Learning Goals 3 min
By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
- Use the
next backdropoption of the switch backdrop block to flip scenes. - Combine switch backdrop, say, and wait to time a tiny story.
- Click the green flag and watch a 2-scene story play from kitchen to playground.
Warm-Up 7 min
Last lesson you flipped between named backdrops. Today you chain them into a kampung story — with dialogue and timing.
Quick-fire puzzle
Priya has two backdrops in this order: Kitchen, then Playground. The Stage starts on Kitchen. She runs this script. What does the Stage look like at the end?
when flag clicked
next backdrop
next backdrop moves the Stage one step down its backdrop list.Reveal the answer
The Stage ends on Playground. next backdrop is like the "next costume" block, but for the Stage — it moves one place down the list. If the Stage was on the last backdrop, it wraps round to the first.
New Concept — chaining scenes into a story 15 min
A story has at least two scenes. Scene A happens, time passes, scene B happens. In a film, the editor cuts between them. In a Scratch project, you do the cut with three ingredients: say (so the audience knows what is happening), wait (so the scene lasts long enough to read), and switch backdrop (so the picture changes).
Two ways to "go to the next backdrop"
| Block | Category | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| switch backdrop to [Playground v] | Looks | Switches to a named backdrop. Use this when you know exactly which scene you want. |
| next backdrop | Looks | Moves one place forward in the backdrop list. Use this when scenes go in order. |
Both blocks live in the Looks category. The next backdrop block is the backdrop twin of the next costume block you met in SCR-L01-27. Same idea, different target (Stage instead of sprite).
Adding timing with wait
The wait (1) seconds block (Control category) pauses the script for the chosen number of seconds. Use it between scenes so the audience has time to read the cat's speech bubble.
Why it matters
Stories are how humans remember things. Even tiny ones — "cat in the kitchen, then cat at the playground" — feel ten times more interesting than "cat walks 50 steps". Two scenes turn a script into a moment.
Worked Example — kitchen to school in 8 seconds 15 min
Open Scratch. Set up the backdrops first, then the script.
Step 1 — Add the two backdrops
Click the Stage card. Open Backdrops. Add Kitchen from the library. Then add Playground (search for "Playground" or use "Stripes" if Playground isn't there in your version — any two clearly different scenes work).
Step 2 — Order the backdrops
In the Backdrops list, drag Kitchen to the top and Playground just below it. (You can delete backdrop1 if you like — but only after the other two are added.)
Step 3 — Select the cat
Click the cat in the Sprite list. Click the Code tab. Clear any old scripts from earlier practice.
Step 4 — Build the start of the story
Drag when flag clicked from Events. Then drag switch backdrop to [Kitchen v] below it. (This resets the scene every time you click the flag.)
Step 5 — The cat speaks in the kitchen
Drag say [Off to school!] for (2) seconds below the switch. (Change the text to Off to school!.) The cat now greets the audience in the kitchen for 2 seconds.
Step 6 — Wait a beat, then change scene
Drag wait (1) seconds below the say. This is a "dramatic pause". Then drag next backdrop — the Stage moves to Playground.
Step 7 — The cat speaks in the playground
Drag a second say [Here!] for (2) seconds below. (Or write your own line — Here! works.)
Step 8 — Run the story
Click the green flag. Watch:
- Stage flips to Kitchen.
- Cat says "Off to school!" for 2 seconds.
- 1-second pause (empty Kitchen).
- Stage flips to Playground.
- Cat says "Here!" for 2 seconds.
What changed: compared to last lesson, the script now strings several Looks and Control blocks together to build timing. The Stage is no longer a still picture — it's a tiny film.
The full assembled stack (your reference)
when flag clicked
switch backdrop to [Kitchen v]
say [Off to school!] for (2) seconds
wait (1) seconds
next backdrop
say [Here!] for (2) seconds
Try It Yourself — three small builds 12 min
Goal: Re-order the scenes. Drag Playground to the top of the Backdrops list, Kitchen below. Re-run the script — the cat says "Off to school!" while standing on the playground, which is funny but wrong.
when flag clicked
switch backdrop to [Kitchen v]
say [Off to school!] for (2) seconds
wait (1) seconds
next backdrop
say [Here!] for (2) seconds
Think: The first script line still names Kitchen, so the cat still ends scene A on Kitchen — only the next backdrop step depends on order. What does the cat see after next backdrop?
Goal: Replace next backdrop with switch backdrop to [Playground v]. The story should look the same, but now the script names both scenes — safer for projects with many backdrops.
when flag clicked
switch backdrop to [Kitchen v]
say [Off to school!] for (2) seconds
wait (1) seconds
switch backdrop to [Playground v]
say [Here!] for (2) seconds
Think: If you added a third backdrop in between, would next backdrop still go to Playground? No. Naming the backdrop makes the script stable against re-ordering.
Goal: Add a costume change so the cat looks different in each scene. Use next costume right after the backdrop change. (You need 2 cat costumes — the default cat already has them, named costume1 and costume2.)
when flag clicked
switch backdrop to [Kitchen v]
switch costume to [costume1 v]
say [Off to school!] for (2) seconds
wait (1) seconds
next backdrop
next costume
say [Here!] for (2) seconds
Think: 8 blocks — exactly at the Level 1 cap. Both the Stage and the cat now change between scenes. This is the heart of Scratch storytelling.
Mini-Challenge — your own 2-scene story 5 min
"Where does Aisyah's Cat go today?"
Design a 2-scene story using any two backdrops from the library. The cat should speak in each scene, and the Stage should change between them. Use only blocks taught so far.
It works if:
- The story starts on Scene A when you click the green flag.
- The cat says one line on Scene A and one line on Scene B.
- The Stage switches between scenes mid-script (not by you clicking a backdrop).
- The whole script is 8 blocks or fewer.
Reveal one valid solution — beach to forest
when flag clicked
switch backdrop to [Beach Malibu v]
say [Hot sand!] for (2) seconds
wait (1) seconds
switch backdrop to [Forest v]
say [Now it's cool.] for (2) seconds
Six blocks, two scenes, a tiny adventure. Try writing one set in your hometown — KL to Penang, classroom to canteen.
Recap 2 min
Today you chained backdrops into a tiny story. The recipe was simple: set the opening scene, say something, wait, change scene, say something else. The next backdrop option steps through your backdrop list in order, just like next costume steps through a sprite's costumes.
- next backdrop
- An option in the switch backdrop dropdown that moves one place forward in the Backdrops list.
- Scene
- One moment in a story, with its own backdrop, sprites, and lines. A story has at least two.
- Timing
- How long each scene lasts. Built in Scratch using wait and the "for (N) seconds" part of say/think.
Homework 1 min
The morning-routine story. Build a 2-scene story about your own morning. Scene A = your bedroom. Scene B = your school or front door. The cat is your stand-in.
- Add 2 backdrops — e.g.
Bedroom 1(library) and a painted one for your school/front door. - Set Scene A as the opening scene on flag click.
- The cat says one line in Scene A and one in Scene B (each ≤ 6 words).
- Use wait (1) seconds between the two scenes for a clean cut.
- Keep your script at 8 blocks or fewer.
Bring back next class:
- A screenshot of your script.
- Your written answer: "Why is the wait block useful between two scenes?"
Heads up for next class: SCR-L01-33 uses three time-of-day backdrops and a brand-new hat block — when backdrop switches to [night v] — to react to the Stage automatically.