Using Extensions

Summary

• Day 4 PowerPoint deck
• Making and Using Extensions handout
• Making and Using Extensions handout in Word
• Activity: Making and Using Extensions
• Resource: Defining Blocks

Instructional Activities and Classroom Assessments

1. Introduce Extensions (5 minutes)
2. Learn How to Create and Use Extensions (15 minutes)
3. Activity: Using extensions (30 minutes)
4. Reflection/Homework

Learning Objectives

• AAP-3.A For procedure calls:
  • a. Write statements to call procedures. 3.B
  • b. Determine the result or effect of a procedure call. 4.B
• AAP-3.B Explain how the use of procedural abstraction manages complexity in a program. 3.C
• AAP-3.D Select appropriate libraries or existing code segments to use in creating new programs. 2.B

Essential Knowledge

• AAP-3.A.1 A procedure is a named group of programming instructions that may have parameters and return values.
• AAP-3.A.2 Procedures are referred to by different names, such as method or function, depending on the programming language.
• AAP-3.A.4 A procedure call interrupts the sequential execution of statements, causing the program to execute the statements within the procedure before continuing. Once the last statement in the procedure (or a return statement) has executed, flow of control is returned to the point immediately following where the procedure was called.
• AAP-3.B.1 One common type of abstraction is procedural abstraction, which provides a name for a process and allows a procedure to be used only knowing what it does, not how it does it.
• AAP-3.B.2 Procedural abstraction allows a solution to a large problem to be based on the solutions of smaller subproblems. This is accomplished by creating procedures to solve each of the subproblems.
• AAP-3.B.4 A procedural abstraction may extract shared features to generalize functionality instead of duplicating code. This allows or program code reuse, which helps manage complexity.
• AAP-3.D.1 A software library contains procedures that may be used in creating new programs.
• AAP-3.D.2 Existing code segments can come from internal or external sources, such as libraries or previously written code.
• AAP-3.D.3 The use of libraries simplifies the task of creating complex programs.
• AAP-3.D.4 Application program interfaces (APIs) are specifications for how the procedures in a library behave and can be used.
• AAP-3.D.5 Documentation for an API/library is necessary in understanding the behaviors provided by the API/library and how to use them.

Details

1. Introduce extensions (5 minutes)

• Explain the difference between a pre-made function and a student-made function.
• Remind students what procedural abstraction is.
• Define Extensions.
• Explain how extensions assist in writing code.

2. Learn how to use and create extensions (15 minutes)

• Demonstrate how to add extensions to projects.
• Guide students to learn how to:
  • Create a simple football game using the darts extension.
  • Use existing code segments in another project by adding them as an extension.

3. Activity: Writing functions with parameters (30 minutes)

• Direct students to their Making and Using Extensions page.
• Task students with completing Tasks 1, 2a, and 2b.
• If students have time, encourage them to complete the extensions activities for both tasks (coding in JavaScript).

4. Reflection/Homework

If you run out of time, you may also assign this as individual homework. Students should complete their reflection.

1. How could sharing and importing projects help manage a group project with four or more students?
2. What is one benefit to importing code from a project versus just copying the code into the project? You might find it useful to discuss task #2 in your response to this question.