🎯 Lesson Objective:
Help learners leverage AI to quickly turn their app ideas into working code by writing pseudocode first and then generating clean, modular code — boosting speed without losing clarity.
👋 Lesson Intro:
Every great developer starts with a plan.
Before writing a single line of code, writing pseudocode or breaking your idea into steps can save hours of confusion later.
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to work with AI to turn your rough plans into solid, testable code. This approach keeps your codebase clean and your mind clear, even when tackling complex projects.
💡 Key Concepts Covered:
1. Why Pseudocode Matters
- A simple, language-agnostic way to break down problems.
- Forces you to think about logic before syntax.
- Makes communicating ideas to AI or teammates easier.
2. Using AI to Write Pseudocode
- Describe your app’s feature or function in plain language.
- Ask AI to convert it to pseudocode outlining key steps.
- Refine the pseudocode together — add edge cases, clarify inputs/outputs.
3. Generating Modular, Readable Code from Pseudocode
- Use pseudocode blocks to prompt AI for specific code functions.
- Build step-by-step: one function at a time, then integrate.
- Ask for comments and explanations to deepen understanding.
🤖 Example Workflow:
Idea: A to-do list app with add, remove, and mark-complete features.
Step 1: Write pseudocode:
- Show list of tasks
- Add new task with description and timestamp
- Remove task by ID
- Mark task complete/uncomplete
Step 2: Use AI prompt:
“Write pseudocode for a to-do list app that supports adding, removing, and toggling tasks.”
Step 3: For each pseudocode block, ask:
“Generate a React function for adding a new task following this pseudocode.”
Step 4: Repeat for remove and toggle, then ask AI to help integrate them.
🧪 Activity: Scaffold Your Feature
Choose a simple feature (e.g., calculator, weather fetcher, or blog post creator).
Steps:
- Write the feature goal in plain language.
- Ask AI to create pseudocode for that feature.
- Use the pseudocode to generate code snippets one by one.
- Assemble snippets into a working app or demo.
📝 Assignment: Scaffold & Build
Pick a feature idea and submit:
- Your plain-language description
- The AI-generated pseudocode
- The final code snippet(s) with comments
- A 3–5 sentence reflection on how pseudocode helped you organize the work
