Python Turtle Graphics: Build a Space Shooter

This course teaches Python programming basics through a hands-on project: a space-themed shooter built with the Turtle graphics module. Students learn core concepts—variables, loops, conditionals, and functions—while applying them to draw shapes, animate sprites, and control objects on the screen. The class covers game mechanics such as keypress handling, collision detection, scoring, lives, and game states, plus practical debugging and code refinement. The course is organized into eight step-by-step sessions. Each lesson focuses on a specific component of the game, from drawing a satellite and creating a title screen to moving a spaceship, spawning asteroids, detecting collisions, and adding projectiles, score, and game-over behavior. Students combine these components across sessions to complete a functional Space Shooter. Instruction is live and interactive: students code along with the instructor, see demonstrations, and receive real-time feedback. Lessons use guided examples and collaborative problem solving to make concepts approachable and to help learners practice writing and testing code. By the end of the eight sessions, students will have built and refined a playable Python game using Turtle graphics.