PythonBeginner–Intermediate1 session

Homework Tracker

A lightweight personal organizer that stores tasks while the program is open. It teaches students how lists and dictionaries can represent real information without requiring accounts or a backend.

Starter code

Read it. Run it. Change it.

Save the code below as homework_tracker.py. The example is intentionally small enough for a student to explain line by line before adding new features.

homework_tracker.pyPython

tasks = []

def show_tasks():
    if not tasks:
        print("No homework added yet.")
        return

    for number, task in enumerate(tasks, start=1):
        mark = "✓" if task["done"] else " "
        print(f"{number}. [{mark}] {task['name']}")

while True:
    print("\n1. Add homework")
    print("2. View homework")
    print("3. Mark complete")
    print("4. Exit")
    choice = input("Choose: ")

    if choice == "1":
        name = input("Homework: ")
        tasks.append({"name": name, "done": False})
    elif choice == "2":
        show_tasks()
    elif choice == "3":
        show_tasks()
        number = int(input("Task number completed: "))
        if 1 <= number <= len(tasks):
            tasks[number - 1]["done"] = True
    elif choice == "4":
        break
    else:
        print("Please choose 1, 2, 3, or 4.")

How to run it on a laptop

1. Install Python 3 if it is not already available.
2. Open IDLE, Thonny, VS Code, or any simple text editor.
3. Copy the code into a new file named homework_tracker.py.
4. Run the file. No internet connection, database, or server is required.

Build it step by step

Represent a task

Use a dictionary to keep both the task name and completion status.

Collect tasks

Store each dictionary in a list.

Build actions

Create menu choices for adding, viewing, and completing homework.

Update information

Change a task's done value when the student finishes it.

Make it your own

Add a subject to each homework task.
Add a due-date field.
After learning files, save tasks so they remain after the program closes.