AP CSP Day 20 - Other Collection Types

Course Information

• Course: AP Computer Science Principles
• Unit: Big Idea 1 - Creative Development (CRD)
• Lesson: Day 20 (50 minutes)
• Learning Objective: CRD-1.T - Use other collection types appropriately

Learning Objectives

Primary Goals

Students will be able to:

1. Understand the concept of other collection types in programming
2. Create programs using other collection types effectively
3. Test and refine program logic involving other collection types
4. Analyze real-world scenarios that require other collection types

AP Exam Alignment

• Big Idea 1: Creative Development (10-13% of AP Exam)
• Essential Knowledge: CRD-1.T.1, CRD-1.T.2, CRD-1.T.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 2D lists and nested loops
• Introduce today's topic on other collection types

Student Activities:

• Think about: "What are some examples where we use other collection types in daily life?"

1.2 Collection Type Examples Challenge (5 minutes)

Activity: "Identify the Collection Type"
Instructions:

• Groups of 4-6 students
• Identify collection types in given scenarios
• Discuss the importance of collection types

Purpose: Activate thinking about collection types

Core Content Instruction (20 minutes)

2.1 What are Other Collection Types? (10 minutes)

Definition (CRD-1.T.1):

Other collection types include dictionaries, sets, and tuples, which provide alternative ways to store and manage data.

Key Concepts:

• Dictionaries: key-value pairs
• Sets: unordered collections of unique elements
• Tuples: immutable ordered collections

Case Study: Using other collection types in a simple program

• Program: Store student information using a dictionary
• Collection structure: student =

2.2 Common Collection Type Operations (5 minutes)

Examples:

• Dictionaries: my_dict['key'] = value
• Sets: my_set.add(item)
• Tuples: my_tuple = (item1, item2)

Discussion Questions:

1. What makes good collection type usage?
2. Can you think of an example where other collection types are used in daily life?
3. Why are other collection types important in programming?

2.3 Advanced Collection Type Concepts (5 minutes)

Why is it important?:

• Efficiency: Handling specific data structures efficiently
• Flexibility: Storing different types of data

Discussion Questions:

1. How can we handle specific data structures with advanced collection types?
2. Why is flexibility important when using other collection types?

Hands-On Activity (15 minutes)

3.1 Group Project: Create a Program with Other Collection Types (15 minutes)

Activity: "Design a Program"
Instructions:

• Groups of 3-4 students
• Design a program that uses other collection types effectively
• Test the program for correctness
• Present the program to the class

Materials:

• **Program design worksheet
• **Collection type checklist

Learning Goals:

• **Understand other collection types
• **Create programs using other collection types effectively
• **Test program logic involving other collection types
• **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 concept of other collection types in programming
2. ✅ Creating programs using other collection types effectively
3. ✅ Testing and refining program logic involving other collection types
4. ✅ Analyzing real-world scenarios that require other collection types

AP Exam Connection:

• These concepts will appear in AP exam multiple choice questions
• Understanding other collection types is crucial for the Create Performance Task

4.2 Next Class Preview (3 minutes)

Day 21 Topic: "Algorithm Efficiency"

• Learning Objective: CRD-1.U - Evaluate algorithm efficiency
• Activity: Practicing algorithm evaluation
• Homework: Think about a recent program you used. What collection types did it employ?