🗺️ Course Outline

A 10-week introduction to Python for upper primary students.

Shape: 7 stateless learning worksheets that build core Python concepts, followed by a 2–3 week project deliverable students iterate on, save to a file, and take home or use for grading.

Why this shape: worksheets give every student a guaranteed floor (validated, scaffolded, easy/medium/hard tiers); the project gives them a ceiling (something open-ended they own and can show off). The save-to-file flow shipped in the scratchpad is the bridge — students take their work between sessions and home.

Week-by-week 7 worksheets + 3 project weeks = 10 lessons

Week	Focus	Concepts	Status
1	WS1 — The Python Calculator	print, arithmetic	ready
2	WS2 — Storing Your Numbers	variables, assignment	ready
3	WS3 — Making Things Repeat	for loops, range	ready
4	WS4 — Making Decisions	if / elif / else, comparisons	ready
5	WS5 — Working with Text	strings, f-strings, input	ready
6	WS6 — Lists & Indexing	lists, indexing, len, iteration	ready
7	WS7 — Functions (new)	def, parameters, return, reuse	to build
— Project phase — pick one deliverable, iterate across the final lessons —
8	Project: kick-off & first draft	pick a brief, scaffold from a starter, save to file	to design
9	Project: iterate & extend	add features, refine, debug, re-save	to design
10	Project: finish, share, present	final save, take home, show classmates	to design

Project deliverable three candidate briefs — not yet locked in

Each option is sized for ~3 lessons of a self-paced upper-primary student, leans on concepts from WS1–WS7, fits in a single .py file students save and re-open in the scratchpad, and is something a kid can actually show a parent. Running multiple briefs in parallel lets teachers pitch the one that suits their class — and gives extension/lunchtime-club students a second project to tackle.

🎮 Choose-Your-Own-Adventure

A branching text story the player navigates by typing choices.

Concepts: input, strings/f-strings, if/elif, functions for each scene, lists for inventory
Extension: scoring, randomised events, multiple endings
Show-off factor: family/friends play it from a saved file
Risk: weakest visual payoff — pure text

🎨 Pixel Art Animation prototype

A drawn scene on a 20×20 grid that animates when the player presses arrow buttons.

Concepts: coordinates, for loops, functions, dict state, event handlers
Try the prototype →
Extension: animation loop (frame buffering), interactive cursor, palette swap
Show-off factor: high — print as a poster, share screenshot
Absorbs the discarded "Drawing with Code" worksheet content as the project on-ramp instead of a standalone WS

❓ Quiz / Trivia Game

A multi-question quiz the student authors and a friend plays.

Concepts: lists of questions, loops over them, conditionals for scoring, functions for the quiz loop
Extension: categories, difficulty levels, high-score tracking, true/false vs. multiple choice
Show-off factor: students enjoy writing questions as much as playing — great cross-curriculum hook (geography quiz, maths quiz, etc.)
Lowest tech risk — uses only concepts already in WS1–WS7

TODOs to ship the course

build Worksheet 7: Functions. Author a new WS7 covering def, parameters, return values, and reuse. Motivate it with a "DRY my code" hook (e.g. repeated print blocks, repeated drawing code if Pixel Art is in play).
cut Discard standalone "Drawing with Code" worksheet. Remove the current WS7 from worksheets/index.json. Salvage its problems — the canvas API intro, grid coordinates, looped row/column drawing — into starter material for the Pixel-Art project brief, where they motivate the work instead of being homework.
decide Pick the project brief(s) to ship. Likely run 2–3 in parallel so classes can choose, extension students get a second option, and lunchtime clubs have something fresh. Lock in default for week 8 kick-off.
design Project page in the platform. A new entry point (sibling to the worksheet selector) that pitches each brief, links to a starter .py file, and opens it in the scratchpad. Decide: dedicated "type": "project" worksheet block vs. just curated scratchpad starters.
design Project rubric & grading guide. Per-brief: what does "complete" look like, what's a stretch goal, how do teachers mark it? Include a printable rubric for parent/teacher reference.
build "Reopen last project" affordance. The scratchpad's File System Access save flow needs a smooth re-entry path so students don't waste lesson 9/10 minutes re-finding their file. Persist the FileSystemFileHandle in IndexedDB (noted in ROADMAP Phase 4).
build iPad save UX gap. Safari can't overwrite the same file — each save creates a new download. For a multi-week project this is painful. At minimum, document the workaround for teachers; ideally, surface a clear in-app warning on iPad.
build Teacher pack. Per-worksheet learning objectives, common student mistakes, answer keys; per-project rubric and example finished artefacts. Markdown + print stylesheet is enough for v1.
decide WS5 polish: add the comma-separated print() args mini-section flagged in ROADMAP — small but used by WS6 and likely by every project brief.

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