Sorting
Python Programming 2 Grades 9–12 4-day lesson 29 deliverables Teach students to write a selection sort in Python that finds the smallest item left and swaps it into place. Students sort paper numbers by hand as a class, trace one pass of the code, count the swaps in their own sort and sort the biggest item first. They build a leaderboard of eight game scores, print the top three and find a score's rank with a binary search.
● 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 can copy two items over each other with plain lines and lose a value. They may also not see how their own sort differs from the one Python provides. This lesson shows a tuple swap, counts each swap and compares sorted() with .sort().
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 Sort It Yourself and Leaderboard levels practice writing a selection sort that counts its swaps, sorting biggest first, building a top-3 leaderboard and finding a rank with a binary search. CodeGrove is free, with no accounts, sign-ins or installs.
Sort It Yourself
Students write a selection sort that counts its swaps and a sort that puts the biggest item first, test it with asserts in CodeGrove and copy their work onto one lab sheet.
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, 26 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
- Sort It Yourself: students write a selection sort that counts its swaps and a sort that puts the biggest item first, test it with asserts in CodeGrove and copy their work onto one lab sheet
- Leaderboard: students sort 8 game scores with their own selection sort, print the top 3 and write a binary search that finds a score's rank in CodeGrove, then copy their work onto one lab sheet
04 Activities
- Human Sort: the class sorts 8 paper numbers with selection sort, and students record each pass and trace one pass of the code, on paper with computers closed
- Quiz task: students fix a selection sort in CodeGrove, working alone, and then take the lesson quiz on paper with computers closed
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 (Sort It Yourself and Leaderboard) and the quiz task on Day 4, on a computer or tablet for each student
- Free to use, with no accounts, sign-ins or installs
Why teachers love this lesson
A swap count shows the workStudents add a counter that goes up only when two items really trade places.
A sorted board makes a rank easy to findAfter they sort scores with their own sort, students use a binary search and len(board) - spot to turn an index into a rank.
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 6 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 with return, test it with assert, sort with sorted() and .sort(), and run a binary search.
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.