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Lesson 4 of 5 · 7 min read · Beginner

AI for teachers: a lesson outline and three versions of one worksheet

Draft a timed lesson outline from your objective, then turn one worksheet into three differentiated versions in one prompt. The free tier does this; the lesson says when a paid plan is worth it for a department.

In this lesson you will

  • Produce a timed lesson outline from a learning objective
  • Differentiate a worksheet into three levels without rewriting it three times
  • Check AI-generated questions against the curriculum, not the model's confidence

Teachers have the same two jobs as everyone else in this course, dressed differently: draft from your own material (the objective, the worksheet you already wrote) and check one thing before it reaches a student. The time saving is real: differentiation, in particular, is work that AI does well and teachers do at 10pm.

Task 1: a timed lesson outline

What a usable outline prompt contains. Leave one of these out and you will re-prompt.
IngredientExampleWhy
Objective, in your words"Students can explain why the rate of photosynthesis levels off"The outline is built backwards from this
Length and class"50 minutes, Year 10, mixed ability"Timing and pitch
Format"A table: minutes, activity, what students do, how I check understanding"You get something you can teach from, not an essay
Constraints"No group work; one worksheet; no video"The model otherwise assumes resources you do not have

Your turn

Your turn: the outline prompt

Plan a [LENGTH]-minute lesson for [CLASS]. Objective: [OBJECTIVE]. Give it as a table with columns: minutes, activity, what students do, how I check understanding. Constraints: [CONSTRAINTS]. End with one exit-ticket question.

Hint: The exit-ticket line gives you a one-question check for the end of the lesson without another prompt.

Task 2: three versions of one worksheet

Differentiation is the task where the format instruction does the most work. One worksheet in, three levels out, side by side so you can see they cover the same content. The instruction "do not change the science" matters as much as the level labels: without it, a model simplifying a question will sometimes simplify the fact inside it. Run it as written; the worksheet is included.

Try it

Differentiate a worksheet into three levels

Three free runs a day on the site key. Add your own key for unlimited runs.

Knowledge check

The Extension version asks students to "calculate the rate of photosynthesis from the light intensity using the formula". No such formula is in your specification. What is going on?

Lesson FAQ

Is it safe to put student work into an AI?

Do not paste anything that identifies a student into a consumer tool. Remove names and use the work itself. Check your school's policy and the vendor's data terms; education and business plans usually offer a no-training setting that consumer free tiers do not.

Will the AI's lesson match my curriculum?

Only if you give it your objective and constraints. Left to itself it plans a generic lesson from its training data, which may not match your specification. Paste the spec wording for the topic and check any question it adds against it.

Which AI is best for teachers?

For outlines and worksheets, the free tiers of ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude are all good and the differences are small. If your school runs Google Workspace, Gemini may already be included; if it runs Microsoft 365, check for Copilot. Pay only for a specific feature you have found you need.

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