Parameters: Give a Function What It Needs
Python Programming 2 Grades 9–12 4-day lesson 29 deliverables Teach students to make one Python function do a different job each time it runs. Students match calls to functions from a library program, use default values and keyword arguments, and write turtle functions that draw shapes of any size. They plan a party with a star parameter and **kwargs, then fix a call that stops with a TypeError.
● 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 mix up a parameter and an argument, or they send too few values and the program crashes. This lesson separates the two ideas with matching tasks. Then students draw shapes whose size is a parameter and read the error from a bad call.
The try-it on Day 1, the labs on Days 2 and 3 and the quiz task on Day 4 run online in CodeGrove, our in-browser code lab, so students need a computer or tablet on those days. The Shape Tools and Party Planner levels practice writing functions with parameters, default values and keyword arguments, then calling them to draw shapes and plan a party. CodeGrove is free, with no accounts, sign-ins or installs.
Shape Tools
Students write turtle drawing functions with parameters and draw a row of shapes 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 four days, 30 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 four 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
- Shape Tools: students write turtle drawing functions with parameters and draw a row of shapes in CodeGrove
- Party Planner: students write and call party-planning functions in CodeGrove with keyword arguments, a default value and a star parameter
04 Activities
- Match the Call: students decide which calls fit their functions and write what the good calls print, on paper with computers closed
- Quiz task: students fix a bug in a call in CodeGrove, working alone, and then take the lesson quiz on paper
05 Assessment
- Exit tickets: quick questions that show who needs more help
- Lesson quiz: 8 multiple-choice questions and 2 written answers about all four days, on paper
06 Answer Keys
- 6 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™
- 5 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
- In CodeGrove: the labs on Days 2 and 3 (Shape Tools and Party Planner) and the quiz task on Day 4, on a computer or tablet for each student
- A try-it on Day 1: students practice the new code in CodeGrove, and nothing is turned in
- Free to use, with no accounts, sign-ins or installs
Why teachers love this lesson
Drawing makes a parameter easy to seeA size parameter lets one function draw a shape of any size. Students draw a row of shapes and lift the pen to move between them.
Flexible calls fit real tasksStudents write party-planning functions that take any number of arguments. They add keyword arguments and a default value.
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 labsStudents write and run real Python in CodeGrove, our in-browser code lab, on a computer or tablet, with no accounts or installs.
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
Be the first to review this
Reviews help me a lot, and they help other teachers pick the right resources for their classes. It takes about a minute.
Leave a reviewQuestions teachers ask
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 1 bundle and the complete Python Programming 2 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 second course in Python 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 can name functions and variables in snake_case, with lowercase verbs for function names, like show_menu. They can write an if and else, read a whole number with int(input()), and make a list with square brackets.
Do students need computers?
Yes, on the CodeGrove days. Each student needs a computer or tablet that's online, and CodeGrove needs no account or install. The bell ringers, notes, exit tickets and quiz are on paper.
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 Intermediate Programming course (9007220). The skills map in the lesson shows which standards each day teaches.