AP CSP Day 15 - Program Development with Functions

Course Information

• Course: AP Computer Science Principles
• Unit: Big Idea 1 - Creative Development (CRD)
• Lesson: Day 15 (50 minutes)
• Learning Objective: CRD-1.O - Develop programs using functions

Learning Objectives

Primary Goals

Students will be able to:

1. Understand the process of program development using functions
2. Create complete programs that utilize functions effectively
3. Test and refine program logic involving functions
4. Analyze real-world scenarios that require program development with functions

AP Exam Alignment

• Big Idea 1: Creative Development (10-13% of AP Exam)
• Essential Knowledge: CRD-1.O.1, CRD-1.O.2, CRD-1.O.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 libraries and APIs
• Introduce today's topic on program development with functions

Student Activities:

• Think about: "What are some examples where we use program development with functions in daily life?"

1.2 Program Development Examples Challenge (5 minutes)

Activity: "Identify Good Program Development"
Instructions:

• Groups of 4-6 students
• Identify good program development practices in given scenarios
• Discuss the importance of program development with functions

Purpose: Activate thinking about program development with functions

Core Content Instruction (20 minutes)

2.1 What is Program Development with Functions? (10 minutes)

Definition (CRD-1.O.1):

Program development involves creating complete programs by combining functions to solve complex problems.

Key Concepts:

• Modularity: Breaking down problems into smaller parts
• Reusability: Using functions across different parts of a program
• Efficiency: Writing code that performs tasks quickly

Case Study: Developing a program to calculate student grades

• Program structure: def calculate_average(scores): return sum(scores) / len(scores)

2.2 Importance of Functions in Program Development (5 minutes)

Why is it important?:

• Organization: Keeps code clean and manageable
• Scalability: Handles larger programs easily
• Collaboration: Facilitates teamwork

Discussion Questions:

1. What makes good program development with functions?
2. Can you think of an example where program development with functions is used in daily life?
3. Why are functions important in program development?

2.3 Advanced Program Development (5 minutes)

Why is it important?:

• Complexity: Solving more intricate problems
• Optimization: Improving performance

Discussion Questions:

1. How can we handle complexity in program development?
2. Why is optimization important in program development?

Hands-On Activity (15 minutes)

3.1 Group Project: Develop a Complete Program with Functions (15 minutes)

Activity: "Design a Program"
Instructions:

• Groups of 3-4 students
• Develop a complete program that utilizes functions effectively
• Test the program for correctness
• Present the program to the class

Materials:

• **Program design worksheet
• **Function usage checklist

Learning Goals:

• **Understand program development with functions
• **Create complete programs utilizing functions effectively
• **Test program logic involving functions
• **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 process of program development using functions
2. ✅ Creating complete programs that utilize functions effectively
3. ✅ Testing and refining program logic involving functions
4. ✅ Analyzing real-world scenarios that require program development with functions

AP Exam Connection:

• These concepts will appear in AP exam multiple choice questions
• Understanding program development with functions is crucial for the Create Performance Task

4.2 Next Class Preview (3 minutes)

Day 16 Topic: "Introduction to Lists"

• Learning Objective: CRD-1.P - Use lists appropriately
• Activity: Practicing list operations
• Homework: Think about a recent program you used. What program development with functions did it employ?