AP CSP Day 13 - Function Design and Documentation

Course Information

• Course: AP Computer Science Principles
• Unit: Big Idea 1 - Creative Development (CRD)
• Lesson: Day 13 (50 minutes)
• Learning Objective: CRD-1.M - Design and document functions appropriately

Learning Objectives

Primary Goals

Students will be able to:

1. Understand the principles of function design
2. Create well-designed functions with clear documentation
3. Test and refine function logic based on design principles
4. Analyze real-world scenarios that require proper function design and documentation

AP Exam Alignment

• Big Idea 1: Creative Development (10-13% of AP Exam)
• Essential Knowledge: CRD-1.M.1, CRD-1.M.2, CRD-1.M.3
• Computational Thinking Practice: 1.A - Investigate the situation, context, or task

Lesson Structure (50 minutes)

Opening Hook (10 minutes)

1.1 Welcome & Lesson Preview (5 minutes)

Teacher Activities:

• Recap previous day's content on parameters and return values
• Introduce today's topic on function design and documentation

Student Activities:

• Think about: "What are some examples where we use function design and documentation in daily life?"

1.2 Function Design Examples Challenge (5 minutes)

Activity: "Identify Good Function Design"
Instructions:

• Groups of 4-6 students
• Identify good function design in given scenarios
• Discuss the importance of function design and documentation

Purpose: Activate thinking about function design and documentation

Core Content Instruction (20 minutes)

2.1 What is Function Design? (10 minutes)

Definition (CRD-1.M.1):

Function design involves creating functions that are efficient, reusable, and easy to understand.

Key Concepts:

• Efficiency: Functions should perform tasks quickly
• Reusability: Functions should be designed to handle multiple scenarios
• Clarity: Functions should be easy to understand and maintain

Case Study: Using function design in a simple program

• Program: Calculate the area of various shapes
• Function structure: def calculate_area(shape, *args): return result

2.2 Importance of Documentation (5 minutes)

Why is it important?:

• Readability: Makes code easier to understand
• Maintainability: Helps future developers modify code
• Collaboration: Facilitates teamwork

Discussion Questions:

1. What makes good function documentation?
2. Can you think of an example where function design and documentation are used in daily life?
3. Why are function design and documentation important in programming?

2.3 Advanced Function Design (5 minutes)

Why is it important?:

• Scalability: Handling larger programs
• Optimization: Improving performance

Discussion Questions:

1. How can we make functions scalable?
2. Why is optimization important in function design?

Hands-On Activity (15 minutes)

3.1 Group Project: Create a Program with Well-Designed Functions and Documentation (15 minutes)

Activity: "Design a Program"
Instructions:

• Groups of 3-4 students
• Design a program with well-designed functions and clear documentation
• Test the program for correctness
• Present the program to the class

Materials:

• **Program design worksheet
• **Function design and documentation checklist

Learning Goals:

• **Understand function design
• **Create programs with well-designed functions and clear documentation
• **Test function logic based on design principles
• **Present ideas effectively

Assessment:

• **Group participation
• **Program quality
• **Testing thoroughness
• **Presentation clarity

Closure & Preview (5 minutes)

4.1 Key Concepts Review (2 minutes)

Today's Learning Highlights:

1. ✅ Understanding the principles of function design
2. ✅ Creating well-designed functions with clear documentation
3. ✅ Testing and refining function logic based on design principles
4. ✅ Analyzing real-world scenarios that require proper function design and documentation

AP Exam Connection:

• These concepts will appear in AP exam multiple choice questions
• Understanding function design and documentation is crucial for the Create Performance Task

4.2 Next Class Preview (3 minutes)

Day 14 Topic: "Libraries and APIs"

• Learning Objective: CRD-1.N - Use libraries and APIs appropriately
• Activity: Practicing library and API usage
• Homework: Think about a recent program you used. What function design and documentation did it employ?