Student Work on Enforced Closure Day
COMPUTING
Year 10
Five mini programming projects for Python
Pick one or more of these projects and develop a solution in Python. You can
download Python for free from https://www.python.org/ and remember Google is your
friend!
1. Dice Rolling Simulator
The Goal: Like the title suggests, this project involves writing a program that simulates
rolling dice. When the program runs, it will randomly choose a number between 1 and 6
(or whatever other integer you prefer — the number of sides on the die is up to you).
The program will print what that number is. It should then ask you if you’d like to roll
again. For this project, you’ll need to set the min and max number that your dice can
produce. For the average die, that means a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 6. You’ll
also want a function that randomly grabs a number within that range and prints it.
Concepts to keep in mind:
Random
Integer
Print
While Loops
A good project for beginners, this project will help establish a solid foundation for basic
concepts.
2. Guess the Number
The Goal: Similar to the first project, this project also uses the random module in
Python. The program will first randomly generate a number unknown to the user. The
user needs to guess what that number is. (In other words, the user needs to be able
to input information.) If the user’s guess is wrong, the program should return some sort
of indication as to how wrong (e.g. the number is too high or too low). If the user
guesses correctly, a positive indication should appear. You’ll need functions to check if
the user input is an actual number, to see the difference between the inputted number
and the randomly generated numbers, and to then compare the numbers.
Concepts to keep in mind:
Random function
Variables
Student Work on Enforced Closure Day
Integers
Input/Output
Print
While loops
If/Else statements
Jumping off the first project, this project continues to build up the base knowledge and
introduces user-inputted data at its very simplest. With user input, we start to get into a
little bit of variability.
3. Mad Libs Generator
The Goal: Inspired by Summer Son’s Mad Libs project with Javascript. The program will
first prompt the user for a series of inputs a la Mad Libs. For example, a singular noun, an
adjective, etc. Then, once all the information has been inputted, the program will take that
data and place them into a premade story template. You’ll need prompts for user input,
and to then print out the full story at the end with the input included.
Concepts to keep in mind:
Strings
Variables
Concatenation
Print
A pretty fun project that gets you thinking about how to manipulate user inputted data.
Compared to the prior projects, this project focuses far more on strings and
concatenating. Have some fun coming up with some wacky stories for this!
4. TextBased Adventure Game
The Goal: Remember Adventure? Well, we’re going to build a more basic version of
that. A complete text game, the program will let users move through rooms based on
user input and get descriptions of each room. To create this, you’ll need to establish the
directions in which the user can move, a way to track how far the user has moved (and
therefore which room he/she is in), and to print out a description. You’ll also need to set
limits for how far the user can move. In other words, create “walls” around the rooms
that tell the user, “You can’t move further in this direction.”
Concepts to keep in mind:
Strings
Variables
Input/Output
Student Work on Enforced Closure Day
If/Else Statements
Print
List
Integers
The tricky parts here will involve setting up the directions and keeping track of just how
far the user has “walked” in the game. I suggest sticking to just a few basic descriptions
or rooms, perhaps 6 at most.. It can be a relatively basic game, but if you want to build
this into a vast, complex word, the coding will get substantially harder, especially if you
want your user to start interacting with actual objects within the game. That complexity
could be great, if you’d like to make this into a long term project. *Hint hint.
5. Hangman
The Goal: Despite the name, the actual “hangman” part isn’t necessary. The main goal
here is to create a sort of “guess the word” game. The user needs to be able to input
letter guesses. A limit should also be set on how many guesses they can use. This
means you’ll need a way to grab a word to use for guessing. (This can be grabbed from
a pre-made list. No need to get too fancy.) You will also need functions to check if the
user has actually inputted a single letter, to check if the inputted letter is in the hidden
word (and if it is, how many times it appears), to print letters, and a counter variable to
limit guesses.
Concepts to keep in mind:
Random
Variables
Boolean
Input and Output
Integer
Char
String
Length
Print
Likely the most complex project on this list (well, depending on just how intense you
went with the adventure text game), the Hangman project compiles the prior concepts
and takes them a step further. Here, outcomes are not only determined based on user-
inputted data, that data needs to be parsed through, compared, and then either
accepted or rejected. If you want to take this project a step further, set up a hangman
image that changes!
