Choose & Add a Sprite — Scratch L1

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Where this arc is heading: by Lesson 6 your cat and its friend move into position and greet each other on one green-flag click.

both in position

step 1 of 3

the sprites move as they would on the real Stage

Learning Goals 3 min

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

Open the Choose a Sprite menu and add a new sprite from the library.
Switch between sprites in the Sprite list and show that each one has its own Script Area.
Give a second sprite its own when flag clicked script that runs alongside the cat’s.

Warm-Up 7 min

Your scene runs on the flag and stops on the stop sign. But there is still only one character on stage, walking to a spot where nobody is waiting. Today somebody arrives.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Where we are now. The cat walks, pauses, and can be stopped — but it is walking toward nobody. That circle has been waiting since Lesson 2.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage

Quick-fire puzzle

Hafiz has two sprites: a cat and a bird. He clicks the cat and sees the script below. He clicks the bird and its Script Area is empty. What happens when he clicks the green flag?


when flag clicked
move (40) steps

The cat’s script. The bird has none.

Reveal the answer

The cat moves 40 steps. The bird does nothing at all. Every sprite keeps its own private Script Area, and a script written for the cat controls only the cat.

This catches almost everyone once: you write a beautiful script, click the flag, and the wrong character moves. The fix is always the same — check which sprite is selected before you drag.

New Concept — the Sprite library 15 min

Think of a school play. Every actor has their own lines, their own costume, their own place to stand. In Scratch every sprite is an actor. They share one Stage, but each keeps its own script.

Where the sprite library lives

Look at the bottom-right of the editor, just under the Sprite list. There is a round blue button with a cat face. Hover over it and four icons fan upwards.

Icon	Name	What it does
🔍	Choose a Sprite	Opens the official Scratch library — over 150 ready-made sprites, grouped by theme.
🎨	Paint	Opens a blank costume editor so you can draw a sprite of your own.
🎲	Surprise	Drops in a random sprite. Fast, and often funny.
📤	Upload	Adds a sprite from a picture file on your computer.

Hover the cat-face button and four choices appear. The magnifying glass is the one you want almost every time.

Every sprite has its own Script Area

This is the big idea of the lesson. Click a sprite in the Sprite list and the Script Area swaps to show that sprite’s blocks. Click the cat, you see the cat’s script. Click the friend, the middle of the screen changes.

The cat’s blocks did not vanish. They are simply on the cat’s page, waiting for you to come back.

The cat’s script controls the cat.
The friend’s script controls the friend.
One flag click wakes both at the same moment.

Drawing your own sprite

The 🎨 Paint button opens a blank canvas instead of the library. Whatever you draw becomes a sprite, exactly like a library one — it can move, speak and be scripted the same way. It will not look as tidy as the library art, and that is completely fine.

A sprite you paint yourself is a real sprite. Wobbly lines and all, it responds to exactly the same blocks as the library art.

Why it matters

One-sprite projects run out of ideas quickly. Two sprites gives you a conversation, a chase, a race, a story. Most real Scratch projects use three to ten. Today is your first step away from the lone cat.

Worked Example — the friend arrives 15 min

Open your project. The cat is on its mark. Today we fill that empty circle with a real character and give it a script of its own.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Stage plan. Two badges this time — today you script both sprites, each in its own Script Area.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprites move as they would on the real Stage

Step 1 — Check the cat is selected

Click the cat’s card in the Sprite list. Its border turns blue, and the Script Area shows the cat’s blocks. Make sure it holds this stack.


when flag clicked
move (40) steps

The cat’s script. It lives on the cat, and will disappear from view the moment you select another sprite.

Step 2 — Open the sprite library

Hover the blue cat-face button at the bottom-right. Four icons appear. Click the magnifying glass, Choose a Sprite. The library opens.

Step 3 — Pick a friend

Type Andie into the search box at the top, or browse the People category. Click the thumbnail. The library closes and Andie lands on the Stage. Your Sprite list now holds two cards.

Step 4 — Put the friend on its mark

The new sprite is already selected. In the Sprite Properties bar set x to 120 and y to 0. Andie slides over to the right-hand side, where that dashed circle has been waiting.

Step 5 — Look at the empty Script Area

The middle of the screen is blank. The cat’s script is not lost — it is on the cat’s page. Andie has no blocks yet because you have not given it any.

Click the cat card, then the Andie card, then back again. Watch the Script Area swap each time. That is the whole idea of this lesson in one movement.

Step 6 — Give the friend a script

With Andie still selected, drag in when flag clicked and say [Hi there!] for (2) seconds. Now Andie has a script of its own.


when flag clicked
say [Hi there!] for (2) seconds

Andie’s script — a different stack from the cat’s, on a different sprite, woken by the same flag.

Step 7 — Click the green flag

Both scripts run at once. The cat walks 40 steps while Andie greets it. Two sprites, two Script Areas, one click.

Step 8 — Prove it to yourself

Select the cat and delete nothing — just look. Its script is exactly as you left it. Scripts stay with their sprite, always.

What changed: until today one flag click ran one script. Now it runs every script in the project at the same moment, and your scene finally has two characters in it.

Try It Yourself — three sprite tasks 12 min

🟢 Easy

Goal: Add a third sprite — search the library for Donut. Place it above the other two, at x = 0, y = 110. Give it no script at all, then click the flag.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Three sprites on stage — but only two of them will react to the flag.

three sprites on stage

step 1 of 2

the sprites move as they would on the real Stage

Think: the cat walks, Andie speaks, the donut sits perfectly still. It has no hat block, so nothing ever tells it to start.

🟡 Medium

Goal: Wake the donut up, but make it the slowest thing on stage. Give it a script that moves it just a little, while the cat still moves far.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

One flag click, two different distances — because the two sprites hold different numbers.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprites move as they would on the real Stage


when flag clicked
move (10) steps

The donut’s script. Put this on the donut — not on the cat.

Think: the flag wakes every hat block in the project, but each sprite obeys only its own numbers. Same signal, different results.

🔴 Stretch

Mini-mission: the starting line. Wei Jie wants a fair race. Line every sprite up on the left edge, give each one a different stride, and send them all off with a single flag click.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

All three behind the line, all three released by one click — but they will not finish together.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprites move as they would on the real Stage

It works if: every sprite begins on the same starting line, one flag click releases them all, and they finish in three clearly different places. Each sprite’s stack stays under 8 blocks.

Think: you will need to visit every sprite in the Sprite list — twice. Once to set its starting x, and once to write its script. Forget one and it will not line up.

Mini-Challenge — the family race 5 min

“Wei Jie’s three-sprite sprint”

Turn the starting line into a proper race with a winner, a runner-up and a last place. Use only what you have learned in Lessons 1 to 5.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Goal: after one flag click the three sprites end up spread out like this, with a clear result.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprites move as they would on the real Stage

It works if:

All three sprites start on the same line at the left of the Stage.
One green-flag click starts all three at the same instant.
They finish in three clearly different places, so the result is not a tie.
You used only hat, Motion and Control blocks from Lessons 1 to 4.

Reveal one valid solution (teacher)

Set every sprite’s x to -200 in Sprite Properties, then give each one a different move number. The three stacks below live on three different sprites — they are never in the same Script Area.


when flag clicked
move (200) steps

when flag clicked
move (150) steps

when flag clicked
move (100) steps

The first sprite lands on x = 0, the second on -50, the third on -100. Pupils who put all three stacks on one sprite will see one sprite move 450 steps — a useful mistake to talk through.

🚀 Mission — Add a Friend

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

The cat walks over and greets its new friend — using the name you gave that sprite.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprites move as they would on the real Stage

Your scene has been walking toward an empty space for four lessons. Fill it, and make the introduction properly.

Add a sprite from the library and give it a name of your choosing.
Place it on the right-hand side of the Stage, at the cat’s eye level.
On one flag click the cat walks toward it and greets it by that name.
The friend must react in the same run — it needs a script of its own.
Across both sprites, use 8 blocks or fewer in total.

✅ Done when: one flag click makes the cat walk and speak your friend’s name, and the friend responds without you clicking anything else. Going further: greet them in Malay — Selamat pagi! or Apa khabar?

Teacher notes — one setup that satisfies the brief

Cat (4 blocks): when flag clicked, move (60) steps, say [Hello, Andie!] for (2) seconds. Friend (2 blocks): when flag clicked, say [Hi there!] for (2) seconds. The common failure is putting both stacks on the cat — the friend then stays silent, which is exactly the lesson.

Recap 2 min

Today you opened the Sprite library, added characters to your Stage, and learned the rule that governs every multi-sprite project: each sprite keeps its own Script Area. Switching sprites switches which scripts you can see, and one green flag click runs all of them at once.

Sprite library: Scratch’s built-in collection of ready-made sprites. Opens from the blue cat-face button.
Choose a Sprite: The magnifying-glass icon that opens the library — the usual way to add a sprite.
Paint: The brush icon. Opens a blank canvas so you can draw a sprite of your own.
Selected sprite: The sprite whose Script Area is showing. Its card carries a blue border in the Sprite list.

Homework 1 min

The Three-Friend Project. Build a project with three named sprites who all take a small hop when the flag is clicked.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Three sprites, evenly spaced, each taking the same small hop when the flag is clicked.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprites move as they would on the real Stage

Keep the cat. Add two more sprites from the library — anything you like.
Rename all three after friends or family (for example Aisyah, Wei Jie, Priya).
Space them out: one at x = -150, one at x = 0, one at x = 150.
Give each sprite the same three-block script below — remember to select the sprite first each time.
Click the flag. All three should hop together.


when flag clicked
move (20) steps
wait (1) seconds

The same three blocks, copied onto all three sprites — one Script Area at a time.

Bring back next class:

A screenshot of your Stage with all three sprites visible.
A screenshot of the Sprite list showing three named cards.
Your answer to this question: “If you click just one sprite’s script in the Script Area instead of the green flag, do the other two move? Why not?”

Heads up for next class: SCR-L01-06 is the finale — you save the whole scene as a file so it survives being closed, and get it ready to show.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Where this arc is heading: by Lesson 6 your cat and its friend move into position and greet each other on one green-flag click.

both in position

step 1 of 3

the sprites move as they would on the real Stage

Learning Goals 3 min

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

Open the Choose a Sprite menu and add a new sprite from the library.
Switch between sprites in the Sprite list and show that each one has its own Script Area.
Give a second sprite its own when flag clicked script that runs alongside the cat’s.

Warm-Up 7 min

Your scene runs on the flag and stops on the stop sign. But there is still only one character on stage, walking to a spot where nobody is waiting. Today somebody arrives.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Where we are now. The cat walks, pauses, and can be stopped — but it is walking toward nobody. That circle has been waiting since Lesson 2.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage

Quick-fire puzzle

Hafiz has two sprites: a cat and a bird. He clicks the cat and sees the script below. He clicks the bird and its Script Area is empty. What happens when he clicks the green flag?


when flag clicked
move (40) steps

The cat’s script. The bird has none.

Reveal the answer

The cat moves 40 steps. The bird does nothing at all. Every sprite keeps its own private Script Area, and a script written for the cat controls only the cat.

This catches almost everyone once: you write a beautiful script, click the flag, and the wrong character moves. The fix is always the same — check which sprite is selected before you drag.

New Concept — the Sprite library 15 min

Think of a school play. Every actor has their own lines, their own costume, their own place to stand. In Scratch every sprite is an actor. They share one Stage, but each keeps its own script.

Where the sprite library lives

Look at the bottom-right of the editor, just under the Sprite list. There is a round blue button with a cat face. Hover over it and four icons fan upwards.

Icon	Name	What it does
🔍	Choose a Sprite	Opens the official Scratch library — over 150 ready-made sprites, grouped by theme.
🎨	Paint	Opens a blank costume editor so you can draw a sprite of your own.
🎲	Surprise	Drops in a random sprite. Fast, and often funny.
📤	Upload	Adds a sprite from a picture file on your computer.

Hover the cat-face button and four choices appear. The magnifying glass is the one you want almost every time.

Every sprite has its own Script Area

The cat’s blocks did not vanish. They are simply on the cat’s page, waiting for you to come back.

The cat’s script controls the cat.
The friend’s script controls the friend.
One flag click wakes both at the same moment.

Drawing your own sprite

A sprite you paint yourself is a real sprite. Wobbly lines and all, it responds to exactly the same blocks as the library art.

Why it matters

Worked Example — the friend arrives 15 min

Open your project. The cat is on its mark. Today we fill that empty circle with a real character and give it a script of its own.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Stage plan. Two badges this time — today you script both sprites, each in its own Script Area.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprites move as they would on the real Stage

Step 1 — Check the cat is selected

Click the cat’s card in the Sprite list. Its border turns blue, and the Script Area shows the cat’s blocks. Make sure it holds this stack.


when flag clicked
move (40) steps

The cat’s script. It lives on the cat, and will disappear from view the moment you select another sprite.

Step 2 — Open the sprite library

Hover the blue cat-face button at the bottom-right. Four icons appear. Click the magnifying glass, Choose a Sprite. The library opens.

Step 3 — Pick a friend

Type Andie into the search box at the top, or browse the People category. Click the thumbnail. The library closes and Andie lands on the Stage. Your Sprite list now holds two cards.

Step 4 — Put the friend on its mark

The new sprite is already selected. In the Sprite Properties bar set x to 120 and y to 0. Andie slides over to the right-hand side, where that dashed circle has been waiting.

Step 5 — Look at the empty Script Area

The middle of the screen is blank. The cat’s script is not lost — it is on the cat’s page. Andie has no blocks yet because you have not given it any.

Click the cat card, then the Andie card, then back again. Watch the Script Area swap each time. That is the whole idea of this lesson in one movement.

Step 6 — Give the friend a script

With Andie still selected, drag in when flag clicked and say [Hi there!] for (2) seconds. Now Andie has a script of its own.


when flag clicked
say [Hi there!] for (2) seconds

Andie’s script — a different stack from the cat’s, on a different sprite, woken by the same flag.

Step 7 — Click the green flag

Both scripts run at once. The cat walks 40 steps while Andie greets it. Two sprites, two Script Areas, one click.

Step 8 — Prove it to yourself

Select the cat and delete nothing — just look. Its script is exactly as you left it. Scripts stay with their sprite, always.

What changed: until today one flag click ran one script. Now it runs every script in the project at the same moment, and your scene finally has two characters in it.

Try It Yourself — three sprite tasks 12 min

🟢 Easy

Goal: Add a third sprite — search the library for Donut. Place it above the other two, at x = 0, y = 110. Give it no script at all, then click the flag.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Three sprites on stage — but only two of them will react to the flag.

three sprites on stage

step 1 of 2

the sprites move as they would on the real Stage

Think: the cat walks, Andie speaks, the donut sits perfectly still. It has no hat block, so nothing ever tells it to start.

🟡 Medium

Goal: Wake the donut up, but make it the slowest thing on stage. Give it a script that moves it just a little, while the cat still moves far.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

One flag click, two different distances — because the two sprites hold different numbers.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprites move as they would on the real Stage


when flag clicked
move (10) steps

The donut’s script. Put this on the donut — not on the cat.

Think: the flag wakes every hat block in the project, but each sprite obeys only its own numbers. Same signal, different results.

🔴 Stretch

Mini-mission: the starting line. Wei Jie wants a fair race. Line every sprite up on the left edge, give each one a different stride, and send them all off with a single flag click.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

All three behind the line, all three released by one click — but they will not finish together.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprites move as they would on the real Stage

It works if: every sprite begins on the same starting line, one flag click releases them all, and they finish in three clearly different places. Each sprite’s stack stays under 8 blocks.

Think: you will need to visit every sprite in the Sprite list — twice. Once to set its starting x, and once to write its script. Forget one and it will not line up.

Mini-Challenge — the family race 5 min

“Wei Jie’s three-sprite sprint”

Turn the starting line into a proper race with a winner, a runner-up and a last place. Use only what you have learned in Lessons 1 to 5.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Goal: after one flag click the three sprites end up spread out like this, with a clear result.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprites move as they would on the real Stage

It works if:

All three sprites start on the same line at the left of the Stage.
One green-flag click starts all three at the same instant.
They finish in three clearly different places, so the result is not a tie.
You used only hat, Motion and Control blocks from Lessons 1 to 4.

Reveal one valid solution (teacher)

Set every sprite’s x to -200 in Sprite Properties, then give each one a different move number. The three stacks below live on three different sprites — they are never in the same Script Area.


when flag clicked
move (200) steps

when flag clicked
move (150) steps

when flag clicked
move (100) steps

The first sprite lands on x = 0, the second on -50, the third on -100. Pupils who put all three stacks on one sprite will see one sprite move 450 steps — a useful mistake to talk through.

🚀 Mission — Add a Friend

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

The cat walks over and greets its new friend — using the name you gave that sprite.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprites move as they would on the real Stage

Your scene has been walking toward an empty space for four lessons. Fill it, and make the introduction properly.

Add a sprite from the library and give it a name of your choosing.
Place it on the right-hand side of the Stage, at the cat’s eye level.
On one flag click the cat walks toward it and greets it by that name.
The friend must react in the same run — it needs a script of its own.
Across both sprites, use 8 blocks or fewer in total.

Teacher notes — one setup that satisfies the brief

Recap 2 min

Sprite library: Scratch’s built-in collection of ready-made sprites. Opens from the blue cat-face button.
Choose a Sprite: The magnifying-glass icon that opens the library — the usual way to add a sprite.
Paint: The brush icon. Opens a blank canvas so you can draw a sprite of your own.
Selected sprite: The sprite whose Script Area is showing. Its card carries a blue border in the Sprite list.

Homework 1 min

The Three-Friend Project. Build a project with three named sprites who all take a small hop when the flag is clicked.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Three sprites, evenly spaced, each taking the same small hop when the flag is clicked.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprites move as they would on the real Stage

Keep the cat. Add two more sprites from the library — anything you like.
Rename all three after friends or family (for example Aisyah, Wei Jie, Priya).
Space them out: one at x = -150, one at x = 0, one at x = 150.
Give each sprite the same three-block script below — remember to select the sprite first each time.
Click the flag. All three should hop together.


when flag clicked
move (20) steps
wait (1) seconds

The same three blocks, copied onto all three sprites — one Script Area at a time.

Bring back next class:

A screenshot of your Stage with all three sprites visible.
A screenshot of the Sprite list showing three named cards.
Your answer to this question: “If you click just one sprite’s script in the Script Area instead of the green flag, do the other two move? Why not?”

Heads up for next class: SCR-L01-06 is the finale — you save the whole scene as a file so it survives being closed, and get it ready to show.