Pointing in a Direction — 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:

Recall the four key headings: 0 up, 90 right, 180 down, -90 left.
Use point in direction (90) to set a heading exactly, from inside a script.
Explain why point in direction (90) and turn cw (15) degrees are not the same thing.

Warm-Up 7 min

Your cat glides beautifully — but always sideways, whichever way it happens to be facing. And the only way to change its heading so far has been to nudge it with turn blocks, or type into Sprite Properties by hand.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Where we are now. Smooth travel, wrong heading. Glide never turns a sprite, so the cat happily moonwalks across the garden.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage

Quick-fire puzzle

Priya set her cat’s Direction to 0 in Sprite Properties, then clicked the flag. Which way did it move?


when flag clicked
move (100) steps

The familiar two-block script — but the Direction box says 0, not 90.

Reveal the answer

The cat moved 100 steps straight up. A move block has never meant “go right”. It means “go forward”, and forward is whatever the Direction box says.

Today you get a block that sets that box from inside the script, so you no longer have to remember to type it in first.

New Concept — setting a heading 15 min

Picture the cat holding a compass. Everything it does travels along whichever way that needle points. point in direction (90) takes hold of the needle and puts it exactly where you say — no movement, just a new forward.

Blocks reference

Block	Category	What it does
`point in direction (90)`	Motion	Sets the heading to exactly that number of degrees. Rotates the sprite, never moves it.
`turn cw (15) degrees`	Motion	From Lesson 8. Adds to the current heading rather than replacing it.

The same idea you met in Lesson 10

You have seen this pattern before. A move block adds to where you are; a go-to block replaces it. Headings work the same way — a turn block adds degrees, and point-in-direction replaces them.

That matters because adding depends on where you started. Turn 90 degrees twice and you have gone 180, which may be somewhere you did not want. Point in direction 90 lands on 90 every single time, no matter what came before.

The direction dial

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

The dial the cat carries. Any number works, not only the four marked ones — 45 heads up and to the right, halfway between 0 and 90.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage

Point first, then travel


when flag clicked
go to x: (0) y: (0)
point in direction (0)
move (100) steps

Start at the centre, set the heading to up, then travel. The cat finishes at (0, 100).

Notice the order. Setting the heading after the move would be far too late — the cat would already have gone the old way.

Why it matters

Without this block, a sprite’s heading depends on whatever happened earlier in the project, which makes scripts unpredictable. With it, every run starts from a known heading — exactly the same reason you begin scripts with a go-to block.

Worked Example — Aiman the four-way cat 15 min

We give the cat a known heading, send it that way, then change the heading and watch the very same move block do something completely different.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Stage plan. One starting spot, four possible journeys. The only thing that decides which one happens is the number in the point block.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage

Step 1 — Hat and reset

Drag in when flag clicked, then go to x: (0) y: (0). Every run now begins from the centre.

Step 2 — Set the heading

From Motion, snap on point in direction (90) and change the number to 0. The cat rotates to face up. Nothing else happens — check the x and y boxes and you will see they have not moved.

Step 3 — Travel

Add move (10) steps and change it to 80.


when flag clicked
go to x: (0) y: (0)
point in direction (0)
move (80) steps

Centre, face up, step up. The cat finishes at (0, 80).

Step 4 — Click the flag

The cat snaps to the middle, spins upward, then jumps 80 pixels toward the top of the garden. Check the boxes: x is still 0, y is now 80.

Step 5 — Change one number

Edit the point block to -90 and run it again. The move block is untouched, yet the cat now travels left and finishes at (−80, 0). One number changed the entire journey.

Step 6 — Try a diagonal

Set the point block to 45. Now the cat heads up and to the right at the same time, ending somewhere near (57, 57). Directions are not limited to the four you can name.

Step 7 — Swap the move for a glide

Replace the move block with glide (2) secs to x: (-80) y: (0) and set the point block back to -90. Now the cat faces left and travels left, smoothly. That combination — point first, then glide — is what makes a sprite look like it means it.

What changed: your cat no longer inherits a heading from whatever happened last. Every run sets its own, so the script behaves the same way every time.

The full assembled stack (your reference)


when flag clicked
go to x: (0) y: (0)
point in direction (-90)
glide (2) secs to x: (-80) y: (0)

Reset the position, set the heading, then travel — the order that makes scripts predictable.

Try It Yourself — three small builds 12 min

🟢 Easy

Goal: Send the cat downward. Set the heading to face down, then step 60.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Face down first, travel second. The cat finishes at (0, −60).

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage


when flag clicked
go to x: (0) y: (0)
point in direction (180)
move (60) steps

Think: the y box goes down, not up, because 180 points toward the bottom of the Stage. The x box never changes at all.

🟡 Medium

Goal: Walk an L-shape using headings instead of turns. Right first, then down — and set each heading exactly rather than nudging it.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Two legs, two exact headings. No counting degrees, no adding up turns.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage


when flag clicked
go to x: (-100) y: (100)
point in direction (90)
move (80) steps
point in direction (180)
move (80) steps

Think: in Lesson 8 you built this with a turn block, and you had to work out what 90 degrees clockwise from the current heading would give. Here you just name the heading you want. Which felt safer?

🔴 Stretch

Mini-mission: uphill to the butterfly. The butterfly is up and to the right of the cat. Send the cat climbing diagonally to meet it, and have it announce the climb when it arrives.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

A single straight climb, up and right at once — then a word about the journey.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprites move as they would on the real Stage

It works if: the cat travels in one straight diagonal line rather than a right-then-up staircase, it finishes near the butterfly, and it speaks when it gets there. Stay within 8 blocks.

Think: which number sits exactly halfway between “up” and “right” on the dial? Once you have that, the move block does the rest by itself.

Mini-Challenge — two corners, one click 5 min

“Aisyah’s cat changes its mind”

Send the cat from the centre of the garden out to one corner, then have it change heading and set off for a different corner — all on a single flag click, and always facing the way it travels.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Two legs, a change of heading between them, and a corner as the destination.

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 whole journey.
The cat sets its heading before each leg, not after.
It ends in a corner it did not start next to.
A watcher can follow both legs — neither is over in a flash.

Reveal one valid solution (teacher)


when flag clicked
go to x: (0) y: (0)
point in direction (90)
glide (1) secs to x: (200) y: (0)
point in direction (180)
glide (1) secs to x: (200) y: (-150)

Six blocks. Worth discussing: the point blocks make no difference to where the glides go — they only make the cat face the right way. Pupils who delete them will see the journey still work but look wrong, which is the whole lesson.

🚀 Mission — Face the Path

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Four headings, four short walks, four announcements — and the cat facing correctly at every one.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage

Zara wants a cat that can prove it knows its compass. It should set off in each of the four headings in turn and say which way it is going as it does.

The cat visits all four headings — up, right, down and left — in one flag click.
Before each walk it faces the right way; sliding sideways does not count.
It announces each heading in words as it travels.
Every run starts from the same place and heading, so it repeats identically.
8 blocks or fewer, which is not enough for everything you might want. Decide what matters most.

✅ Done when: a watcher can call out all four headings correctly just from watching once. Going further: swap the moves for glides so each leg can actually be followed.

Teacher notes — the squeeze, and what to sacrifice

A full version needs hat + go-to + four point/move/say triples = fourteen blocks, far over the cap. Pupils must cut: usually by dropping the say blocks and letting the movement itself communicate the heading, or by covering only two headings properly. Either choice is defensible — asking them to justify it is the assessment.

Recap 2 min

The point-in-direction block sets a sprite’s heading exactly: 0 up, 90 right, 180 down, -90 left, and every number in between. It rotates without moving, so a move or a glide has to follow. And unlike a turn block, which adds degrees to whatever you already had, this one replaces them — which is what makes a script behave the same way every run.

Direction (heading): The compass number a sprite faces. 0 up, 90 right, 180 down, −90 left.
point in direction (block): The Motion block that sets a heading exactly. Rotates the sprite without moving it.
Set versus add: Point-in-direction replaces the heading; a turn block adds to it — the same difference as go-to versus move.
Forward: Whichever way the sprite currently faces. Every move block follows it.

Homework 1 min

The four-way salute. Face the cat up, glide up, then face it right and glide right — a small L-shaped salute with correct facing throughout.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Up first, then right — ending at (60, 60) with the cat facing the way it last travelled.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage

Build the six-block stack below.
Click the flag and watch the cat face up, glide up, face right, glide right.
Check the boxes afterwards: x should read 60, y should read 60.
Screenshot your Script Area.


when flag clicked
go to x: (0) y: (0)
point in direction (0)
glide (1) secs to x: (0) y: (60)
point in direction (90)
glide (1) secs to x: (60) y: (60)

Six blocks: reset, face, travel, face, travel.

Bring back next class:

A screenshot of your six-block Script Area.
Your answer to: “If you set the heading to 45 and then move 100 steps, does the cat end up above, to the right, or somewhere in between — and why?”

Heads up for next class: SCR-L01-13 teaches the one block that stops a sprite getting stuck against the edge of the garden: if on edge, bounce.

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:

Recall the four key headings: 0 up, 90 right, 180 down, -90 left.
Use point in direction (90) to set a heading exactly, from inside a script.
Explain why point in direction (90) and turn cw (15) degrees are not the same thing.

Warm-Up 7 min

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Where we are now. Smooth travel, wrong heading. Glide never turns a sprite, so the cat happily moonwalks across the garden.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage

Quick-fire puzzle

Priya set her cat’s Direction to 0 in Sprite Properties, then clicked the flag. Which way did it move?


when flag clicked
move (100) steps

The familiar two-block script — but the Direction box says 0, not 90.

Reveal the answer

The cat moved 100 steps straight up. A move block has never meant “go right”. It means “go forward”, and forward is whatever the Direction box says.

Today you get a block that sets that box from inside the script, so you no longer have to remember to type it in first.

New Concept — setting a heading 15 min

Blocks reference

Block	Category	What it does
`point in direction (90)`	Motion	Sets the heading to exactly that number of degrees. Rotates the sprite, never moves it.
`turn cw (15) degrees`	Motion	From Lesson 8. Adds to the current heading rather than replacing it.

The same idea you met in Lesson 10

You have seen this pattern before. A move block adds to where you are; a go-to block replaces it. Headings work the same way — a turn block adds degrees, and point-in-direction replaces them.

The direction dial

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

The dial the cat carries. Any number works, not only the four marked ones — 45 heads up and to the right, halfway between 0 and 90.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage

Point first, then travel


when flag clicked
go to x: (0) y: (0)
point in direction (0)
move (100) steps

Start at the centre, set the heading to up, then travel. The cat finishes at (0, 100).

Notice the order. Setting the heading after the move would be far too late — the cat would already have gone the old way.

Why it matters

Worked Example — Aiman the four-way cat 15 min

We give the cat a known heading, send it that way, then change the heading and watch the very same move block do something completely different.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Stage plan. One starting spot, four possible journeys. The only thing that decides which one happens is the number in the point block.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage

Step 1 — Hat and reset

Drag in when flag clicked, then go to x: (0) y: (0). Every run now begins from the centre.

Step 2 — Set the heading

From Motion, snap on point in direction (90) and change the number to 0. The cat rotates to face up. Nothing else happens — check the x and y boxes and you will see they have not moved.

Step 3 — Travel

Add move (10) steps and change it to 80.


when flag clicked
go to x: (0) y: (0)
point in direction (0)
move (80) steps

Centre, face up, step up. The cat finishes at (0, 80).

Step 4 — Click the flag

The cat snaps to the middle, spins upward, then jumps 80 pixels toward the top of the garden. Check the boxes: x is still 0, y is now 80.

Step 5 — Change one number

Edit the point block to -90 and run it again. The move block is untouched, yet the cat now travels left and finishes at (−80, 0). One number changed the entire journey.

Step 6 — Try a diagonal

Set the point block to 45. Now the cat heads up and to the right at the same time, ending somewhere near (57, 57). Directions are not limited to the four you can name.

Step 7 — Swap the move for a glide

What changed: your cat no longer inherits a heading from whatever happened last. Every run sets its own, so the script behaves the same way every time.

The full assembled stack (your reference)


when flag clicked
go to x: (0) y: (0)
point in direction (-90)
glide (2) secs to x: (-80) y: (0)

Reset the position, set the heading, then travel — the order that makes scripts predictable.

Try It Yourself — three small builds 12 min

🟢 Easy

Goal: Send the cat downward. Set the heading to face down, then step 60.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Face down first, travel second. The cat finishes at (0, −60).

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage


when flag clicked
go to x: (0) y: (0)
point in direction (180)
move (60) steps

Think: the y box goes down, not up, because 180 points toward the bottom of the Stage. The x box never changes at all.

🟡 Medium

Goal: Walk an L-shape using headings instead of turns. Right first, then down — and set each heading exactly rather than nudging it.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Two legs, two exact headings. No counting degrees, no adding up turns.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage


when flag clicked
go to x: (-100) y: (100)
point in direction (90)
move (80) steps
point in direction (180)
move (80) steps

🔴 Stretch

Mini-mission: uphill to the butterfly. The butterfly is up and to the right of the cat. Send the cat climbing diagonally to meet it, and have it announce the climb when it arrives.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

A single straight climb, up and right at once — then a word about the journey.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprites move as they would on the real Stage

It works if: the cat travels in one straight diagonal line rather than a right-then-up staircase, it finishes near the butterfly, and it speaks when it gets there. Stay within 8 blocks.

Think: which number sits exactly halfway between “up” and “right” on the dial? Once you have that, the move block does the rest by itself.

Mini-Challenge — two corners, one click 5 min

“Aisyah’s cat changes its mind”

Send the cat from the centre of the garden out to one corner, then have it change heading and set off for a different corner — all on a single flag click, and always facing the way it travels.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Two legs, a change of heading between them, and a corner as the destination.

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 whole journey.
The cat sets its heading before each leg, not after.
It ends in a corner it did not start next to.
A watcher can follow both legs — neither is over in a flash.

Reveal one valid solution (teacher)


when flag clicked
go to x: (0) y: (0)
point in direction (90)
glide (1) secs to x: (200) y: (0)
point in direction (180)
glide (1) secs to x: (200) y: (-150)

🚀 Mission — Face the Path

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Four headings, four short walks, four announcements — and the cat facing correctly at every one.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage

Zara wants a cat that can prove it knows its compass. It should set off in each of the four headings in turn and say which way it is going as it does.

The cat visits all four headings — up, right, down and left — in one flag click.
Before each walk it faces the right way; sliding sideways does not count.
It announces each heading in words as it travels.
Every run starts from the same place and heading, so it repeats identically.
8 blocks or fewer, which is not enough for everything you might want. Decide what matters most.

✅ Done when: a watcher can call out all four headings correctly just from watching once. Going further: swap the moves for glides so each leg can actually be followed.

Teacher notes — the squeeze, and what to sacrifice

Recap 2 min

Direction (heading): The compass number a sprite faces. 0 up, 90 right, 180 down, −90 left.
point in direction (block): The Motion block that sets a heading exactly. Rotates the sprite without moving it.
Set versus add: Point-in-direction replaces the heading; a turn block adds to it — the same difference as go-to versus move.
Forward: Whichever way the sprite currently faces. Every move block follows it.

Homework 1 min

The four-way salute. Face the cat up, glide up, then face it right and glide right — a small L-shaped salute with correct facing throughout.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Up first, then right — ending at (60, 60) with the cat facing the way it last travelled.

at the start

step 1 of 2

the sprite moves as it would on the real Stage

Build the six-block stack below.
Click the flag and watch the cat face up, glide up, face right, glide right.
Check the boxes afterwards: x should read 60, y should read 60.
Screenshot your Script Area.


when flag clicked
go to x: (0) y: (0)
point in direction (0)
glide (1) secs to x: (0) y: (60)
point in direction (90)
glide (1) secs to x: (60) y: (60)

Six blocks: reset, face, travel, face, travel.

Bring back next class:

A screenshot of your six-block Script Area.
Your answer to: “If you set the heading to 45 and then move 100 steps, does the cat end up above, to the right, or somewhere in between — and why?”

Heads up for next class: SCR-L01-13 teaches the one block that stops a sprite getting stuck against the edge of the garden: if on edge, bounce.