ESL Lesson Plan: Programming with Multiple Languages

Objective:
Students will be able to understand and explain a new programming language that allows for
the safe use of multiple programming languages within one program.

Materials:

 Article "New programming language accommodates multiple languages in same

program"
 Word list with definitions
 Discussion questions
 summary
 online worksheet:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSce4oPxZj9H96LrALnyzcy2E3o7NXjCASj
NAlbV3NE9DSmLfQ/viewform?usp=share_link
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Pre-reading activity: Words and synonyms

5’
There are underlined words in the text and there are
synonyms, they have to match them.
Review the answers as a class.
Reading activity: Article 5-7’
 Have students read the article "New
programming language accommodates
multiple languages in same program."
 Have students highlight or underline
important information.
Comprehension:
What is the benefit of this program?
Comprehension activity: Summary
 Students have to complete the summary with 5’
the given words
 Review the answers as a class. 2’
Key words and definitions:
Students have to find the words to the definitions.
Reviewing answers.
Discussion activity: Questions
 Have students discuss the following
questions in small groups or as a class:
1. What is the name of the programming
language developed by the researchers at
Carnegie Mellon University?
2. How does the language, Wyvern,
enable programmers to use multiple
programming languages within the same
program?
3. What are the benefits of using type-
specific languages, such as SQL and HTML,
as sublanguages in a program?
4. How does Wyvern determine which
sublanguage is being used within a program?
5. What are some common security
threats in web applications that Wyvern aims
to guard against?
6. Can you give an example of a
programming task that involves multiple
languages?
7. How does Wyvern simplify the task of
using multiple languages for a programmer?
8. What is the problem with using strings
of characters to form a command in a
specialized language within a program?
9. How does Wyvern eliminate injection
vulnerabilities?
10. Is Wyvern a fully engineered language
or is it still in the experimental phase?
5’
15’
1. The name of the programming
language developed by the researchers at
Carnegie Mellon University is Wyvern.
2. Wyvern enables programmers
to use multiple programming languages
within the same program by allowing
them to construct programs using a
variety of targeted, domain-specific
languages, such as SQL for querying
databases or HTML for constructing Web
pages, as sublanguages.
3. By using type-specific
languages as sublanguages, Wyvern can
simplify programming tasks for the
programmer and avoid workarounds that
can introduce security vulnerabilities.
4. Wyvern determines which
sublanguage is being used within a
program based on the type of data that
the programmer is manipulating. Types
specify the format of data, such as
alphanumeric characters, floating-point
numbers or more complex data
structures, such as Web pages and
database queries.
5. Wyvern aims to guard against
code injection attacks, one of the most
severe security threats in Web
applications today.
6. An example of a programming
task that involves multiple languages is
building a Web page, where HTML might
be used to create the bulk of the page,
but the programmer might also include
SQL to access databases and JavaScript to
allow for user interaction.
7. By using type-specific
languages, Wyvern can simplify the task
of using multiple languages for a
programmer by eliminating the need for
workarounds that can introduce security
vulnerabilities.
8. The problem with using strings
of characters to form a command in a
specialized language within a program is
that it can leave computers vulnerable to
two of the most serious security threats
on the Web today -- cross-site scripting
attacks and SQL injection attacks.
9. Wyvern eliminates injection
vulnerabilities by making the use of
strings for this purpose unnecessary.
10. Wyvern is not yet fully
engineered; it is an open source project
that is ready for experimental use by
early adopters.
Wrap-up:
Have students write their answers to the discussion.
Summarize the key points from the article and the
class discussion.
5-8’
Assign homework: Have students research other
programming languages and compare them to
Wyvern in terms of their features and benefits.