Using AI Tools To Lesson Plan - Edutopia

4/11/23, 3:15 PM Using AI Tools to Lesson Plan | Edutopia
GEORGE LUCAS E D U C AT I O N A L F O U N D AT I O N
T E C H N O LO GY I N T E G R AT I O N
Using AI to Help Organize Lesson Plans

Artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT can help educators find activities
that are set up to teach designated skills.
By Jorge Valenzuela
March 15, 2023
https://www.edutopia.org/article/ai-lesson-plans 1/21
skynesher / iStock
Like countless educators, I’ve always found that developing my lesson designs is a time-consuming task that takes
hours of prep time.
Luckily, artificial intelligence (AI) developments now enable teachers to leverage AI capabilities through innovative
apps like ChatGPT (https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt) and Education Copilot (https://educationcopilot.com/) to streamline
instructional design
(https://online.purdue.edu/blog/education/what-is-instructional-
design#:~:text=Simply%20put%2C%20instructional%20design%20is,individuals%20achieve%20their%20academic%20goals.)
preparation. AI technology has become faster and can be leveraged as a highly intelligent personal assistant and
time-retrieval genie.
Aside from teaching it (https://www.edutopia.org/article/tips-and-resources-for-introducing-students-to-artificial-intelligence) and benefiting
from Google using predictive analytics (https://cloud.google.com/learn/what-is-predictive-analytics) to improve my research, I
didn’t know that AI could enhance my collaborative lesson planning with the teachers I coach or my own lessons at
Old Dominion University until my good friend Elizabeth Peña (https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-pe%C3%B1a-b3a401173/) ,
who is a business marketing coach, introduced me to the power of ChatGPT.
Here are two time-effective ways you can use ChatGPT to assist your planning for learning in your classroom.
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USE C H AT G P T TO GOOGLE
Don’t misinterpret this section header—ChatGPT and Google are different (https://www.demandsage.com/chatgpt-vs-google/) .
The latter is primarily a tech-based search engine. The former is a conversational AI model (or chatbot
(https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-to-use-openai-chatgpt-text-generation-chatbot/) ) that responds like a human to the
questions we input. That means we don’t have to click through different links to find what we need. Here’s how:
Google pulls information from all over the internet, but users can condition ChatGPT to retrieve data it’s trained on,
and it gets smarter over time. That means we can train the AI model to keenly personalize our search requests.
I recently developed a unit plan requiring students to compose a personal narrative about their experiences with
leadership and service. Using my instructional alignment tool
(https://www.edutopia.org/article/simple-tool-aligning-instruction-and-assessment) to guide mapping, I typed in the queries below in
sequence to direct ChatGPT to get me vital information instantly.
For teachers looking to increase their lesson-planning productivity, there isn’t one way to map and align curriculum
and instruction. Feel free to continue using your methods and templates and tweak these questions to suit your own
lesson ideation needs better:
1. My middle school students have to write a personal narrative about their experience with leadership and service. Which two or
three specific Common Core State Standards are relevant to this task?
2. Now rewrite those standards into three to four “I can” statements. Although the chatbot can give you a great starting point, you
may need to reword these into learning goals better suited for your students.
3. What formative assessments (formal and informal) can I use to check my students’ understanding of these standards?
4. Given your “I can” statements, what lessons can I teach to help my students write their best personal narratives?
5. Which high-yielding strategies can I use to teach these lessons? I aim to engage all my learners in tandem with increasing
academic achievement.
6. You mentioned using “differentiated instruction.” What methods can I use to support my English language learners to improve
their narratives?
7. Please provide the sources you used for your responses with websites.
To help you see the power of the AI assistant, I’ve provided screenshots of our interaction in this document
(https://wpvip.edutopia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Curriculum_Mapping_Using_ChatGPT.pdf) . After viewing the link, notice how
detailed, coherent, and relevant ChatGPT’s responses can become, tailored to meet the user’s needs. Answers
won’t always be perfect, and you may need to restate your queries if the chatbot’s responses need to be corrected.
Also, you can use the app’s thumbs-up and thumbs-down features to teach the AI model to improve future
responses.
USE C H AT G P T TO PLAN ACTIVITIES
Many teachers are always looking to boost engagement and real-world application by making instruction more
project-based (https://readtolead.org/3-reasons-why-more-educators-are-introducing-project-based-learning/) and passion-driven
(https://www.edutopia.org/article/sel-students-sense-purpose) through allowing kids to engage in activities typically carried out
outside of school, by adults at work. In my coaching work, I often see great ideas put to rest because of a need for
clarity on beginning and implementing a complex task requiring expert guidance. ChatGPT can quickly assist in
providing critical steps, needed resources, budget recommendations, and timelines.
For example, I recently developed a project-based learning unit, and the major student product was a class mural. I
didn’t have experience in mural design, but after I input my queries, the chatbot produced fantastic and reliable
feedback. We now have a course of action for moving our project plans forward.
Again, here’s a document detailing my interaction with the AI model
(https://wpvip.edutopia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Mural_Design_Planning_Using_ChatGPT.pdf) . Below are my revised queries for
you to tailor to any new activity.
1. I’m having my _____-grade class design a _____ to be displayed in our school, but this is the first time we’ve done it. What are
the proper steps to take?
2. I teach _____-grade _____. Which specific ELA and math CCSS apply to this activity?
3. Please rewrite these standards into “I can” statements in the context of the _____ design.
4. What tools and resources will we need to plan and design the _____?
5. Please put the categories and budget amounts into a table. Use the medium for each projected amount for each category. I
need to provide it to our budget coordinator.
6. I see my kids every day for 50 minutes. About how many weeks will the _____ design need?
7. We live in _____. Please provide local _____ we can contact for further guidance. Please provide their websites and social
media accounts if available.
8. Please provide websites and sources you used for the _____ design steps and standards.
Lastly, as you work with AI models, you may need to restate questions in order to teach them to provide better
results. Undoubtedly, more AI models are headed our way. But no matter how advanced AI models become, they will
never replace the human touch. Therefore, I always say, embrace tech along with our human ingenuity.
S H A R E T H I S STO RY
FILED UNDER
Technology Integration 6-8 Middle School 9-12 High School
E D U C AT I O N TRENDS
In Utah, a New Law Takes on Teen Social Media Addiction
The sweeping new legislation will create an age verification process for
social media users, require parental consent for kids under 18, and block
access to apps during sleeping hours.
By Andrew Boryga
March 30, 2023
Last week, Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed sweeping legislation aimed at holding social media companies
accountable for how their products affect the mental and physical health and safety of their young users.
In explaining the reasons for the new law, Gov. Cox pointed to rising rates of depression and other mental health
issues in teens. Gov. Cox, sounding like early critics of cigarette companies, said social media platforms like
Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok know their "products are toxic" and have "designed their apps to be addictive."
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T E C H N O LO GY I N T E G R AT I O N
Using Common Tech Tools to Support Social and Emotional Learning
Everyday tools that many teachers already use in lessons can also help
students develop their self-management and decision-making skills.
By Rachelle Dené Poth
March 28, 2023
Focusing on social and emotional learning (SEL) skills is essential for all educators. Many educators know about
CASEL (https://casel.org/) (The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) and the five core
competencies of SEL: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible
decision-making. As teachers try to find ways to help students develop SEL, here are some strategies and digital
tools that can help in each of these areas.
Self-awareness: Developing self-awareness is critical for students’ being aware of their skills and interests and for
understanding where they are in the learning process. Being able to identify where they are in the learning process,
the progress made, and areas where they need to focus is essential for now and in the future.
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A D M I N I S T R AT I O N & LEADERSHIP
3 Ways to Help Expert Teachers Get Even Better
Small shifts in practice are often all it takes for an expert teacher to reach
the next level in the classroom.
By Michael McDowell
April 7, 2023
In a 2003 study (https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=research_conference_2003) , researchers in
Australia found a substantial divide between experienced teachers and expert teachers. One of the key differences
was the amount of time a teacher spent working with students across levels of complexity of learning. For instance,
experienced teachers spent 70 percent of their time in their classroom teaching students surface-level content and
about 30 percent of their time teaching deep-level knowledge. Expert teachers do just the opposite. This variance
causes a significant impact on the learning lives of children.
Imagine students were expected to learn about the foundations of the U.S. democracy. Experienced teachers are
likely to spend the majority of their time covering factoids such as defining and labeling major documents (e.g., the
Declaration of Independence), major players (e.g., Alexander Hamilton) and important locations (e.g., Philadelphia).
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SOCIAL & E M OT I O N A L LEARNING (SEL)
If It Matters to Kids, It Matters
When children feel loved, cared for, and valued, they are better able to
process information and voice their opinions.
By Sarah Wysocki
April 7, 2023
Aristotle had it right when he said, “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” Children
are not small adults: They process things and interact with the world differently than grown-ups. What is a big deal
in the eyes of a child doesn’t always resonate the same way with us as teachers. However, if something matters to a
child, it matters. It’s important for teachers to weave in opportunities for children to share things that are important
to them so they can feel safe, connected, and available to learn and process new information.
After a bomb threat was called in to a school where I used to teach, I knew that my students would need to process
their feelings. When we returned to school the next day, we focused our morning meeting on the threat. I knew that
this event would need to be processed; it was a scary and unnerving end of the day. When kids were given the
chance to talk about an event that was on their minds, they were able to process what happened and move past it.
Read Full Story
NEW TEACHERS
Exploring Before Explaining Sparks Learning
New elementary science teachers can build student engagement and

enhance learning by using the explore-before-explain approach.
By Patrick Brown
April 7, 2023
New teachers learn quickly that there are only so many hours in the day, so it’s vital to maximize instruction to
achieve the most significant gains possible. An explore-before-explain mindset is a set of beliefs holding that the
best learning environments activate students’ ideas and offer them firsthand experiences, learning science by doing
science. Once students have developed accurate understandings based on explorations, teachers enhance
understanding through explanations that occur at the right time for learners.
Becoming an explore-before-explain teacher requires thinking about teaching and learning in new ways. I’ve found
from working with teachers that planning with specific outcomes ensures that we’re promoting more equitable,
robust, and memorable experiences. Many teachers who already use hands-on learning find that they can scale
their lessons. Others flip their instructional script to explore-before-explain and home in on the most salient part of
the lesson to make the best use of instructional time.
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TEACHER WELLNESS
How Writing and Revisiting Your Teaching Philosophy Can Fuel Your Practice
Many of us write teaching philosophies early in our careers. Returning to

those same beliefs years later holds the potential to refresh our practice.
By Casey Daugherty
April 10, 2023
In my 28th year of teaching, I find myself rereading a teaching philosophy I wrote upon graduating from college in
1994. It’s a statement I revised in 2002, then again sometime between 2012 and 2015. Now, here I sit in 2023,
reminiscing about all that I once believed.
What I read rattles me a bit: At times, it feels like education evolves slowly, yet other times progress abounds so
quickly that I don’t know if my 1994 ideals have kept up. What holds true, and what has changed, across my years
in education?
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Teaching SEL Skills Through Stories and Poetry
When social and emotional learning is integrated into language arts,

elementary students gain a deeper understanding of concepts like
empathy and self-awareness. And they’re more engaged in reading and
writing, to boot.
April 7, 2023
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SOCIAL & E M OT I O N A L LEARNING (SEL)
Planting a Garden That Reinforces SEL
Social and emotional herb gardens offer young students a sensory

learning experience and a chance to explore their feelings.
By Lesley Chapman
April 6, 2023
There are countless benefits to gardening with young children, including spending time in nature, experiencing life
cycles in real time, and improving attention.
Herb gardening is an especially joyful way to get young children involved in the garden. The plants are easy to
grow, are readily available at garden centers and nurseries, and offer a rich sensory experience of smells, colors,
and tastes. Thanks to the connection between our senses and our emotions
(https://www.discovery.com/science/Why-Smells-Trigger-Such-Vivid-
Memories#:~:text=Scents%20bypass%20the%20thalamus%20and,memory%20or%20even%20intense%20emotion.)
, herbs can offer us an enjoyable way to delve into social and emotional learning (SEL).
Read Full Story
GEORGE LUCAS E D U C AT I O N A L F O U N D AT I O N
Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practic al strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 educ ation.
We are published by the George Luc as Educ ational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.
©2023 George Luc as Educ ational Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
Edutopia® and Luc as Educ ation Research™ are trademarks or registered trademarks of the George Luc as Educ ational
Foundation in the U.S. and other countries.

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4/11/23, 3:15 PM Using AI Tools to Lesson Plan | Edutopia

Using AI to Help Organize Lesson Plans

March 15, 2023

hours of prep time.

apps like ChatGPT (https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt) and Education Copilot (https://educationcopilot.com/) to streamline

Aside from teaching it (https://www.edutopia.org/article/tips-and-resources-for-introducing-students-to-artificial-intelligence) and benefiting

from Google using predictive analytics (https://cloud.google.com/learn/what-is-predictive-analytics) to improve my research, I

Old Dominion University until my good friend Elizabeth Peña (https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-pe%C3%B1a-b3a401173/) ,

who is a business marketing coach, introduced me to the power of ChatGPT.

Education Research You Can Use

Subscribe now (/account/signup?grades=&subscribe=researchNewsletter)

(https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-to-use-openai-chatgpt-text-generation-chatbot/) ) that responds like a human to the

leadership and service. Using my instructional alignment tool

(https://www.edutopia.org/article/simple-tool-aligning-instruction-and-assessment) to guide mapping, I typed in the queries below in

sequence to direct ChatGPT to get me vital information instantly.

lesson ideation needs better:

(https://wpvip.edutopia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Curriculum_Mapping_Using_ChatGPT.pdf) . After viewing the link, notice how

USE C H AT G P T TO PLAN ACTIVITIES

project-based (https://readtolead.org/3-reasons-why-more-educators-are-introducing-project-based-learning/) and passion-driven

(https://www.edutopia.org/article/sel-students-sense-purpose) through allowing kids to engage in activities typically carried out

providing critical steps, needed resources, budget recommendations, and timelines.

Again, here’s a document detailing my interaction with the AI model

(https://wpvip.edutopia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Mural_Design_Planning_Using_ChatGPT.pdf) . Below are my revised queries for

you to tailor to any new activity.

the proper steps to take?

need to provide it to our budget coordinator.

media accounts if available.

Technology Integration 6-8 Middle School 9-12 High School

In Utah, a New Law Takes on Teen Social Media Addiction

March 30, 2023

Read Full Story

Using Common Tech Tools to Support Social and Emotional Learning

March 28, 2023

tools that can help in each of these areas.

Read Full Story

3 Ways to Help Expert Teachers Get Even Better

In a 2003 study (https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=research_conference_2003) , researchers in

causes a significant impact on the learning lives of children.

Read Full Story

SOCIAL & E M OT I O N A L LEARNING (SEL)

If It Matters to Kids, It Matters

Read Full Story

Exploring Before Explaining Sparks Learning

New elementary science teachers can build student engagement and

the lesson to make the best use of instructional time.

Read Full Story

Many of us write teaching philosophies early in our careers. Returning to

April 10, 2023

reminiscing about all that I once believed.

Read Full Story

ENGLISH L ANGUAGE LEARNERS

Teaching SEL Skills Through Stories and Poetry

When social and emotional learning is integrated into language arts,

Read Full Story

SOCIAL & E M OT I O N A L LEARNING (SEL)

Planting a Garden That Reinforces SEL

Social and emotional herb gardens offer young students a sensory

cycles in real time, and improving attention.

Read Full Story

©2023 George Luc as Educ ational Foundation. All Rights Reserved.

Foundation in the U.S. and other countries.

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