Course Overview
This course introduces middle–school and high–school students to real-world programming using
the Python language.

Students will be building their own interactive game over the course of the program. This on-
going project gives them a taste of what real software development feels like—solving problems,

debugging code, and bringing their own creative ideas to life in a working program.

Each 90-minute class is a mix of live coding, guided practice, and collaborative exploration. Stu-
dents spend an additional 30–60 minutes each week finishing or extending the in-class project.

 

Weekly Schedule
Week 1: Printing, Input, Variables
Mini-Project: Mad-Lib Generator
Students learn what a program is, how to use print and input, and how to store data in variables
while creating a fun fill-in-the-blanks story.
Week 2: Conditionals
Mini-Project: Personality Quiz
Using if/elif/else, students build a branching quiz that responds dynamically to user choices.
Week 3: Loops
Mini-Project: Guess-the-Number Game
Introducing while and for loops, learners create a guessing game that counts attempts and
offers replay.
Week 4: Functions
Mini-Project: Menu-Driven Calculator
Students refactor previous code into reusable functions and create a basic calculator with a text
menu.
Week 5: Strings & Input Validation
Start Major Project: Pet Monster Rescue Game
Practice string methods, case handling, and defensive input checks as students begin building
a text-based monster adoption game.

Week 6: Lists
Project: Expand Pet Monster with Inventory
Learn about lists by adding a backpack mechanic to store and manage monster rescue items.
Week 7: Dictionaries
Project: Monster Matching System
Use dictionaries to represent monster traits and player preferences, and implement scoring/matching logic.
Week 8: Combining Skills
Project: Continue Pet Monster or Start Adventure Game Integrate skills from past weeks into a fully playable text adventure or monster sim with explo-ration and choices.

Week 9: Debugging & Polish
Project Refinement and Testing
Students test and debug each other’s games, then refine their projects for presentation.
Week 10: Final Showcase
Project Presentation and Celebration
Each student presents their final game, walks through key parts of the code, and reflects on
what they learned.

​