Decisions Inside Loops
Intro to Python Programming Grades 9–12 5-day lesson 36 deliverables Teach students to combine Python loops and decisions so a program checks each value it visits. Students trace the best score so far, count matches and write robot rules that water only dry plants. They also plan repeated choices with flowcharts and pseudocode, then fix a counter whose decision sits outside the loop.
● Instant download · Lifetime access · Editable & print-ready
Print + digitalPDF, PowerPoint, Word & Google
Answer keysA key for every page
Built-in assessmentExit tickets + lesson quiz
45-minute daysEvery day planned and timed
Short coding levels practice this lesson in CodeGrove, our code lab that runs in the browser. Students write the program, run it and check it, with no account and nothing to install. Use them with the lesson or as practice later.
See the levelsWhat does this lesson cover?
Students may understand a loop but struggle to put a choice inside it. This lesson gives each pass a rule to check, using scores, counts and garden tasks.
The labs on Day 2 and Day 3, and the activity on Day 5 have online versions that use CodeGrove, our in-browser code lab, in the Garden Rooms level. It practices writing robot loops with an if inside that water only the dry plants in every version of a garden room. Every online version comes with a paper version, so no internet is needed. CodeGrove is free, with no accounts or sign-ins.
Garden Rooms
Students write one program for each of three garden rooms and draw the path it makes in every version, on paper or in CodeGrove.
Everything that's included
00 Start Here
- READ FIRST: every file in the lesson and when you use it
- Teacher Guide and Pacing: the plan for each day, what to print and how to grade
- Skills map: which standards each day teaches
01 Present
- One editable PowerPoint deck for all five days, 48 slides, with speaker notes
- Slide script: the speaker notes, printed
- Bell ringers: a short warm-up for each day
02 Student Handouts
- Guided notes: one packet for all five days, in PDF and editable Word. Students fill in the blanks during the slides, with the word bank on the page
- Vocab slip: the lesson's words and what they mean, on one page
03 Labs
- Garden Rooms: students write one program for each of three garden rooms and draw the path it makes in every version, on paper or in CodeGrove
- Loop and Decide: students write three programs that loop and decide, write each exact output and explain why each one works, on paper or in CodeGrove
04 Activities
- Inside the Loop: students match three short loops to their jobs, trace a loop that keeps the biggest score so far and write an if that counts even numbers, on paper with computers closed
- Building Blocks: students name the building blocks in two plans and their loop flowcharts, decide which everyday jobs need a loop and write a plan with REPEAT and IF, on paper with computers closed
- Count Bug: students fix a hot-day counter from a bug ticket in Count Bug, on paper or in CodeGrove, and then they take the lesson quiz
05 Assessment
- Exit tickets: quick questions that show who needs more help
- Lesson quiz: 8 multiple-choice questions and 2 written answers about all five days
06 Answer Keys
- 7 answer key files: a key for each day (its bell ringer, notes and exit ticket) and the activity and lab keys, plus the quiz key
Digital: Google Forms™ + Google Slides™
- 6 Google Forms™ of the exit tickets and the quiz, ready to copy into your Drive
- The multiple choice grades itself, and you grade the written answers
- A Google Slides™ copy of the deck, with the same slides and speaker notes, for Google Classroom™
- Give a Form that asks students to read code only on school-managed Chromebooks in locked mode, and use the paper version on other devices
Online: CodeGrove
- CodeGrove, Garden Rooms level: the online version of the labs on Day 2 and Day 3, and the activity on Day 5
- Every online version has a paper version, so no internet is needed
- Free to use, with no accounts or sign-ins
Why teachers love this lesson
The robot checks before it watersStudents test garden rules across room versions and mark the actions their program takes along the path.
Students connect code to program structureThey find sequence, selection and iteration in flowcharts and plans. Then they write plain steps that repeat and make choices.
Print and digitalEvery page is a print-ready PDF, and the Google Forms™ and Google Slides™ let you teach the same lesson in Google Classroom™.
Real online activitiesStudents can use CodeGrove, our in-browser code lab, on a computer or tablet, and every online version has a paper version that works with no internet.
A key for every pageEvery day has its own answer key, and every written question has a sample answer and what to look for.
Every day fits a 45-minute classEach day's plan is timed activity by activity against real reading and writing speeds.
What Teachers Say
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How do I get the files after I buy?
Instant download right after checkout: PowerPoint and Word files you can edit, print-ready PDFs, and links that copy the Google Forms™ and Google Slides™ into your Drive.
Can I buy the whole unit or course instead?
Yes. This lesson is part of the Unit 4 bundle and the complete Intro to Python Programming course. Both cost less than buying the lessons one at a time.
Is this AP Computer Science?
No. It is a full-year, non-AP intro to Python course for grades 9 to 12. For AP, see our AP Computer Science A and AP CSP courses.
What should students know before this lesson?
Students know how to use print(), input() and variables, how to repeat lines with for and while loops and how to count with +=. They know the robot's moves, pseudocode and flowcharts with decision diamonds.
What formats are the files in?
Every page is a print-ready PDF. The slides are an editable PowerPoint and the guided notes an editable Word file. The exit tickets and the quiz also come as Google Forms™, and the deck as Google Slides™.
Which standards does it cover?
Written for Florida's Foundations of Programming course (9007210). The skills map in the lesson shows which standards each day teaches.