Build: A Nature Simulation
Python Programming 2 Grades 9–12 2-day lesson 24 deliverables Teach students to plan, build and check a Python simulation of something in nature that changes by chance. Students write the model's rules in plain words, choose the numbers to track and plan a step function that returns. They loop over the days, keep many runs in a list and print the average. A partner then runs the build twice and with a new seed to check it.
● Instant download · Lifetime access · Editable & print-ready
Print + digitalPDF, PowerPoint, Word & Google
Answer keysA key for every page
Built-in assessmentExit tickets + project rubric
45-minute daysEvery day planned and timed
A short coding level practices 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 it with the lesson or as practice later.
Open the levelWhat does this lesson cover?
Students may code a simulation before they decide on its rules, and then they can't tell whether a wrong result is a bug or just chance. This lesson plans the rules and the step function first and has a partner check that the same seed gives the same runs.
The build runs online in CodeGrove, our in-browser code lab, on both days, so students need a computer or tablet. Students pick one of 4 builds: Forest Fire, My Own Model, Pond Algae or Weather Week. The Simulation Build level practices building a nature simulation: a step function that returns, a loop over the days, many runs kept in a list, the average of the runs, a sort of the results and a seed line that keeps the numbers the same when the program and its inputs stay the same. On the last day, students send the turn-in Form with their CodeGrove link. CodeGrove is free, with no accounts, sign-ins or installs.
Simulation Build
Students build their nature simulation in CodeGrove, check it with a partner and turn it in with the turn-in Form. Students pick one of 4 builds: Forest Fire, My Own Model, Pond Algae or Weather Week.
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 both days, 12 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 both 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
- Simulation Build: students build their nature simulation in CodeGrove, check it with a partner and turn it in with the turn-in Form. Students pick one of 4 builds: Forest Fire, My Own Model, Pond Algae or Weather Week
04 Activities
- Plan Your Simulation: students pick one model and plan it: its rules in plain words, the numbers it tracks, the step function in plain steps, the seed, the number of runs and what they will sort or search
- Partner Check Log: a partner runs the student's build two times and with a new seed, writes what it prints and reads the step function next to the plan
05 Assessment
- Exit tickets: quick questions that show who needs more help
- Project rubric: what the whole project is graded on, row by row
06 Answer Keys
- 3 answer key files: a key for each day (its bell ringer, notes and exit ticket) and the activity and lab keys
Digital: Google Forms™ + Google Slides™
- 3 Google Forms™ of the exit tickets and the turn-in Form, 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™
Online: CodeGrove
- In CodeGrove: the Simulation Build on both days, on a computer or tablet for each student
- Free to use, with no accounts, sign-ins or installs
Why teachers love this lesson
The plan comes before the codeStudents write the rules in plain words, the numbers to track, the seed, the number of runs and what they will sort or search.
A partner tests the buildThe partner runs it twice and with a new seed, then reads the step function next to the plan.
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
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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 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 grids, functions that return a value and sorting.
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 turn-in Form 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.