Glide for Smooth Motion — Scratch L1

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Where this arc is heading: everything you have learned becomes one showpiece — the cat crossing the garden.

where the arc is heading

step 1 of 2

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:

Say in one sentence how glide (1) secs to x: (0) y: (0) differs from go to x: (0) y: (0).
Set both the time and the destination on a glide block.
Choose a number of seconds that makes a journey feel fast, slow, or just right.

Warm-Up 7 min

Your cat can now reach any spot in the garden instantly. That is genuinely useful — and completely invisible. Everything it does is over before anyone can look up.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Where we are now. The cat gets everywhere, and you never see it travel. An audience only ever sees the ending.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage

Quick-fire puzzle

Wei Jie built this script and clicked the flag. What did the cat appear to do?


when flag clicked
go to x: (-200) y: (0)
go to x: (200) y: (0)

Two teleports, one after the other.

Reveal the answer

The cat simply appeared on the right. The stop on the left really happened, but it was over in a fraction of a frame, so nobody saw it.

Today’s block solves this properly. Instead of adding pauses around an instant jump, you tell the journey itself how long to take.

New Concept — the glide block 15 min

A go-to block is a teleporter: here one moment, there the next, nothing in between. A glide stretches that same trip out over a number of seconds, so the cat drifts across the garden like a leaf on water.

Blocks reference

Block	Category	What it does
`glide (1) secs to x: (0) y: (0)`	Motion	Slides the sprite smoothly to that address over the seconds you set. The script waits until it arrives.
`go to x: (0) y: (0)`	Motion	From last lesson. Same destination, no journey at all.

Three slots this time

The glide block has an extra oval at the front. Read it left to right and it says exactly what it does: take this many seconds to reach this x and this y.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

The faded cat is where the glide begins; the solid one is where it ends. A glide always travels in a straight line between the two — it never curves.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprites move as they would on the real Stage


when flag clicked
go to x: (-200) y: (0)
glide (2) secs to x: (200) y: (0)

Teleport to the start, then take two full seconds to cross. Now the journey is the part you watch.

Seconds are speed in disguise

The block never asks how fast to go. It asks how long to take, and works the speed out for itself. Cover the same distance in 1 second and the cat races; ask for 5 and it drifts. Cover half the distance in the same 2 seconds and it moves half as fast.

A glide holds up the script

While a glide is running, nothing else in that stack happens. The next block waits its turn. That is why glides make such tidy animations — each one finishes before the next begins.

Why it matters

Animation is motion plus time. Cartoons, games and stories all depend on watching a character travel from one place to another. Glide gives you that in a single block, with no stack of tiny move steps to manage.

Worked Example — Faiz the gliding cat 15 min

Open your garden project. We will send the cat on a slow, watchable tour and then experiment with its speed.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Stage plan. Left edge to centre to right edge, two seconds a leg — four seconds of visible travel.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage

Step 1 — Add the hat

Drag when flag clicked into the Script Area.

Step 2 — Put the cat on its mark

Snap go to x: (-200) y: (0) underneath. Every run should start from the same place, and this is how you guarantee it.

Step 3 — Add your first glide

Scroll down the Motion category until you find glide (1) secs to x: (0) y: (0). Snap it under the go-to. Set the seconds to 2, the x to 200, the y to 0.

Step 4 — Click the flag

The cat snaps to the left, then slides all the way across the garden over two full seconds. For the first time in this arc, the journey is the interesting part.

Step 5 — Send it back

Add a second glide below, this one heading to -200. Click the flag and the cat crosses and returns — about four seconds of animation from four blocks.


when flag clicked
go to x: (-200) y: (0)
glide (2) secs to x: (200) y: (0)
glide (2) secs to x: (-200) y: (0)

Out and back. This is the shape the whole arc has been building toward.

Step 6 — Play with the timing

Change both glides to 1 second and run it: brisk and businesslike. Change them to 4: slow and dreamy. Try 0.3: almost back to a teleport. The blocks never changed — only the feeling did.

What changed: until today, timing was something you bolted on with waits and say blocks. Now the movement carries its own timing, which is how real animation works.

The full assembled stack (your reference)


when flag clicked
go to x: (-200) y: (0)
glide (2) secs to x: (200) y: (0)
glide (2) secs to x: (-200) y: (0)

Four blocks, four seconds, one smooth round trip.

Try It Yourself — three small builds 12 min

🟢 Easy

Goal: Slow the crossing right down. Same journey, five seconds instead of two — then try one second and compare.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Same two points, more than twice the time. Watch how different it feels.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage


when flag clicked
go to x: (-200) y: (0)
glide (5) secs to x: (200) y: (0)

Think: the distance never changed, only the time allowed for it. That is the whole idea of speed, and you just controlled it with one number.

🟡 Medium

Goal: Glide a square. Four corners, one second each side, ending exactly where it began.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Four straight glides make a square. No turn blocks needed — glide does not care which way the cat faces.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage


when flag clicked
go to x: (-150) y: (100)
glide (1) secs to x: (150) y: (100)
glide (1) secs to x: (150) y: (-100)
glide (1) secs to x: (-150) y: (-100)
glide (1) secs to x: (-150) y: (100)

Think: in Lesson 8 a square needed moves and turns. Here four glides do it alone, because each one names where to finish rather than which way to head.

🔴 Stretch

Mini-mission: the dramatic entrance. Make the cat arrive slowly from off to one side, stop in the middle to greet the garden, then leave quickly the other way — so the entrance feels grand and the exit feels sudden.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

A grand entrance, a word to the garden, and a sudden exit — all in one flag click.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage

It works if: a watcher can clearly tell the arrival is slower than the departure, the greeting is readable, and the whole thing runs from one click. Stay within 8 blocks.

Think: you are not changing distances here — you are changing times. What is the smallest difference in seconds that still reads as “slow” against “fast”?

Mini-Challenge — fast cat, slow cat 5 min

“Show the difference”

Build one script that demonstrates, to someone who has never used Scratch, the difference between teleporting and gliding. They should be able to tell you which is which without you saying a word.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Two crossings of the same garden. Only one of them is worth watching — and your script has to make that obvious.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage

It works if:

One flag click runs the entire demonstration.
The first crossing is genuinely instant — the cat is never seen in the middle.
The second crossing takes about three seconds and can be followed the whole way.
There is a clear gap between the two, so they do not blur into one.
You used only blocks from this lesson and earlier.

Reveal one valid solution (teacher)


when flag clicked
go to x: (-200) y: (0)
go to x: (200) y: (0)
say [Now watch this!] for (2) seconds
go to x: (-200) y: (0)
glide (3) secs to x: (200) y: (0)

The say block is doing real work here — without it the reset teleport back to the left becomes part of the confusion. Pupils who omit it usually discover the problem when they try to explain it to a partner.

🚀 Mission — Smooth Garden Tour

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Three stops at three different speeds — the pace is part of the story.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprites move as they would on the real Stage

Faiz wants a garden tour where the speed tells you something. A lazy amble to the first stop, a sudden dash to the second, an ordinary walk to the last.

The cat visits three creatures in the garden, in an order you choose.
Each leg of the journey moves at a noticeably different speed from the others.
The cat names each creature as it arrives.
Every run starts from the same place, so the tour is repeatable.
One flag click, 8 blocks or fewer.

✅ Done when: a friend watching once can tell you which leg was fastest and which was slowest, without being told. Going further: make the slowest leg five seconds and the fastest half a second, and see whether the tour still reads clearly.

Teacher notes — the block-count squeeze

Hat + go-to + three glides + three says is nine blocks, one too many. The neat resolution is to drop the go-to and make the first glide start the tour from wherever the cat finished last time — which breaks repeatability, so pupils have to choose which criterion to sacrifice, or find another way. That trade-off is the point.

Recap 2 min

The glide block moves a sprite smoothly to an address over a number of seconds you choose. Go-to teleports; glide takes its time. Bigger seconds mean a slower journey over the same distance, and while a glide runs the rest of the script waits. A glide always travels in a straight line, and it never turns the sprite to face where it is going.

glide (block): The Motion block that slides a sprite to an address over a set number of seconds.
secs (input): How long the journey should take. The script pauses until the glide finishes.
Teleport versus glide: Go-to arrives instantly and is for setting up; glide takes time and is for animation.

Homework 1 min

The Penang ferry. Turn the cat into a ferry crossing from Butterworth to the island, then greeting its passengers on arrival.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Left edge to right edge in three seconds, then a welcome for the passengers.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage

Build the four-block stack below.
Click the flag and watch the crossing.
Try the crossing at 1 second and at 6 seconds, and decide which feels most like a real ferry.
Screenshot your Script Area.


when flag clicked
go to x: (-200) y: (0)
glide (3) secs to x: (200) y: (0)
say [Selamat datang ke Pulau Pinang!] for (2) seconds

Four blocks: a hat, a start position, a crossing, and a welcome.

Bring back next class:

A screenshot of your four-block Script Area.
Your answer to: “Which number of seconds made the crossing feel most realistic, and why?”

Heads up for next class: SCR-L01-12 teaches point in direction (90), so the cat can finally face the way it is travelling instead of sliding sideways.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Where this arc is heading: everything you have learned becomes one showpiece — the cat crossing the garden.

where the arc is heading

step 1 of 2

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:

Say in one sentence how glide (1) secs to x: (0) y: (0) differs from go to x: (0) y: (0).
Set both the time and the destination on a glide block.
Choose a number of seconds that makes a journey feel fast, slow, or just right.

Warm-Up 7 min

Your cat can now reach any spot in the garden instantly. That is genuinely useful — and completely invisible. Everything it does is over before anyone can look up.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Where we are now. The cat gets everywhere, and you never see it travel. An audience only ever sees the ending.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage

Quick-fire puzzle

Wei Jie built this script and clicked the flag. What did the cat appear to do?


when flag clicked
go to x: (-200) y: (0)
go to x: (200) y: (0)

Two teleports, one after the other.

Reveal the answer

The cat simply appeared on the right. The stop on the left really happened, but it was over in a fraction of a frame, so nobody saw it.

Today’s block solves this properly. Instead of adding pauses around an instant jump, you tell the journey itself how long to take.

New Concept — the glide block 15 min

Blocks reference

Block	Category	What it does
`glide (1) secs to x: (0) y: (0)`	Motion	Slides the sprite smoothly to that address over the seconds you set. The script waits until it arrives.
`go to x: (0) y: (0)`	Motion	From last lesson. Same destination, no journey at all.

Three slots this time

The glide block has an extra oval at the front. Read it left to right and it says exactly what it does: take this many seconds to reach this x and this y.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

The faded cat is where the glide begins; the solid one is where it ends. A glide always travels in a straight line between the two — it never curves.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprites move as they would on the real Stage


when flag clicked
go to x: (-200) y: (0)
glide (2) secs to x: (200) y: (0)

Teleport to the start, then take two full seconds to cross. Now the journey is the part you watch.

Seconds are speed in disguise

A glide holds up the script

While a glide is running, nothing else in that stack happens. The next block waits its turn. That is why glides make such tidy animations — each one finishes before the next begins.

Why it matters

Worked Example — Faiz the gliding cat 15 min

Open your garden project. We will send the cat on a slow, watchable tour and then experiment with its speed.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Stage plan. Left edge to centre to right edge, two seconds a leg — four seconds of visible travel.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage

Step 1 — Add the hat

Drag when flag clicked into the Script Area.

Step 2 — Put the cat on its mark

Snap go to x: (-200) y: (0) underneath. Every run should start from the same place, and this is how you guarantee it.

Step 3 — Add your first glide

Scroll down the Motion category until you find glide (1) secs to x: (0) y: (0). Snap it under the go-to. Set the seconds to 2, the x to 200, the y to 0.

Step 4 — Click the flag

The cat snaps to the left, then slides all the way across the garden over two full seconds. For the first time in this arc, the journey is the interesting part.

Step 5 — Send it back

Add a second glide below, this one heading to -200. Click the flag and the cat crosses and returns — about four seconds of animation from four blocks.


when flag clicked
go to x: (-200) y: (0)
glide (2) secs to x: (200) y: (0)
glide (2) secs to x: (-200) y: (0)

Out and back. This is the shape the whole arc has been building toward.

Step 6 — Play with the timing

Change both glides to 1 second and run it: brisk and businesslike. Change them to 4: slow and dreamy. Try 0.3: almost back to a teleport. The blocks never changed — only the feeling did.

What changed: until today, timing was something you bolted on with waits and say blocks. Now the movement carries its own timing, which is how real animation works.

The full assembled stack (your reference)


when flag clicked
go to x: (-200) y: (0)
glide (2) secs to x: (200) y: (0)
glide (2) secs to x: (-200) y: (0)

Four blocks, four seconds, one smooth round trip.

Try It Yourself — three small builds 12 min

🟢 Easy

Goal: Slow the crossing right down. Same journey, five seconds instead of two — then try one second and compare.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Same two points, more than twice the time. Watch how different it feels.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage


when flag clicked
go to x: (-200) y: (0)
glide (5) secs to x: (200) y: (0)

Think: the distance never changed, only the time allowed for it. That is the whole idea of speed, and you just controlled it with one number.

🟡 Medium

Goal: Glide a square. Four corners, one second each side, ending exactly where it began.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Four straight glides make a square. No turn blocks needed — glide does not care which way the cat faces.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage


when flag clicked
go to x: (-150) y: (100)
glide (1) secs to x: (150) y: (100)
glide (1) secs to x: (150) y: (-100)
glide (1) secs to x: (-150) y: (-100)
glide (1) secs to x: (-150) y: (100)

Think: in Lesson 8 a square needed moves and turns. Here four glides do it alone, because each one names where to finish rather than which way to head.

🔴 Stretch

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

A grand entrance, a word to the garden, and a sudden exit — all in one flag click.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage

It works if: a watcher can clearly tell the arrival is slower than the departure, the greeting is readable, and the whole thing runs from one click. Stay within 8 blocks.

Think: you are not changing distances here — you are changing times. What is the smallest difference in seconds that still reads as “slow” against “fast”?

Mini-Challenge — fast cat, slow cat 5 min

“Show the difference”

Build one script that demonstrates, to someone who has never used Scratch, the difference between teleporting and gliding. They should be able to tell you which is which without you saying a word.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Two crossings of the same garden. Only one of them is worth watching — and your script has to make that obvious.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage

It works if:

One flag click runs the entire demonstration.
The first crossing is genuinely instant — the cat is never seen in the middle.
The second crossing takes about three seconds and can be followed the whole way.
There is a clear gap between the two, so they do not blur into one.
You used only blocks from this lesson and earlier.

Reveal one valid solution (teacher)


when flag clicked
go to x: (-200) y: (0)
go to x: (200) y: (0)
say [Now watch this!] for (2) seconds
go to x: (-200) y: (0)
glide (3) secs to x: (200) y: (0)

🚀 Mission — Smooth Garden Tour

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Three stops at three different speeds — the pace is part of the story.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprites move as they would on the real Stage

Faiz wants a garden tour where the speed tells you something. A lazy amble to the first stop, a sudden dash to the second, an ordinary walk to the last.

The cat visits three creatures in the garden, in an order you choose.
Each leg of the journey moves at a noticeably different speed from the others.
The cat names each creature as it arrives.
Every run starts from the same place, so the tour is repeatable.
One flag click, 8 blocks or fewer.

Teacher notes — the block-count squeeze

Recap 2 min

glide (block): The Motion block that slides a sprite to an address over a set number of seconds.
secs (input): How long the journey should take. The script pauses until the glide finishes.
Teleport versus glide: Go-to arrives instantly and is for setting up; glide takes time and is for animation.

Homework 1 min

The Penang ferry. Turn the cat into a ferry crossing from Butterworth to the island, then greeting its passengers on arrival.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Left edge to right edge in three seconds, then a welcome for the passengers.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage

Build the four-block stack below.
Click the flag and watch the crossing.
Try the crossing at 1 second and at 6 seconds, and decide which feels most like a real ferry.
Screenshot your Script Area.


when flag clicked
go to x: (-200) y: (0)
glide (3) secs to x: (200) y: (0)
say [Selamat datang ke Pulau Pinang!] for (2) seconds

Four blocks: a hat, a start position, a crossing, and a welcome.

Bring back next class:

A screenshot of your four-block Script Area.
Your answer to: “Which number of seconds made the crossing feel most realistic, and why?”

Heads up for next class: SCR-L01-12 teaches point in direction (90), so the cat can finally face the way it is travelling instead of sliding sideways.