diff --git a/01_materials/slides/04_strings.ipynb b/01_materials/slides/04_strings.ipynb
index 8641eeb3e..740f77476 100644
--- a/01_materials/slides/04_strings.ipynb
+++ b/01_materials/slides/04_strings.ipynb
@@ -185,9 +185,18 @@
       "metadata": {},
       "outputs": [],
       "source": [
-        "# Your code goes here"
+        "# Your code goes here\n",
+        "\"Let/'s see if this works now\""
       ]
     },
+    {
+      "cell_type": "code",
+      "execution_count": null,
+      "id": "bcaf5fc9",
+      "metadata": {},
+      "outputs": [],
+      "source": []
+    },
     {
       "cell_type": "markdown",
       "id": "b19547d6",
@@ -806,7 +815,7 @@
       "toc_visible": true
     },
     "kernelspec": {
-      "display_name": "Python 3 (ipykernel)",
+      "display_name": "python-env (3.11.14)",
       "language": "python",
       "name": "python3"
     },
@@ -820,7 +829,7 @@
       "name": "python",
       "nbconvert_exporter": "python",
       "pygments_lexer": "ipython3",
-      "version": "3.11.8"
+      "version": "3.11.14"
     },
     "rise": {
       "scroll": true,
diff --git a/02_activities/assignments/assignment_1.ipynb b/02_activities/assignments/assignment_1.ipynb
index 2dca19d0b..3f82563a6 100644
--- a/02_activities/assignments/assignment_1.ipynb
+++ b/02_activities/assignments/assignment_1.ipynb
@@ -58,11 +58,27 @@
    "cell_type": "code",
    "execution_count": null,
    "metadata": {},
-   "outputs": [],
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/plain": [
+       "True"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 3,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
    "source": [
     "# For testing purposes, we will write our code in the function\n",
     "def anagram_checker(word_a, word_b):\n",
     "  # Your code here\n",
+    "  if sorted(word_a.lower()) == sorted(word_b.lower()): # use sorted() function to return list with sorted letters in alphabetical order; \n",
+    "    # use .lower() function since we assume that upercase letters are the same as lowercase for this part\n",
+    "    return True # if word a and word b are anagrams, the sorted letters should be the same\n",
+    "  else:\n",
+    "    return False # if sorted letters are not the same, word a and word b are not anagrams\n",
     "\n",
     "# Run your code to check using the words below:\n",
     "anagram_checker(\"Silent\", \"listen\")"
@@ -70,18 +86,40 @@
   },
   {
    "cell_type": "code",
-   "execution_count": null,
+   "execution_count": 4,
    "metadata": {},
-   "outputs": [],
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/plain": [
+       "False"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 4,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
    "source": [
     "anagram_checker(\"Silent\", \"Night\")"
    ]
   },
   {
    "cell_type": "code",
-   "execution_count": null,
+   "execution_count": 5,
    "metadata": {},
-   "outputs": [],
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/plain": [
+       "True"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 5,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
    "source": [
     "anagram_checker(\"night\", \"Thing\")"
    ]
@@ -99,10 +137,26 @@
    "cell_type": "code",
    "execution_count": null,
    "metadata": {},
-   "outputs": [],
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/plain": [
+       "True"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 9,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
    "source": [
     "def anagram_checker(word_a, word_b, is_case_sensitive):\n",
     "  # Modify your existing code here\n",
+    "  if not is_case_sensitive: # use the 'not' operator to say when the two words are not case sensitive, need to standardize the strings for comparison:\n",
+    "    word_a = word_a.lower()\n",
+    "    word_b = word_b.lower()\n",
+    "  return sorted(word_a) == sorted(word_b)\n",
+    "  # If the sorted lists are identical, the words contain the exact same characters, thus word a and word b are anagrams.\n",
     "\n",
     "# Run your code to check using the words below:\n",
     "anagram_checker(\"Silent\", \"listen\", False) # True"
@@ -110,18 +164,40 @@
   },
   {
    "cell_type": "code",
-   "execution_count": null,
+   "execution_count": 10,
    "metadata": {},
-   "outputs": [],
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/plain": [
+       "False"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 10,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
    "source": [
     "anagram_checker(\"Silent\", \"listen\", True) # False"
    ]
   },
   {
    "cell_type": "code",
-   "execution_count": null,
+   "execution_count": 11,
    "metadata": {},
-   "outputs": [],
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/plain": [
+       "False"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 11,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
    "source": [
     "anagram_checker(\"Silent\", \"Listen\", True) # False"
    ]
@@ -139,7 +215,7 @@
  ],
  "metadata": {
   "kernelspec": {
-   "display_name": "new-learner",
+   "display_name": "python-env (3.11.14)",
    "language": "python",
    "name": "python3"
   },
@@ -153,7 +229,7 @@
    "name": "python",
    "nbconvert_exporter": "python",
    "pygments_lexer": "ipython3",
-   "version": "3.11.8"
+   "version": "3.11.14"
   }
  },
  "nbformat": 4,