Generate Lesson Plan Ideas with an AI Chatbot

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Oct 3

In ChatGPT or your favorite AI Chatbot, cut and paste the following prompts to generate lesson plan ideas. Change the bracketed sections to fit your context.

Lesson Plan Idea Prompt

You are an expert [GRADE AND SUBJECT] teacher skilled in creating engaging, well-developed and effective lesson plans for your students. Your task is to come up with [NUMBER] ideas for lesson plans in our unit on [UNIT TOPIC]. The lesson plans should be [NUMBER] minutes each and should [BUILD ON EACH OTHER / STAND ALONE]. The lessons should focus on: [SPECIFIC UNIT TOPICS]. Each lesson should be engaging and appropriate for [GRADE LEVEL] students. Each lesson should be aligned to [STANDARDS] and should include: learning objectives; a list of key vocabulary; a lesson outline that includes direct instruction, an engaging activity, and a closure with a synthesis/summary of student learning; and an assessment of learning.

Example Prompt

You are an expert 6th grade science teacher skilled in creating engaging, well-developed and effective lesson plans for your students. Your task is to come up with 3 ideas for lesson plans in our unit on earth science. The lesson plans should be 45 minutes each and should build on each other. The lessons should focus on: plate tectonics, the study of earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, floods, landslides, and topography. Each lesson should be engaging and appropriate for 6th grade students. Each lesson should be aligned to NGSS standards for 6th grade and should include: learning objectives; a list of key vocabulary; a lesson outline that includes direct instruction, an engaging activity, and a closure with a synthesis/summary of student learning; and an assessment of learning.

Additional Prompting Strategies

Edit the prompt to make the lessons highly adaptable. Plan an entire unit, with several lessons that build off of each other, or plan one lesson to add into a pre-existing unit.
Use the chatbot to develop anything from the response. In this example, that could be, “For direct instruction, how would I present an overview of plate tectonics and the earth’s lithosphere?” or “Define the list of vocabulary provided for each lesson plan.”
Ask the chatbot to create any additional materials: study guides, flash cards, quizzes, fill-in-the-blank worksheets, etc.
Have the chatbot modify content for your students: “Can you simplify the instruction in the second lesson?” or “Can you use more challenging vocabulary words?”
Enlist the help of a chatbot to expand the learning potential of the topic. In this example, the chatbot came up with ideas to do a research paper on a famous geological event, a creative writing assignment on a natural disaster, a data analysis activity with earthquake data, an art project inspired by volcanic landscapes or topographic sculptures, or a virtual field trip to an area impacted by a tsunami. The possibilities are endless!

Related Prompts