Python Programming 2 Lesson 3.1: List Methods
Python Programming 2 · Unit 3 · Lesson 3.1

List Methods

Python Programming 2 Grades 9–12 3-day lesson 25 deliverables

Teach students to change lists in Python with methods like .append(), .insert(), .remove(), .pop() and .sort(). Students fill in list boxes, tell which tools change a list in place and which make a new one, and find the calls that stop with an error. They write a function for each choice in a playlist menu and fix a roster program that stops on a missing name.

Single lesson
$8

● 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
Free for your students

3 coding levels come with this

See the levels

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 levels
What's inside

What does this lesson cover?

Students mix up list tools that change a list in place with tools that make a new list. This lesson has them fill in list boxes after each line runs. Then they use the right tool in a playlist menu and check first, so a missing item can't stop the program.

The try-it on Day 1, the lab on Day 2 and the quiz task on Day 3 run online in CodeGrove, our in-browser code lab, so students need a computer or tablet on those days. The Playlist Manager level practices writing menu functions that add, insert, remove, move and sort the songs in a list. CodeGrove is free, with no accounts, sign-ins or installs.

Featured original activity

Playlist Manager

Students write the functions for a playlist menu in CodeGrove: add, insert, remove, move, sort and join songs.

25 deliverables

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 three days, 25 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 three 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

  • Playlist Manager: students write the functions for a playlist menu in CodeGrove: add, insert, remove, move, sort and join songs

04 Activities

  • Before and After: students fill in list boxes after the code changes each list and mark the calls that stop with an error, on paper with computers closed
  • Quiz task: students fix a roster program that stops on a missing name in CodeGrove, working alone

05 Assessment

  • Exit tickets: quick questions that show who needs more help
  • Lesson quiz: 8 multiple-choice questions and 2 written answers about all three days, on paper

06 Answer Keys

  • 5 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™

  • 4 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 lab on Day 2 (Playlist Manager) and the quiz task on Day 3, 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

List boxes show what each method does

Students draw the list after each line. They see that .append() and .sort() change the list, while sorted() and a slice make a new one.

A function for each menu choice keeps a program tidy

Students write functions that add, insert, remove, move and sort songs. They check before they remove an item.

Print and digital

Every page is a print-ready PDF, and the Google Forms™ and Google Slides™ let you teach the same lesson in Google Classroom™.

Real online labs

Students 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 page

Every 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 class

Each day's plan is timed activity by activity against real reading and writing speeds.

What Teachers Say

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Questions 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 3 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 know how to write a function that returns a value, use in, sum(), max() and min(), and run a while menu loop.

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.