Materials:

Each student will need a card from a deck of playing cards.

Directions:

1. Ask students how they know it’s time to get quiet in the classroom. Students will respond by listing the various “attention getters” employed in your classroom. (clapping patterns, verbal messages, counting down, etc...)
2. When a teacher uses an “attention getter”, they are broadcasting a message. When students hear the message, they perform the task of getting quiet.
3. Pass out cards to students. Once each student has a card, tell them that the suit on the card will determine their task:
   • Hearts: Sing the “Happy Birthday” song
   • Clubs: Clap in time with the words to the “Happy Birthday” song
   • Diamonds: Snap fingers until the end of the “Happy Birthday” song
   • Spades: Pat your head and rub your stomach until the end of the “Happy Birthday” song
4. Introduce the message to students that will indicate that it is time for them to do their given task. For this activity the message indicator is turning off the lights. Introduce the language by saying, “When I turn off the lights, you perform your given task only once. Even if I turn the lights off and on again. You do not perform the task again. Why?” (You were only told to look for the indicator once, so you do the activity once.) “ However, if I say “forever” then each time the lights turn off, you will perform your task again. Why?” (Forever means you always check to see if the indicator occurred. Every time it occurs you perform the task.)
5. Broadcast (turn the lights off) several times throughout the day. Each time the lights are turned off, students should perform their tasks.

Relates to Scratch:

Scratch has a forever block. Show students the forever block. It is found in the Control category. It will expand to accept many blocks.

Scratch has a broadcast block. It is found in the Events category. When students create this block they have the option of naming the message to be broadcast. Be sure to use a name that is clear and describes the message being broadcast. In the Fish activity, the message was show because this was the broadcast to make the other sprites show.

In Scratch there also is a when I receive ___ block. This is also found in the Events category. This block indicates when the sprite should carry out its assigned activity. This block is the indicator, or message so the sprit knows when to begin that activity.