Three Tabs Explained¶

Run the Three Tabs Explained MicroSim Fullscreen
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About This MicroSim¶

This MicroSim illustrates the three editor tabs that belong to every Scratch sprite: the Code tab for snapping scripts together, the Costumes tab for drawing and animating the sprite, and the Sounds tab for recording or choosing sounds. It helps students see that each sprite carries its own separate set of these three tabs.

How to Use¶

The Overview button (and the diagram's starting view) shows all three tabs side by side, connected by arrows to the sprite that owns them.
Code Tab, Costumes Tab, and Sounds Tab buttons switch to a detailed view of that tab, describing its purpose and listing its key features.
Reset View returns to the overview and clears the selected tab.

Iframe Embed Code¶

You can add this MicroSim to any web page by adding this to your HTML:

<iframe src="https://dmccreary.github.io/scratch-textbook/sims/three-tabs/main.html"
        height="415px"
        width="100%"
        scrolling="no"></iframe>

Lesson Plan¶

Grade Level¶

Grades 3-6 (ages 8-12)

Duration¶

10 minutes

Prerequisites¶

Has seen the overall Scratch editor layout (stage, sprite pane, blocks palette, code area) from earlier in this chapter
Knows what a sprite is (a character or object you can program)

Activities¶

Exploration (4 min): Students click through the Code Tab, Costumes Tab, and Sounds Tab buttons, reading the purpose and key-feature list shown for each.
Guided Practice (3 min): Back on the Overview, students trace the arrows connecting the sprite to each tab and tell a partner which tab they would use to draw a costume, which to add a sound, and which to write the actual program.
Assessment (3 min): The teacher names a task (e.g., "record my voice saying hello," "make the sprite spin," "draw a new hat for the cat") and students point to or click the tab where that work happens.

Assessment¶

Student can name all three tabs (Code, Costumes, Sounds) and correctly state which tab to use for a given task — writing scripts, changing appearance, or adding audio — without hesitation.