Now, we will practice using AI to improve a lesson or activity. We will be using ChatGPT or EduAide, but this can be done with any generative AI chatbot. To start, think of a lesson topic, group activity, or assessment that you may want to imrpove or expand upon. For our example, we'll be looking for ideas for our classroom book club.
1.Give the AI a role, and explain what exactly the intended purpose and audience is for your writing. Specify grade level, class, unit, and learning objectives.
2.Be explicit about what needs to be included, such as key vocabulary or topics.
3.Ask for multiple answer options and reword prompts to see how responses are changed. If you don't get the results you desire, you can try using different words or saying how you want the answer changed.
4.Providing source material for ChatGPT to use can help it better understand the language and tone you are looking for.
5.Use verbs and phrases that describe the action you want the AI to take, such as "edit", "reword", "provide 5 more ideas", "create a table", etc.
Here's the prompt I have given ChatGPT: "You are a teacher running a book club for 8th-grade students. Provide ideas for five different activities that students can do in small groups relating to the book they are reading."
Sure! Here are five activities that 8th-grade students can do in small groups related to the book they are reading:
Character Interviews: Assign each group a character from the book and have them create a set of interview questions as if they were journalists interviewing that character. They can then role-play the interview, with one student acting as the character and the others asking questions about their motivations, actions, and thoughts.
Storyboard Creation: Have each group create a storyboard outlining the key events of the book. They can use drawings or collage pictures from magazines to represent each event. Encourage them to include captions or dialogue bubbles to explain each scene. After completing the storyboards, each group can present theirs to the class, explaining their choices and interpretations.
Debate or Discussion: Divide the class into small groups and assign each group a specific topic or theme from the book to discuss or debate. Topics could include moral dilemmas faced by the characters, the book's setting, or the motivations of the antagonist. Provide guiding questions to help facilitate the discussion and encourage students to support their arguments with evidence from the text.
Character Analysis Collage: Ask each group to create a collage representing one of the main characters from the book. They can include images, quotes, and symbols that represent the character's personality, motivations, and development throughout the story. After completing the collages, each group can present theirs to the class, explaining their choices and interpretations.
Alternate Endings: Challenge each group to come up with an alternate ending for the book. They can brainstorm together to discuss how they would change the plot or resolve conflicts differently. Each group can then write a short summary of their alternate ending and present it to the class, explaining their reasoning behind their creative choices.
These activities engage students in critical thinking, creative expression, and collaboration while deepening their understanding of the book's themes, characters, and plot.
Now that I have this list of options, I can change, adapt, and modify these ideas in order to provide a wide range of different activites for my book club this week. For instance, I might add to the first interview idea by having students record and edit their interviews into podcasts, or use the character analysis collage as an activity to help my English Langauge Learners visually represent their understanding of the book.
Now, you can try this on your own! Share your experiences with this application activity below:
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