In year 8 we continue to teach our students Python. This time moving away from MicroPython and using the IDLE editor. The following lessons use the Python Turtle as an introduction to using Python. This unit sits alongside what students are studying in Maths. We then move on to more in-depth lessons with Python.
I am currently in the process of updating these resources to use the Thonny API instead of IDLE. With the Raspberry Pi Foundation including Thonny as the default editor for their Raspbian operating system, and having had a play around with it; we are installing it on all of our Windows PCs in school and we will then use the same editor on both the Windows PCs and the Raspberry Pi computers.
All lessons are in Google Slides format with teacher notes in the notes section. Please feel free to use within the Creative Commons license listed at the end of the page.
- Lesson 1 – Robot Walk
- Lesson 2 – Basic Shapes
- Lesson 3 – Quicker Shapes
- Lesson 4 – Coding Golf (by Simon Johnson – http://teachwithict.weebly.com/coding-golf.html )
- Lesson 5 – Variables, Data Types and Operators
- Lesson 6 – User Input and Error Catching
- Lesson 7 – Conditional Checks
- Lesson 8 – Loops
- Lesson 9 – Functions
- Lesson 10 – Quiz and Shakespearean Insult Generator ( Shakespearean Insult Generator by Simon Johnson – http://teachwithict.weebly.com/shakespearean-insult-generator.html )
Year 8 – Python lessons by Jon Witts is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
These are fantastic! They are easy to read interesting & engaging. I’ll be teaching GCSE computer science in September so I’ll be looking to buy some of your resources to help me with the subject. Thank you
Hi Kathy,
Glad you like the resources. They are all released under a Creative Commons license so they are free to use as long as you credit me in any re-use 😀
Jon
just came across this python resource – it’s brilliant, thank you!
Hi Jane,
I hope that your students enjoy them too!
Jon
Thanks! I think they will. Do you get students to do the work off the spreadsheets or do you give them task sheets with the code?
Thank you, Jane.
Hi Jane,
I save PDF versions of the slides to a shared area that they can open on their computer and they either work from that or work from the board.
Jon