Your First Program
Intro to Python ProgrammingTeach students to write their first Python program. They learn what a program is, predict the output of short programs and write print lines that match an example exactly. Then they lay out signs with blank lines, spaces and symbols, explain their code with comments and use quotes the right way, even for words with an apostrophe.
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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 who are new to code often make small typing mistakes and can't tell why the output looks wrong. This lesson teaches them to read each line and predict its exact output before they run it. Their written predictions show you who understands how a print line works.
The labs on Day 2 and Day 3, and the activity on Day 4 have online versions that use CodeGrove, our in-browser code lab, in the First Words level. It practices writing programs that print lines of text exactly, with blank lines and comments. Every online version comes with a paper version, so no internet is needed. CodeGrove is free, with no accounts or sign-ins.
First Words
Students write three short programs that print lines exactly and explain why each one works, on paper or 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, 38 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
- First Words: students write three short programs that print lines exactly and explain why each one works, on paper or in CodeGrove
- Sign Maker: students lay out three signs with blank lines, symbols and comments, and explain why each one works, on paper or in CodeGrove
04 Activities
- Predict the Output: students predict the exact output of eight short programs, on paper with computers closed
- Field Trip Flyer: students write a short field trip flyer program alone, on paper or in CodeGrove
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
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
- CodeGrove, First Words level: the online version of the labs on Day 2 and Day 3, and the activity on Day 4
- Every online version has a paper version, so no internet is needed
- Free to use, with no accounts or sign-ins
Why teachers love this lesson
Students predict before they runOn the first day, they read short programs with computers closed and write each exact output.
It needs no Python experienceStudents only need to type on a keyboard and open a link, so the whole class can start on the same day.
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 activitiesStudents can use CodeGrove, our in-browser code lab, on a computer or tablet, and every online version has a paper version that works with no internet.
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.
Questions teachers ask
Is this lesson really free?
Yes. Lesson 1.1 is completely free. Enter your email to get the library password, then use it to download this lesson and every other freebie on the site.
How do the downloads work?
Enter your email once and we send you a single library password. Type that password in any "Unlock" box and every download turns on. Your device remembers it.
Do my students need to know how to code?
No. This is the first lesson of the course, and it starts with no Python at all, so every student can begin on the first day.
Is this AP Computer Science?
No. It is a full-year, non-AP intro to Python course for grades 9 to 12. For AP, see our AP Computer Science A and AP CSP courses.
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 Foundations of Programming course (9007210). The skills map in the lesson shows which standards each day teaches.