Developer Tools and Where Programs Run
Python Programming 2 Grades 9–12 2-day lesson 21 deliverables Teach students what a Python program needs to run and which tools help developers build it. Students name what three programs need, from the operating system to the language version, and learn the jobs of editors, IDEs, compilers, linkers and debuggers. They also write docstrings for the functions in a module, add a module docstring and read them with help().
● 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 often write code without knowing what the computer needs to run it or which tool does which job. This lesson names the tools developers use and has students write docstrings that show up when someone calls help().
The try-it on Day 1 and the quiz task on Day 2 run online in CodeGrove, our in-browser code lab, so students need a computer or tablet on those days. The 7.4 Try It level practices writing docstrings for the functions in a module and a module docstring, then reading them with help(). CodeGrove is free, with no accounts, sign-ins or installs.
What Does It Need to Run?
Students name what three programs need to run and write what `help()` prints, on paper with computers closed.
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, 18 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
04 Activities
- What Does It Need to Run?: students name what three programs need to run and write what `help()` prints, on paper with computers closed
- Quiz task: students fix a temperature module and give its function a docstring in CodeGrove, 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 both days, on paper
06 Answer Keys
- 4 answer key files: a key for each day (its bell ringer, notes and exit ticket) and the activity keys, plus the quiz key
Digital: Google Forms™ + Google Slides™
- 3 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 quiz task on Day 2, 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
Every program needs an environmentStudents decide what a program needs, like a platform, an operating system and the right language version, and learn that a web app needs a web browser.
A docstring becomes the help pageStudents write what help() prints for a function in a module, then write real docstrings in code.
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 7 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 the development cycle, testing with asserts, and what an API is. They can import a module, call its functions with a dot and write a docstring under a def line.
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.