Tag Archives: school

Maggie’s First Python Project

Maggie is taking her first computer science class this year. The seventh grade course meets every other day for half a block (45 minutes) during the first trimester. This isn’t a lot of time for learning and practice, but students usually dive in with gusto and Maggie is no exception. Although I do teach a section of the class, I don’t have Maggie. She’s with my brilliant colleague, Chris Collins.

At the mid point of the first trimester, we ask students to create a short project using the code that they’ve learned thus far. They are using the Python programming language. Here’s what Maggie created:

Maggie’s program uses the turtle to create a campsite scene.

To create this scene, Maggie wrote 170 lines of code using Python’s default text editor (known as IDLE). If you’re curious, the code is appended below.

#project1

import turtle
t = turtle.Pen()
t.speed(0)
t.screen.bgcolor("midnight blue")

#ground
t.width(10)
t.color("brown")
t.pu()
t.goto(-200, -161)
t.pd()
t.goto(200, -161)

#tree 1
t.pu()
t.width(7)
t.color("maroon")
t.goto(-190, -160)
t.pd()
t.goto(-190, -60)
t.color("forest green")
t.goto(-210, -90)
t.pu()
t.goto(-190, -60)
t.pd()
t.goto(-170, -90)
t.pu()
t.goto(-190, -80)
t.pd()
t.goto(-210, -110)
t.pu()
t.goto(-190, -80)
t.pd()
t.goto(-170, -110)
t.pu()
t.goto(-190, -100)
t.pd()
t.goto(-210, -130)
t.pu()
t.goto(-190, -100)
t.pd()
t.goto(-170, -130)
t.pu()

#tree 2
t.setheading(270)
t.pu()
t.fillcolor("green")
t.pencolor("darkgreen")
t.goto(100, -90)
t.pd()
t.begin_fill()
t.circle(30)
t.end_fill()
t.pu()
t.goto(120, -120)
t.pd()
t.pencolor("chocolate1")
t.fillcolor("burlywood1")
t.begin_fill()
t.forward(40)
t.left(90)
t.forward(20)
t.left(90)
t.forward(40)
t.end_fill()

#tent
t.fillcolor("purple1")
t.pu()
t.goto(-50, -160)
t.pd()
t.begin_fill()
t.color("purple1")
t.goto(40, -160)
t.goto(20, -110)
t.goto(-30, -110)
t.goto(-10, -160)
t.end_fill()
t.pu()
t.fillcolor("purple3")
t.begin_fill()
t.goto(-30, -110)
t.goto(-50, -160)
t.end_fill()
t.pu()
t.color("purple1")
t.goto(-33, -110)
t.pd()
t.goto(-53, -160)

#moon
t.pu()
t.goto(110, 50)
t.pd()
t.begin_fill()
t.color("old lace")
t.circle(50)
t.end_fill()

#stars
t.pu()
t.goto(220, 40)
t.pd()
t.color("lemon chiffon")
t.circle(2)
t.pu()
t.goto(220, 90)
t.pd()
t.circle(2)
t.pu()
t.goto(160, 90)
t.pd()
t.circle(2)
t.pu()
t.goto(40, 20)
t.pd()
t.circle(1)
t.pu()
t.goto(20, 20)
t.pd()
t.circle(2)
t.pu()
t.goto(0, 20)
t.pd()
t.circle(3)
t.pu()
t.goto(-130, 30)
t.pd()
t.circle(2)
t.pu()
t.goto(-40, 30)
t.pd()
t.circle(1)
t.pu()
t.goto(-40, 150)
t.pd()
t.circle(2)
t.pu()
t.goto(0, 150)
t.pd()
t.circle(1)
t.pu()
t.goto(0, 190)
t.pd()
t.circle(3)
t.pu()
t.goto(140, 190)
t.pd()
t.circle(2)
t.pu()
t.goto(-160, 130)
t.pd()
t.circle(1)
t.pu()
t.goto(220, 164)
t.pd()
t.circle(2)
t.pu()
t.goto(-220, 100)
t.pd()
t.circle(2)
t.pu()
t.goto(-80, -70)
t.pd()
t.circle(1)

t.hideturtle()

Maggie’s Graduation from Sixth Grade

Maggie’s graduated today from Cornerstone Montessori Elementary School which she has attended since kindergarten. It was a beautiful ceremony on a perfect day. Next year, she will attend SPA (where Daddy teaches) as a seventh grader. She will be on the same campus with Griffin (entering 10th grade) but most of their classes are in different buildings. We are enormously proud of her!

Science Award

Sarah and I received a mysterious email recently that included the following:

We followed the instructions and said nothing to Griffin. He and the rest of his upper school classmates dutifully arrived in the Huss Auditorium for the awards assembly, having no idea who might win an award. Griffin noticed that we were in the audience, didn’t catch on.

To our delight, and Griffin’s complete surprise, Griffin won the “Science Magazine Award” in recognition of “a passion and Love of Science as well as an Exceptional Class Citizen.” I’m especially pleased that this award focuses on his level of interest in the subject and his citizenship in the classroom, two elements that are given short shrift in the typical grades-are-everything paradigm.

A beaming Griffin with his award certificate.

Fluffy

This is another song that Oliver wrote at school last month. Here’s the transcript followed by the original.

Fluffy monkey puppy pants.
Ya ya ya.
If you don’t like it, you will be a saw.
Ha ha ha.

Fluffy monkey puppy pants.
Ya ya ya.
If you don’t like it, you will be a saw.
Ha ha ha.

Trees

This is a song that Oliver wrote in school in the last month. He says that it is not in his best handwriting. Here’s a transcription with the original below.

There’s trees there. There’s trees here. There’s trees everywhere. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. I love trees. Trees are the best. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

There’s trees there. There’s trees here. There’s trees everywhere. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. I love trees. Trees are the best. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.