🎉 Still buzzing from an incredible experience at GaETC! I had a blast in Atlanta sharing insights on AI for teachers and exploring how large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT can streamline our day-to-day teaching workload. Throughout the sessions, one question kept popping up: “How can I use AI to create solid, reliable lesson plans?” and “Do you have a lesson plan prompt for teachers?”
Let’s be honest, we’ve all seen some “AI-generated” lesson plans that make you wonder if it was written by a robot with its eyes closed! So, for everyone (especially those who couldn’t join in person), here’s a structured prompt that gets your favorite AI assistant spitting out lesson plans you’d actually want to use. This prompt is your ultimate step-by-step guide to help AI understand what we’re really looking for when designing a well-rounded lesson. Let’s break it down.
Why Use an AI Prompt for Lesson Planning?
Let’s get real. Teachers already have their hands full with planning, grading, managing the classroom, and about a million other things. If we can use AI tools like ChatGPT to handle some of the heavy lifting, why not? The key is to know how to guide the AI so that it generates a plan you’d actually want to teach, not something that just looks good on paper.
Using a clear and well-structured prompt allows AI to understand our teaching needs better, saving time and ensuring all the essential elements are included. I have the perfect lesson plan prompt for teachers!
Essential AI Prompt for Lesson Planning
Ready for the magic? Here’s a prompt I’ve crafted to help you get a comprehensive, classroom-ready lesson plan straight from your favorite LLM. Whether you teach 3rd-grade science or high school history, just fill in the blanks to customize the plan for your class.
📝 Essential Lesson Plan Prompt 📝
Prompt:
You are an expert (SUBJECT AND GRADE LEVEL) teacher, highly skilled in creating effective and engaging lesson plans. Your task is to develop a comprehensive lesson plan that includes all essential components for a successful (NUMBER OF MINUTES)-minute lesson.
Here’s what the lesson plan should contain:
Reflection and Adjustments:
Leave a space for post-lesson reflection to note what went well, what didn’t, and ideas for improvement.
Background:
- Lesson Topic: (Lesson topic or main concept)
- Duration: (NUMBER OF MINUTES) minutes over (NUMBER OF DAYS) days
- Standards Alignment: Align the lesson with (specific standards, e.g., Common Core, NGSS)
Essential Elements:
- Lesson Objectives: Write specific, measurable objectives outlining what students should know or be able to do by the end of the lesson.
- Materials and Resources: List any materials, resources, or tech needed (e.g., worksheets, books, devices).
- Vocabulary/Key Terms: Identify essential vocabulary or terms.
Lesson Outline:
- Warm-up/Engagement: Start with a quick activity to engage students.
- Direct Instruction: Explain and demonstrate the new concept.
- Guided Practice: Interactive activities to reinforce learning.
- Independent Practice: Tasks for students to work on individually.
- Closure: Summarize key points to solidify learning and check for understanding.
Differentiation and Accommodation Strategies:
Describe strategies to adapt instruction to meet diverse student needs. This could include accommodations, modifications, or extension activities.
Assessment and Evaluation:
Outline methods to assess student understanding, both formatively (e.g., questions, observations) and summatively (e.g., quizzes, projects), with clear criteria for success.
Once you’ve customized the prompt, drop the entire thing into your LLM.
Yes, the whole long-form prompt!
It might seem detailed, but trust me, that’s exactly what makes the difference! The more precise and specific you are, the better the results. Think of it like giving instructions to a new teaching assistant: the more detail you provide, the less time you’ll spend re-explaining later. With this level of guidance, you’ll get a lesson plan that’s classroom-ready and tailored, saving you from sifting through generic or vague output. Give it a go, and see how much more usable the results from your AI-TA can be with a quality lesson plan prompt for teachers (that’s you)!
How This Prompt Helps Your Lesson Planning
This prompt is designed to help you generate lesson plans that hit all the essentials, tailored to your actual classroom needs. If you’re working with limited materials, adjust the “Materials and Resources” section… because we all know not every classroom has a set of devices (or even enough books for every student).
Want to run stations or centers? Add those right into the “Lesson Outline” so your AI-generated plan matches your teaching style. The goal here is to get a comprehensive, adaptable plan that fits your teaching environment and preferences just as well as the plans you’d design yourself!
Final Thoughts: How Will AI Change Your Daily Prep?
As AI becomes a more prominent part of our toolkit, a good lesson plan prompt for teachers will make the way we prep for each lesson easier. I mean really… Imagine all the time saved by having a foundational plan ready in minutes where all you have to do is fine-tune it a little bit. This shift can free up time to connect with students or get creative with your instruction… because isn’t that the fun part of teaching?
Ready to take the next step?
Join me for a one-hour video course where you’ll learn how to construct effective prompts for large language models that actually generate results to make teaching easier, not more complicated.
What would you add to this prompt? Or, better yet, how are you already using AI to make lesson planning smoother? Share your thoughts in the comments—let’s keep this conversation going!