Pre-USACO Python II - Creativity & Problem-Solving Lab: Building Skills From Fun Projects to Competitive Coding

Semester 2: Python OOP & Data Structures (Problem-Solving Focus)

Course Title:
Python OOP & Data Structures for Young Programmers

Course Description:
This second-semester course is designed to strengthen students’ core Python programming skills with a strong emphasis on object-oriented programming (OOP), data structures, and coding problem-solving. Rather than focusing on game development, this semester builds the technical depth and logical thinking students need for advanced programming, competitions, and future computer science courses.

Students will explore how real programs are structured, how data is organized efficiently, and how to solve increasingly complex coding problems using clean, reusable Python code.

If time permitted, we will cover python game programming.

🔹 What Students Will Learn

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)

• Designing and implementing classes and objects

• Constructors, instance vs. class variables

• Methods, encapsulation, and abstraction

• Inheritance and polymorphism

• Writing clean, modular, and reusable code

Core Data Structures

• Strings: slicing, formatting, parsing, pattern-based problems

• Lists: traversal, searching, sorting, nested lists

• Sets: uniqueness, set operations, membership testing

• Dictionaries: key-value modeling, counting, frequency maps

• Choosing the right data structure for a problem

Algorithmic Thinking & Coding Practice

• Loop and condition patterns

• Problem decomposition and step-by-step logic

• Writing efficient and readable solutions

• Debugging and tracing code execution

• Solving structured coding questions similar to competition and interview-style problems

🔹 Learning Style

• Hands-on coding in every class

• Guided practice followed by independent problem solving

• Progressive difficulty: from basic exercises to multi-step challenges

• Emphasis on thinking before coding, not trial-and-error

🔹 Key Outcomes

By the end of Semester 2, students will be able to:

✅ Confidently design and use Python classes
✅ Work fluently with strings, lists, sets, and dictionaries
✅ Solve non-trivial coding problems independently
✅ Write clean, organized, and maintainable Python code
✅ Be well-prepared for advanced Python, algorithms, USACO-style thinking, and future CS courses

See here for Part I