UPDATED One-Week Introduction to Coding Document

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One-Week Introduction to Coding

Building Your First Calculator App with Python

Course Title: Introduction to Coding – Week 1

Target Audience: Beginner students (Secondary School / Early College)

Duration: 5 Days (1–2 hours per day)

Instructor: [Your Name]

Date: [Insert Date]

Table of Contents

Course Introduction

1.1 Why Python? (Python vs Java Comparison)

1.2 Week Overview & Learning Objectives

Required Tools & Setup

Day-by-Day Lesson Plans

Day 1: What is Coding? Getting Started with Python

Day 2: Variables, Data Types & User Input

Day 3: Operators & Decision Making (if-else)

Day 4: Loops & Functions

Day 5: Build Your Calculator App + Review

Final Project: The Calculator App

Conclusion & Next Steps

Appendix: Complete Calculator Code

 1. Course Introduction

Coding (also called programming) is the process of writing instructions that

tell a computer what to do. Just like learning a new language, coding lets you
create apps, games, websites, and tools that solve real problems.

Why learn coding?

It teaches logical thinking and problem-solving.

It opens career opportunities in tech, data science, game development, and

more.

Python is one of the easiest and most popular languages in the world.

In this one-week course you will:

Understand the basics of coding.

Write your first Python programs.

Build a fully working Calculator App by the end of the week!

1.1 Why Python? (Python vs Java Comparison)

1.2 Quick Summary

Python is like English – simple, flexible, and fast to write.

Java is like a strict rulebook – more code, but very organized and powerful for
big projects.

Detailed Comparison Table

Feature

Python

Java

Winner for Beginners

Syntax (Code Style)

Very simple and readable (less code)

Verbose (more lines, strict rules)

Python

Typing
Dynamically typed (no need to declare types)

Statically typed (must declare types)

Python

Execution

Interpreted (runs line by line)

Compiled to bytecode then run on JVM

Tie

Speed / Performance

Slower

Generally faster

Java

Learning Curve

Very easy – great for beginners

Steeper – more rules to learn

Python

Main Paradigm

Multi-paradigm (OOP + procedural + functional)

Strictly Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)

Python

Best For

Data Science, AI/ML, Scripting, Web, Automation

Enterprise apps, Android mobile apps, Large systems

Depends on goal

Hello World Example

Print(“Hello, World!”) (1 line)

5–7 lines (class + public static void main)

Python
Side-by-Side Code Example: Simple Addition

Python (Simple & Short)

Num1 = int(input(“Enter first number: “))

Num2 = int(input(“Enter second number: “))

Print(“Sum =”, num1 + num2)

Java (More Structured)

Import [Link];

Public class Calculator {

Public static void main(String[] args) {

Scanner scanner = new Scanner([Link]);

[Link](“Enter first number: “);

Int num1 = [Link]();

[Link](“Enter second number: “);

Int num2 = [Link]();

[Link](“Sum = “ + (num1 + num2));

[Link]();

Recommendation for this class:

We start with Python because it builds confidence quickly. You will finish the
Calculator App in just 5 days! Later, when you want to build bigger
professional apps (like Android games or banking systems), Java is a great
next step.

2. Week Overview & Learning Objectives

By the end of the week you will be able to:

Explain what coding is and why Python is beginner-friendly.

Install Python and run simple programs.

Use variables, data types, operators, conditions, loops, and functions.

Design and code a complete console-based Calculator App.

Debug simple errors and improve your own code.

Teaching Method: Short lessons + live coding + hands-on exercises + daily

homework.

3. Required Tools & Setup (Do this on Day 1)

Download and install Python 3 from [Link]

(choose the latest version).

During installation, tick “Add Python to PATH”.

Open IDLE (comes with Python) or use any free editor like VS Code / Thonny.

Test: Open IDLE → File → New File → type print(“Hello, World!”) → Run (F5).

No internet is needed after installation.

4. Day-by-Day Lesson Plans

Day 1: What is Coding? Getting Started with Python

Objectives: Understand coding concepts and run your first program.

Key Concepts:

What is a program? (Set of instructions)

Algorithm = step-by-step plan.

Python: simple syntax, readable like English.

Comments (# this is a comment).

Live Demo & Activity:

Hello World program.

Print your name and age.

Exercise: Create a program that prints a short story about yourself (5 lines).

Homework: Install Python at home and run Hello World.

Day 2: Variables, Data Types & User Input

Objectives: Store and use information in Python.

Key Concepts:

Variables (name = “Felix”, age = 15).

Data types: int, float, str, bool.

Input() function.

Type() to check data type.

Int(), float(), str() for conversion.

Live Demo & Activity:

Name = input(“Enter your name: “)

Age = int(input(“Enter your age: “))

Print(“Hello”, name, “You are”, age, “years old!”)

Exercise: Create a program that asks for two numbers and prints their sum.

Homework: Write a program that calculates your birth year.

Day 3: Operators & Decision Making (if-else)

Objectives: Make programs that can make choices.

Key Concepts:

Arithmetic operators: + - * / // % **

Comparison operators: == != > < >= <=

Logical operators: and or not

If, elif, else statements.

Live Demo & Activity:

Num1 = int(input(“Enter first number: “))

Num2 = int(input(“Enter second number: “))

If num1 > num2:

Print(num1, “is bigger”)

Else:

Print(num2, “is bigger or equal”)

Exercise: Create a program that tells whether a number is even or odd.

Homework: Build a simple grade checker (A, B, C, Fail).

Day 4: Loops & Functions

Objectives: Repeat tasks and reuse code.

Key Concepts:

While loop and for loop.

Functions (def function_name().

Return values.

Parameters.

Live Demo & Activity:

Def greet(name):

Print(“Hello”, name)

For I in range(5):

Greet(“Student”)

Exercise: Create a function that adds two numbers and use it in a loop.

Homework: Write a function that prints the multiplication table of any

number.

Day 5: Build Your Calculator App + Review

Objectives: Combine everything into a real app.

Key Concepts Reviewed: Functions, loops, if-else, user input.

Project Work (Step-by-step in class):

We will build a Calculator App together.

Students will:

Design the menu.

Write functions for +, −, ×, ÷.

Add a loop so the calculator keeps running until the user quits.

Handle division by zero error.

Activity: Students code the app individually with teacher help.

Demo & Presentation: Run your calculator and explain your code.

5. Final Project: The Calculator App

Project Title: Simple Calculator App

What the app does:

Shows a menu: Add, Subtract, Multiply, Divide, Quit.

Asks for two numbers.

Shows the result.

Repeats until user chooses Quit.

Success Criteria:

Works without crashing.

Uses functions.

Handles invalid choices gracefully.

6. Conclusion & Next Steps

Congratulations! You have completed your first week of coding and built a
working Calculator App.

What you learned:

The fundamentals of programming logic.

How to think like a coder.

Why Python is the perfect starting language.

Next Week Suggestion:

Learn lists and dictionaries.

Build a Number Guessing Game.

Explore Tkinter for GUI apps (graphical calculator with buttons).

Or try Java for larger enterprise projects!

Certificate: “Completed Week 1 – Introduction to Coding & Calculator App”

7. Appendix: Complete Calculator Code

# Simple Calculator App – Week 1 Final Project

# Copy and run this code in IDLE or any Python editor

Def add(x, y):

Return x + y

Def subtract(x, y):

Return x – y

Def multiply(x, y):

Return x * y

Def divide(x, y):

If y == 0:

Return “Error: Cannot divide by zero!”

Return x / y

Print(“=== Welcome to the Calculator App ===”)

While True:

Print(“\nSelect operation:”)

Print(“1. Add”)

Print(“2. Subtract”)

Print(“3. Multiply”)

Print(“4. Divide”)

Print(“5. Quit”)
 Choice = input(“Enter choice (1/2/3/4/5): “)

If choice == ‘5’:

Print(“Thank you for using the Calculator App! Goodbye 👋”)

Break

If choice in (‘1’, ‘2’, ‘3’, ‘4’):

Num1 = float(input(“Enter first number: “))

Num2 = float(input(“Enter second number: “))

If choice == ‘1’:

Print(num1, “+”, num2, “=”, add(num1, num2))

Elif choice == ‘2’:

Print(num1, “-“, num2, “=”, subtract(num1, num2))

Elif choice == ‘3’:

Print(num1, “×”, num2, “=”, multiply(num1, num2))

Elif choice == ‘4’:

Result = divide(num1, num2)

Print(num1, “÷”, num2, “=”, result)

Else:

Print(“Invalid choice! Please enter 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5.”)

How to run:

Open IDLE → New File → Paste the code above.

Save as [Link].

Press F5 to run.

End of Document

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needed, and you have a complete 5-day lesson plan that includes the Python
vs Java comparison.

If you want any further tweaks (more code examples, answer keys for
homework, a printable certificate template, or even a 7-day version), just tell
me and I’ll update it right away! 🚀