks Panel
- The long strip on the far left of the editor. Holds every block you can drag.
- Category
- A group of blocks that share a job and a colour. Scratch has nine categories.
- Category dot
- The small round button beside the panel. Click one to jump to that category.
- Extension
- An extra category (like Pen or Music) you can add on later. Not part of the basic nine.
Homework 1 min
The Nine-Colour Card. Make a small paper card (or a page in your notebook) listing all nine categories. For each, write the colour and one example block you've seen.
- Draw a 9-row table. Columns: Colour, Category name, One example block.
- Open Scratch. Click each dot in turn. For each category, pick the very first block you see and write its name in your table.
- You don't need to drag any blocks. This is a reading exercise.
Bring back next class:
- Your nine-row table, filled in.
- Your answer to this question: "Which category looks empty when you open a new project, and why does that make sense?" (Hint: think back to the stretch task.)
Heads up for next class: SCR-L01-04 teaches the green flag and the red stop sign — the two buttons above the Stage that start and stop every script you'll ever write.