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About 10 years ago or so I was fulltime in the classroom. The school was heavy on teacher evaluations. We implemented the I can statements, learning targets, objective, success criteria, what we learned today, what we will learn tomorrow. We were doing it all and it was a great thing and students were learning more but the teachers were burnt out with implementing all of this. Many of the teachers were just going through the motions. Then we got a new administrator and it all went away. How can we achieve this without burning out? How ca we stop administration from changing guidelines all the time?

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Equity....making sure all students have what they need to learn. I witness a special ed student in 2nd grade not having to do any 2nd grade work....basically just coloring. This should not happen and I worked with the teacher on getting the student material that will make him/her successful in the classroom.

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Socratic Seminar - I have used the fishbowl strategy in the classroom but it was basically teacher lead. Handing over or giving the discussion to the students looks very powerful and a great strategy for learning.

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The webinar and videos reminded me of a quote I once heard in an educational course "Fair is not everyone getting the same thing, but everyone getting what they need." That reminds me of what the webinar has to say on equity versus equality. I liked the reminder of the multiple intelligences and incorporating them into your lesson plans.

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I would like to learn more about the Socratic Seminar. I have tried using that method before, but sometimes getting the students to talk to each other and continue the conversation is like pulling teeth. I would like to learn ways to motivate the students to have and continue the conversations themselves while removing myself more from the conversation. I am intrigued by the idea of the students developing the discussion themselves without being led by the teacher as they often bring up things I wouldn't have thought of.

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When you have a shared curriculum, how do you go about implementing individualization? How does AI work with assisting with lesson plan development and even with student work.

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Artificial intelligence can help you write lesson plans faster -- and give you new ideas you might not consider. Here are some tips and strategies you can use.

Planning lessons has always been a struggle for me.

When I have planned lessons for my high school Spanish classes, I've almost always over-thought them.

I would worry about engaging my students. Making my lessons relevant and interesting.

Some teachers just sit down and crank them out.

I, on the other hand, have undergone an existential crisis seemingly every time.

And it takes forever.

Help is on the way. It can help all of us in education -- the chronic over-thinkers (like me), the quick-draw fast planners, and all of us in between.

Artificial intelligence.

Part 1: 10 ways AI can help us plan lessons better and faster

Today's AI assistants have lots and lots of information in their data sets about what makes a quality lesson plan. And if you keep asking the assistant follow-up questions, you'll keep getting closer and closer to what you're looking for.

The result? Minutes of saved time.

If you save minutes over and over, you know what you get? Hours of saved time.

Compile enough hours of saved time over the course of a school year -- or a teaching career -- and it changes how we feel about our career -- and what we can do during it.

Let's save some time -- and get some creative ideas for lesson planning.

Here's how artificial intelligence can help.

AI for EDUCATORS

Learning Strategies, Teacher Efficiencies, and a Vision for an Artificial Intelligence Future by Matt Miller

Available NOW on AMAZON!

1. Ask ChatGPT for a lesson plan.

Yes, AI assistants like ChatGPT can write lesson plans! Of course, they're based on info published online and in books about lesson plans, so don't expect anything super innovative. But we're not coming to ChatGPT for innovative.

We're coming for a starting point. We're looking for a first draft.

Once we get that first draft, we're able to adjust it. Throw out the parts you don't like. Keep the ones you do. Adjust the whole thing based on what you know about your students, about your content, etc.

2. Ask Bing Image Creator to create a lesson hook.

Artificial intelligence image creators like Bing Image Creator will make just about anything you ask for. Create a custom image related to the topic you're planning to teach. Make it provocative. Make it surprising. Ask it what a historical character you're studying would look like as a child. Ask it for a rendering of a scene in a book you're reading. Sometimes, a surprising image -- or one that makes students think -- is enough to hook students into a lesson. You can also use other image creators like Midjourney ( midjourney.com) or DALL-E .

4. Ask Curipod for some interactive slides.

When you're introducing new material to students, sometimes it's helpful to have some slides with information, images, and even questions for discussion or to demonstrate comprehension. When we as humans create slides, we often use certain rules over and over -- or draw upon successful experiences from our past to create slides. Curipod ( curipod.com) asks for a topic and your content standards. Then it creates a set of interactive slides, complete with details, images, discussion questions, comprehension questions, and more. These slides can engage students in learning about new ideas and help them to understand.

5. Ask ChatGPT for common misconceptions or struggles.

Sometimes, half the battle in teaching isn't knowing how to present new ideas. It's knowing how to respond when students struggle. We often don't know exactly what students are struggling with -- and when we ask them, sometimes they can't quite articulate it. Ask an AI assistant like ChatGPT about common misconceptions or struggles that people have when learning about or trying to understand what you're teaching. You can ask it for solutions and/or come up with your own.

8. Get a YouTube video summary with the Glasp Chrome extension.

Glasp makes an extension for the Google Chrome browser called YouTube Summary with Chat GPT. Install the extension in your Google Chrome browser. When you have a YouTube video open, the extension will use ChatGPT to create a summary of the video. Use this for yourself to get an overview of the content of a video. Or create a summary for your students for review purposes or to give them a preview of what they're about to watch.

Part 2: A workflow: Breathe life into content standards

As educators collaboration can be energizing. It can boost our productivity and reignite the flame for creating great lessons that we had when we first began teaching. Bouncing ideas off of our colleagues and co-creating something that we can each take into our own classes and make our own.

Unfortunately, we rarely get the time we need to collaborate with our colleagues and if we do the topic is often set by an agenda created by admin. Those open brainstorming sessions where ideas fly and great content is created, shared and molded for our students are far and few between. If you are at a site where you do get to enjoy this type of collaboration and planning time with your colleagues then kudos to your admin! You're a lucky staff!

For the rest of us, lesson planning is an important but often lonely part of your job. Creating a lesson plan that aligns with state standards can be time-consuming and challenging.
Enter AI.
With the help of artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT we can brainstorm, bounce around ideas, rework lessons and get feedback on them.

Think of AI as your personal teaching assistant. It's like having that colleague next door who shares a great lesson with you to try with your class. Then after you try it, modifying it to fit your own class, you sit can reflect together and decide what worked and what didn't.
Here's how it can work:

Step 1: Create a lesson plan with ChatGPT
Identify the standard
Choose a standard from your state's curriculum that you want to address in your lesson. This could be a standard related to math, science, language arts, or social studies. You can copy the standard directly from your state website.
Input the standard into ChatGPT
Once you have identified the standard, input it into ChatGPT. You can do this by typing in the standard or copying and pasting it into the chatbot. ChatGPT will analyze the standard and generate a response that provides an overview of the key concepts and skills related to the standard.
Use the response to create a lesson plan
Using the response generated by ChatGPT, you can begin to create your lesson plan. Consider the key concepts and skills related to the standard and brainstorm activities and assessments that will address these areas.

1. Identify the key concepts and skills related to the standard. For example, if the standard is related to reading comprehension, the key concepts might include identifying the main idea, making inferences, and summarizing.

2. Consider how you can introduce these concepts to your students. Brainstorm activities that will engage your students and help them understand the material. For example, you might use a graphic organizer to help students identify the main idea of a text.

3. Think about how you can assess student understanding of the key concepts and skills. For example, you might have students write a summary of a text to assess their ability to summarize.

4. Consider how you can differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all students. For example, you might provide additional support for struggling students or challenge advanced students with more complex texts.

5. Determine how you will integrate technology into your lesson plan to enhance student learning. For example, you might have students use a digital tool to create a visual representation of the main idea of a text.

Remember, the response generated by ChatGPT is just a starting point for your lesson plan. Use it as a guide as you create engaging and effective activities and assessments that align with the standard you've chosen.

Step 2: Use your teacher brain and expertise along with other tools (including AI) to refine and enhance the lesson plan

Once you have a rough draft of your lesson plan, refine it and make adjustments as needed. Consider the needs of your students and how you can differentiate instruction to meet their needs. Think about how you can incorporate technology, hands-on activities, and other strategies to engage students and enhance their learning.
Teacher Toolbox: AI Tools Teacher Toolbox: Templates Teacher Toolbox: Teaching Resources

Step 3: Identify a way to assess student learning

Assessing student learning is an important part of any lesson plan. This includes a quick check for understanding, a formative assessment, exit ticket or a summative assessment.
Teacher Toolbox - Assessment Tools
Consider how you can use ChatGPT or another AI tool to assess student understanding of the material. For example, you can have students ask ChatGPT questions related to the standard and review their responses to assess their understanding of the key concepts and skills.

Step 4: Review student work and give feedback

Consider asking ChatGPT or another AI tool for feedback on various aspects, such as grammar, spelling, and content. You can input a student response or a common response or mistake into ChatGPT and ask it for some feedback prompts.

Lesson Plan Examples

Lesson Example 1 - Elementary Reading
Note: Text was generated by ChatGPT (unless another AI tool was used and noted). "Write a lesson plan for the Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.2 - Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text using the Madeline Hunter Lesson Design Framework" (Entered into ChatGPT) Bold text

Nonfiction texts on various topics (one per student or pair)

Graphic organizer for main idea and key details

Graphic organizer for summarizing

Writing materials

was added by me.

Students will be able to identify the main idea of a text and explain how key details support it.

Students will be able to summarize a text in their own words.

Materials:

Objectives:

Time

5 minutes

Anticipatory Set: Activate prior knowledge on the topic by asking students if they know what the main idea of a text is. Have them share their thoughts and ideas, and write them on the board
Share a video to support understanding How to find the main idea and supporting details from McGraw Hill

10 minutes

Direct Instruction: Define the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details. Show examples of how to identify the main idea and key details in a text.

20 minutes

Guided Practice: Pass out the nonfiction texts to the students or pairs. Instruct students to read the text and fill out the graphic organizer for main idea and key details. As they read, circulate around the room and assist students as necessary.

5 minutes

Check for Understanding: Have students share their main idea and key details with a partner or in a small group. Check for understanding by asking questions related to the text.

15 minutes

Independent Practice: Distribute the graphic organizer for summarizing. Instruct students to summarize the text in their own words. Encourage them to use the main idea and key details from their graphic organizer.

5 minutes

Closure: Have students share their summaries with a partner or in a small group. Then, ask them to share one thing they learned about the topic.

As a summative assessment, have students read a different nonfiction text and write a brief summary that includes the main idea and key details. You can use a rubric to assess their ability to identify the main idea and use key details to support it.

Differentiation: For students who need additional support, provide them with a simplified text or allow them to work with a partner. For students who need an extra challenge, provide them with a more complex text or have them summarize the text in a paragraph.

Lesson Example 2 - Middle School Science
Note: Text was generated by ChatGPT (unless another AI tool was used and noted). "Create a lesson plan for the standard "MS-PS1-1 Matter and its Interactions Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures." using the explore, explain, apply lesson plan framework" (Entered into ChatGPT) Bold text was added by me.

Lesson Plan - MS-PS1-1
Explore

Objective: Introduce the concept of atomic composition and provide students with an opportunity to explore and investigate the properties of matter.

Activity: Provide students with a variety of materials, such as sugar, salt, sand, and water. Ask them to explore and investigate the properties of each material. Guide them to make observations about the similarities and differences between the materials. Have students work in groups to create a chart or Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the materials based on their properties.

Explain

Objective: Introduce the concept of atomic composition and explain how it relates to the properties of matter.

Activity: Using the chart or Venn diagram created by the students in the Explore phase, lead a discussion on the atomic composition of the materials. Introduce the concept of atoms and molecules and explain how they contribute to the properties of matter. Use visual aids, such as models of atoms and molecules, to enhance students' understanding.

Apply

Objective: Apply the concept of atomic composition to simple molecules and extended structures.

Activity: Provide students with a simple molecule, such as H2O, and an extended structure, such as a diamond. Ask them to work in groups to develop a model that describes the atomic composition of each structure. Have them present their models to the class and lead a discussion on the similarities and differences between the two models.

Assessment

Objective: Evaluate students' ability to develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.

Assessment: Provide students with a new simple molecule and an extended structure. Ask them to work in groups to develop a model that describes the atomic composition of each structure. Have them present their models to the class and use a rubric to assess their ability to describe the atomic composition of the structures.

Extend

Objective: Allow students to extend their understanding of atomic composition and its applications.

Activity: Provide students with a real-world scenario, such as the design of a new material, and ask them to develop a model that describes the atomic composition of the material. Have them present their models to the class and lead a discussion on the applications of atomic composition in real-world scenarios.

Closure/Reflection

Objective: Allow students to reflect on what they learned and its relevance to the real world.

Activity: Have students write a reflection on what they learned about atomic composition and its applications in the real world. Have them share their reflections with the class and lead a discussion on how their understanding of atomic composition can be applied in their daily lives.

Lesson Example 3 - Middle/High School History

Lesson Planning Templates

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Lesson planning with AI: Save time and get ideas

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Artificial intelligence can help you write lesson plans faster -- and give you new ideas you might not consider. Here are some tips and strategies you can

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am noticing that several of the recourses can be tied together.  Basically it is about students owning their own learning and how we as teachers can support their efforts.  The "13  ways to set high expectations in the classroom ," help to build student belief and not let them get away with out living up  to the students own capabilities.  Having student led discussions and using whole classroom graphic organizers build confidence and helps all students be part of the conversation.  It is the job of the teacher to facilitate a live interactive classroom where all student grow and thrive.    Adding these into my class will bring a sense of student ownership to the classroom and ownership of learning.

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Questions - Curriculum and Content Development

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Questions - Curriculum and Content Development

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I am interested in learning how to best support teachers and therefore support student growth. What are the best practices to create curriculum alignment and content development in larger school districts? In my experience, teachers workload is already heavy and districts only give a couple days a year to collaborate across school grade levels/content areas. How do you improve and make successful growth in this area with such limited time?

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In the webinar, it was stated, "there are a plethora of strategies and activities we can differentiate to support student mastery of the curriculum. However, before deciding which ones support students best, learn who they are."

I believe this is a powerful reminder of how fostering positive relationships is the foundation of learning. These connections help teachers understand individual student needs, adapt teaching, and manage classrooms effectively. This is a prerequisite for cultivating equity in the classroom.

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I would love to learn more about successfully implementing Socratic Seminars. I believe I have used similar, or related, strategies such as accountable talk and Kagan Structures. I think it is a valuable investment teachers make. Its essential to spend time explicitly teaching how to use this strategy: discuss what it looks like and sounds like, and then provide daily opportunities to practice and develop these skills. I'd like to learn more about effective ways to give students this autonomy over their learning, how to celebrate it and encourage it as a life long skill.

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I'm impressed with how many amazing tools and resources are out there. The possibilities seem endless with the use of technology and AI. I personally enjoyed: https://thesciencebank.org/pages/virtual-dissection-resources

I'll always remember dissecting a real frog in my 9th grade Biology class. One of my biggest take aways was how it squirted onto my parents mouth when we cut into the specimen...

Through these new and immersive technologies students can see 3D models on their desks, and interactive simulations where they can manipulate variables. It helps to foster deeper understanding through hands-on exploration. I think this helps increase engagement and creates memorable experiences - other than unfortunate student discomfort!

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The following are humane life science education resources and virtual dissections that are web-based, app-based, or downloadable. The resources listed are either free or affordable. Additionally, there are a number of hands-on models to choose from, which cannot be borrowed through our loan program. Use the key below t

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The webinar reinforced the importance of equity and differentiation in supporting student learning. Using the right resources and strategies, like Socratic seminars, helps meet diverse needs and ensures all students can succeed.

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I’d like to learn more about project-based learning and strategies that integrate social-emotional learning into content lessons. I’m intrigued by how these approaches can make learning more meaningful, student-centered, and connected to real-world experiences while fostering collaboration and critical thinking.

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I’m curious about how to balance meeting standards with providing flexibility for student choice and differentiated learning. I’m also wondering how to effectively evaluate whether curriculum changes are truly improving student engagement and understanding over time.

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One resource I found especially helpful was “Writing Objectives with Bloom’s Taxonomy” because it clearly explained how to create measurable, meaningful learning goals.