This lesson introduces a variety of core programming concepts in the context of Python. It is expected that students will already be proficient in the concepts; the goal is to translate their knowledge into the world of Python.
This lesson covers the following topics:
- Variables
- Data Types
- Input/Output
- Conditional Statements
- While Loops
- Functions
- Pythonic Syntax
Complete a brief warm-up activity to kick off the meeting. The purpose of the warm-up is to energize and motivate the students.
Present the Basic Programming PowerPoint Presentation. Review the presentation ahead of time, including the notes in the slides. There are several animations. There is also an interactive textbox where an instructor can type code live during the presentation.
For the group activity, facilitate a Team Quiz.
- Split the class into two teams (Team A and Team B)
- Present the Team Quiz PowerPoint
- Go over the rules, and start the quiz
- Answers to the questions are revealed via PowerPoint animations
- Award points to the winning team at the end
The activity walks through the construction of a console-based Rock Paper Scissors game. This should reinforce all of the concepts from the PowerPoint.
The challenges task students with building on the Rock Paper Scissors game.
| Activity | Time |
|---|---|
| Warm-up Activity | 15m |
| PowerPoint | 20m |
| Group Activity | 20m |
| Break | 5m |
| Code-Along | 40m |
| Challenges | 15m |