Wow, thanks guys, for the positive reactions and the hints : D I have to admit, the first exercise was to complete the Shootorials on this site. The teacher explained how to create the scrolling background, and how to move the ship in a specific direction.
Next week we'll start a new project. Actually, these flash-games are exercises for artists, so we get some knowledge of what the programmers are doing. I'll let you guys know when the second game is finished ;) Thanks!