Pointing in a Direction — Scratch L1

Where this arc is heading: the cat always faces the direction it travels. One green-flag click sends it gliding across the garden, off the fence, and back — each leg pointed correctly before every move.

Learning Goals 3 min

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

Recall the four key direction numbers in Scratch: 0 = up, 90 = right, 180 = down, -90 = left.
Drag a point in direction (90) block into your Script Area and edit its number.
Click the green flag and see the cat face a new direction before it moves — so "forward" goes the way you want.

Warm-Up 7 min

Last lesson the cat glided smoothly between garden spots. Now the arc moves forward — today we make the cat face the way it travels, so it never slides sideways again.

Quick-fire puzzle

Priya set her cat's Direction property to 0 in the Sprite Properties bar. Then she clicked the green flag with this script. Which way did the cat move?


when flag clicked
move (100) steps

The classic two-block move script. But the cat's Direction is set to 0 instead of the default 90.

Reveal the answer

The cat moved 100 steps straight up. The move block does not mean "go right" — it means "go forward, in whatever direction I am facing". With Direction = 0, forward is up. With Direction = 90, forward is right. The sprite's direction is the missing ingredient.

Today you'll set that direction inside your script using a single new block: point in direction (90).

New Concept — the direction dial 15 min

Think of the cat wearing a compass. The compass needle is a number. When the needle reads 90, the cat faces right. When it reads 0, the cat faces up. point in direction (90) rotates the compass instantly to whatever number you choose — no movement, just a new "forward".

Blocks reference

Block	Category	What it does
point in direction (90)	Motion (blue)	Rotates the sprite to face the exact direction (in degrees). Does not move the sprite, only rotates.

The direction dial — four key numbers

Scratch's direction dial. The cat sits in the middle. The arrow shows which way is "forward". A move block always travels along the chosen arrow.

Using point in direction inside a script


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

The cat starts at the centre, faces up, then moves 100 steps up. New ending position: (0, 100).

Why it matters

Without point in direction, every cat in every project would only ever move right. With it, your sprite can climb, dive, walk left, or face any angle you want. It is the difference between a cat that only walks one way and a cat that explores the whole Stage.

Worked Example — Aiman the four-way cat 15 min

Open Scratch. Rename your cat to Aiman the Cat. We are going to make Aiman face each of the four key directions and step that way.

Stage plan. The cat (the only sprite you script today — see the ✏️ badge) sits at the centre. The blue arrow on the direction dial shows it is about to face right (90). A move block then sends it that way.

Step 1 — Add the start hat

Drag when ⚑ clicked from the yellow Events category into the Script Area.

Step 2 — Reset position

Add go to x: (0) y: (0) under the hat. Type 0 for both. Aiman snaps to the centre.

Step 3 — Face up and step up

From Motion, drag point in direction (90) and snap it under the go to. Click the little white circle and change 90 to 0. Then drag move (10) steps; change 10 to 80.


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

After Step 3 — the cat starts at centre, faces up, then steps 80 pixels up. New position: (0, 80).

Step 4 — Click the green flag

Aiman teleports to (0, 0), spins to face up, then jumps 80 pixels straight up. He ends near the top of the Stage.

Step 5 — Try a different direction

Change the number inside point in direction (0) to -90 (negative ninety). Click the flag again. Now Aiman faces left and steps 80 pixels left. End position: (−80, 0).

Step 6 — Add a glide for smoothness

Swap the move (80) steps for glide (2) secs to x: (-80) y: (0). Click the flag — now you see Aiman face left, then slide smoothly to (−80, 0).

What changed: the same move block now sends the cat in completely different directions, depending on the direction you point first.

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)

Aiman starts in the centre, faces left, then glides smoothly to the left over 2 seconds.

Try It Yourself — three small builds 12 min

🟢 Easy

Goal: Make the cat face down and walk 60 steps that way.


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

Think: Direction 180 = down. After the move, the cat sits at (0, −60) — 60 pixels below centre.

🟡 Medium

Goal: Make the cat take an "L-shape" walk — first right, then down.


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

Think: The cat traces a backwards "L" — right by 80, then down by 80. Six blocks total, still inside our 8-block cap.

🔴 Stretch

Goal: Send the cat diagonally up-right using a non-standard direction.


when flag clicked
go to x: (0) y: (0)
point in direction (45)
move (140) steps
say [Naik bukit!] for (2) seconds

Think: Direction 45 sits between 0 (up) and 90 (right) — it points to the top-right. The cat climbs diagonally then says "Going uphill!" in Malay.

Mini-Challenge — four-corner tour 5 min

"Aisyah's Cat visits all four corners"

Without using any blocks you haven't seen yet, send the cat from the centre to one corner of the Stage, then point a new direction, then move to a second corner.

It works if:

One click of the green flag runs the whole demo.
The cat ends up at a different corner from where it started.
You use point in direction at least twice with different numbers.
You only use blocks from today and earlier lessons.

Reveal one valid solution


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 — under our 8-block cap. The cat glides right to (+200, 0), spins to face down, then glides down to the bottom-right corner.

🚀 Mission — Face the Path

Zara wants her cat to walk in all four directions — but always facing the way it goes. Build one stack that points the cat to each heading, steps a few paces, and says which way it is facing.

Start with go to x: (0) y: (0) so the cat resets to the centre.
Use point in direction + move (30) steps + say for each of the four directions: 0, 90, 180, −90.
The cat must say which way it faces each time — e.g. "Facing up!", "Facing right!", "Facing down!", "Facing left!".
Use ≤ 8 blocks total (not counting the hat). Hint: one go to + four direction+move+say triples fits in eight.

✅ Done when: the cat visits all four headings in one flag-click, faces correctly at each step, and says its direction aloud. Going further: swap the move blocks for glide (1) secs to blocks so you can actually watch the cat travel in each direction before it speaks.

Recap 2 min

Today you learned how to control which way the cat is facing. point in direction sets the sprite's compass — 0 for up, 90 for right, 180 for down, -90 for left. The cat does not move; it only turns. After that, any move or glide goes "forward" in the new direction.

Direction: The compass number a sprite is facing. 0 = up, 90 = right, 180 = down, -90 = left.
point in direction (block): A motion block that rotates the sprite to face the given degrees. It does not move the sprite.
Forward: The way the sprite is currently pointing. Every move or glide follows that arrow.

Homework 1 min

The four-way salute. Build a script that makes the cat face each of the four key directions in turn, with a tiny glide for each.

Open Scratch.
Drag when ⚑ clicked into the Script Area.
Add go to x: (0) y: (0) to reset position.
Add point in direction (0), then glide (1) secs to x: (0) y: (60).
Add point in direction (90), then glide (1) secs to x: (60) y: (60).
Click the flag and watch the cat face up, glide up, face right, glide right. Six blocks total.

Bring back next class:

A screenshot of your 6-block Script Area.
Your written answer to this question: "If you set Direction to 45 and then move 100 steps, where does the cat end up — exactly above, exactly to the right, or somewhere in between? Why?"

Heads up for next class: SCR-L01-13 teaches the one-block fix that stops a sprite leaving the screen: if on edge, bounce.