AI-Assist Tips
AI should draft.
Not decide.
I've taught through four technology shocks — punch cards, personal computers, the first Google searches, and now AI. Here's the one line I hold to through all of it: AI hands you a starting point. That's where the real work begins.
Copy this
The prompt I actually use
"Act as a 5th–7th grade teacher with 40 years of classroom experience. Build a differentiated lesson plan for [topic] that works for 3 reading levels in one class period. Keep it realistic for a teacher with 25 kids and 45 minutes."
Swap in your topic — anything from "main idea" to "the water cycle." Read the output before you use it. You're still the teacher.
What it can help with
Brainstorm
Lesson ideas, discussion questions, and warm-ups when you're staring at a blank page.
Differentiate
The same core task reframed for struggling readers or extended for advanced ones — across subjects.
Draft the extras
Rubrics, parent letters, and exit tickets — the paperwork around the lesson, not the teaching itself.
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