A Day in Code: Python - Learn to Code in Python through an Illustrated Story

It is recommended that the reader has access to a computer where the Python program can be downloaded for free (downloading steps detailed in the book), as it will enhance their learning experience and make it easier to understand how different components in Python correspond to different outputs. This book is recommended for ages 10-18 but some of the wording and descriptions in the book can become technical, so younger readers might need some adult guidance in understanding the material. 

The book first starts out with the siblings watching movies on their computers, which spurns the idea of possibly being able to tell their computers equally compelling stories. However, the siblings realize that computers wouldn’t be able to understand human languages, prompting them to delve into the world of coding. 

After the book explains how the siblings can communicate with their computers, the book describes the different functions within the Python programming language and what components are necessary to create code depending on the desired application. In one of the examples presented, the siblings wanted to count four dragons before they fell asleep and so created a program in Python to do that. This book can also be used in conjunction with the Python coding program to enhance the reader’s understanding of coding and strengthen computational thinking skills and iterative design skills. The reader is able to write the code that is necessary for each situation presented in the book as it is explicitly stated, which allows the reader to directly see how each aspect of the code is necessary for it to run as intended. If the code doesn’t behave as expected, the reader is able to look back at the code detailed in the book to see where their error came from and how it affected the program as a whole. Overall, the book A Day in Code: Python is a great resource to introduce readers to coding/programming and reinforce computational thinking skills and iterative design.

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Framework Categories

Engineering Thinking (EThink)
Computational Thinking

Moore, T.J., Glancy, A.W., Tank, K.M., Kersten, J.A., Smith, K.A., & Stohlmann, M.S. (2014). A framework for quality K-12 engineering education: Research and development. Journal of Precollege Engineering Education Research, 4(1), 1-13.