Summary
Coding an entire computer program often involves repeating a lot of steps. Luckily for programmers, there's a shortcut that makes the process a little easier—functions. These short pieces of code condense long series of commands, called statements, into a single term. By declaring a function at the beginning of a program, you can simply call, or execute, the function by writing its name when you need it! The process of condensing repetitive, complex code can be summed up with the acronym DRY: Don't Repeat Yourself! DRY code takes less time to program and is easier to change. Want to know more about these handy timesavers? Press "Play" to learn how coding functions, well, function!
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
A few questions to talk through after watching Functions:
- What is one new thing you learned about functions?
- Can you explain it to a partner in your own words?
- Where might you see this in the real world?
- What is one question you still have?
Quick work-a-long
Try it:
- Write one sentence explaining functions.
- Draw or give one example of your own.