Module 2 – Designing Learning with Teach, Create and Teams

[Pat Brennan]

*Please Note:  Participants who use Word (Or equivalent) to write their assignments and then copy and paste these into the forum may find that additional extraneous formatting is brought across. To avoid this, either right click in the post window and choose ‘Paste as Plain Text’ or use the keyboard shortcut cmd+shift+v. Alternatively, you can first paste the content into Notepad (Or similar) and then copy it from here to the topic window.

ASSIGNMENT

Write a forum post (150 words min) as a Reply to this post, reflecting on the new lesson plan you created in Teach

Include:

• Your topic and class level
• The overall quality of the AI output
• The level of adjustment required for use with learners
• One specific adjustment you would make

Please also comment on at least one other participant’s post.

Then, consider how Copilot Teach could be used in School Self-Evaluation (SSE) at your school.

[Mark Kelly]

World War Two – 6th Class

The lesson plan worked out really well. It’s important to create the resources that you will need for the lesson as well. It’s also very important to give the correct prompts – it’s all about the prompts, really. The better you can guide AI, the better results you will get. Let AI get to know you and your standards, likes, etc. I had to request specific definitions of vocabulary a few times before it would do it for me.

I loved Create – it created a fantastic poster based on the causes of WW2. I have attached it.

 

Causes of World War Two and Key Vocabulary for Year 7 History
Overview
Year: 7
Subject: History
Duration: 45 minutes
Standards
Strand three: The history of Europe and the wider world
Objectives
Students will identify and explain the principal causes of World War Two, focusing on European and global events.
Students will learn, define, and accurately use key vocabulary such as ‘appeasement’, ‘dictatorship’, ‘alliance’, ‘Treaty of Versailles’, ‘nationalism’, ‘propaganda’, and ‘anti-Semitism’ in discussion and writing.
Students will examine the impact of these causes on Europe and the wider world, sharing insights through digital tools.
Students will demonstrate understanding by matching key words to their definitions and incorporating them into their work.
Students will reflect on the importance of each cause and vocabulary term, drawing on information from digital resources and timeline activities.
Materials
Digital timeline tool (such as Padlet or TimelineJS) with clickable points for events, causes, and vocabulary definitions.
Cards with key vocabulary and definitions, including: ‘appeasement’ (giving in to demands to avoid conflict), ‘dictatorship’ (a government ruled by one person with total power), ‘alliance’ (an agreement between countries to support each other), ‘Treaty of Versailles’ (the peace treaty that ended World War One and imposed harsh penalties on Germany), ‘nationalism’ (strong pride in one’s country), ‘propaganda’ (information used to influence people’s opinions), and ‘anti-Semitism’ (hostility or prejudice against Jewish people).
Interactive whiteboard or projector for displaying the timeline, images, and video clips.
Worksheet for group activities and assessment, including matching tasks and short answer questions.
Access to reliable websites or textbooks for further reading, glossaries, and historical stories.
Definitions of Key Vocabulary
‘Appeasement’: The policy of giving in to demands to avoid conflict, often used to describe Britain and France’s approach to Germany before the war.
‘Dictatorship’: A government ruled by a single person with absolute power, such as Hitler in Germany or Mussolini in Italy.
‘Alliance’: An agreement between countries to cooperate and support one another, which influenced the formation of groups like the Axis and Allies.
‘Treaty of Versailles’: The peace treaty that officially ended World War One and imposed harsh penalties on Germany, contributing to later tensions.
‘Nationalism’: Strong pride in and loyalty to one’s country, often leading to aggressive policies and expansion.
‘Propaganda’: Information, often biased or misleading, used to influence public opinion and encourage support for political ideas.
‘Anti-Semitism’: Hostility or prejudice against Jewish people, which was a key factor in Nazi ideology and policy.
Lesson Outline:
1. Introduction to World War Two and Key Words (10 minutes)
Begin by describing Europe in the 1930s, highlighting the aftermath of World War One and the effects of the Treaty of Versailles on various countries.
Introduce key vocabulary, providing clear definitions and explaining their significance in the context of World War Two.
Allow students to match vocabulary terms to their definitions using the digital timeline, showing how each term relates to historical events.
Display images and maps on the board to help students connect vocabulary with real events and places.
Encourage students to use each key word in a sentence about the causes of World War Two, supporting both historical understanding and language skills.
2. Political and Economic Causes of World War Two (15 minutes)
Discuss how leaders such as Hitler and Mussolini rose to power in Germany and Italy, using the timeline to highlight events that contributed to instability in Europe.
Explain the economic difficulties faced by countries after World War One, such as the Great Depression, and how these led to widespread anger and the rise of extreme political ideas.
Clarify the meaning of ‘appeasement’, showing how Britain and France tried to avoid conflict with Germany, and use the timeline to identify key moments.
Guide students through a timeline activity where they arrange events in chronological order and identify which events triggered others, using the digital tool.
Examine how alliances and treaties changed international relationships, using maps and the timeline to illustrate these shifts.
3. Social and Ideological Factors Leading to War (10 minutes)
Explore how ideas such as nationalism and propaganda influenced public support for aggressive actions in Germany and Italy, using the timeline to show examples.
Define and discuss racism and anti-Semitism, explaining how these beliefs were promoted by leaders and led to harmful consequences, referring to timeline events.
Facilitate a group discussion about how social tensions and ideologies contributed to the outbreak of war, encouraging correct use of key vocabulary.
Present short videos or excerpts from historical stories on the timeline to help students understand daily life in Europe before the war.
Invite students to consider how these social factors affected ordinary people, using stories from the timeline and incorporating key vocabulary in their responses.
4. Assessment and Reflection (10 minutes)
Distribute worksheets for students to match key vocabulary to their definitions and answer questions about the main causes of World War Two, using the timeline for reference.
Have students work in pairs or groups to review their answers, encouraging use of the timeline and key vocabulary.
Lead a class discussion to summarise the main causes and their impacts, asking students to share insights gained from the timeline and activities.
Ask students to write a brief reflection on which cause they believe was most important and why, using the timeline and vocabulary terms.
Collect worksheets and reflections to assess understanding and provide feedback, ensuring students have grasped the key vocabulary.

[Marguerite O’Connor]

I agree that the quality of the prompts makes a huge difference to the final output, and it’s interesting that you refined the vocabulary definitions until they met your needs. I thibk this is someting that you would get better at over time. The poster sounds like a great addition too, as visual resources can really help pupils engage with a topic like World War Two. I also like your emphasis on key vocabulary throughout the lesson as I think it supports historical understanding as well as literacy development. Your point that AI provides a strong starting point but still needs teacher input really resonated with me.

[Helen Ryan]

Hi Mark and many thanks for your engagement with Module 2!

Thanks for sharing this fantastic reflection, it is great to see how well Copilot Teach worked for your 6th Class lesson and the poster sounds like a brilliant visual resource.

Your insights on prompting are spot on; guiding the AI to your standards makes all the difference. It is also a good catch regarding adjustments for the Irish context, like changing the UK “Year 7” terminology. This just highlights how essential the human is in these AI interactions.

Using Copilot Teach is a brilliant example of how AI can support School Self-Evaluation (SSE) by helping teachers efficiently plan, differentiate resources and enhance overall learner experiences.

[Marguerite O’Connor]

I used Copilot Teach to create a lesson plan for a 4th class on the topic of Fractions – Equivalent Fractions. I found the lesson plan to be generally well-structured and fairly easy to follow. It included clear learning outcomes, suggested activities which were relevant and ut outlined opportunities for assessment. The lesson sequence was logical and provided a good starting point for planning.
While the output was of a high standard, I felt that it still required some changes before using it with my class. The activities were a but general and did not fully reflect the different abilities of my pupils. I would also want to makr sure that the examples and resources matched the curriculum and the materials available in my classroom.
One specific adjustment I would make would be to include more differentiated tasks. For example, I would provide concrete manipulatives and visual supports for pupils who need extra assistance and also it would be important to offer more challenging problem-solving activities for pupils who need it.
I also believe Copilot Teach could be a valuable tool in our school’s School Self-Evaluation (SSE) process. It could help staff analyse survey responses or summarise inspection findings. Other ways it could be used is to generate action plans, suggest evidence-based teaching strategies and draft sections of the SSE report. This could definitely save teachers time while supporting collaborative planning and helping schools focus on improving teaching and learning outcomes. However, if using any AI-generated suggestions in this way they hould always be reviewed and adapted by staff to ensure they accurately reflect the school’s context and priorities.

[Cormac O’Brien]

Interesting to read other lessons and subjects people have used Teach to help out with. I am focused on reading in the Junior Level as it’s where I’ll be next year.

Using it with fractions makes lots of sense. I taught 5th a few years in a row and lots of concrete materials and visuals were needed for the topic of fractions that some kids absolutely hated. More resources and posters around the room the better.
I went to Create to make a poster for equivalent fractions and it made one….with mistakes in it! You really have to check everything. 

[Cormac O’Brien]

Interesting to read other lessons and subjects people have used Teach to help out with. I am focused on reading in the Junior Level as it’s where I’ll be next year.

Using it with fractions makes lots of sense. I taught 5th a few years in a row and lots of concrete materials and visuals were needed for the topic of fractions that some kids absolutely hated. More resources and posters around the room the better.
I went to Create to make a poster for equivalent fractions and it made one….with mistakes in it! You really have to check everything. 

[Helen Ryan]

Hi Marguerite,

Thanks for sharing your reflection. I appreciate how you have a balanced approach to this AI tool. Acknowledging that it is a “good starting point” but requires contextual tweaking is highly appropriate approach. Your point on being more specific in asking the tool to differentiate tasks as well as identifying the need for concrete manipulatives for support and advanced problem-solving for extension shows strong pedagogical awareness.
Connecting the use of Copilot to the School Self-Evaluation (SSE) process is excellent. It shows a forward-thinking attitude toward reducing administrative burdens and focusing on data analysis.
Ending with the reminder that AI outputs must always be reviewed and adapted by staff is crucial and adds significant professional weight to the response.

[Cormac O’Brien]

Topic & Class Level: 2nd Class English reading
Overall Quality of AI Output: I found the quality of the reading piece quite good. The prompts make it more amienable to the aims of your lesson. I like being able to add in certain vocabulary and glossary etc.
Level of Adjustment required for use with learners – I think straight off, it gives you a good solid example. The first adjustment you put in makes it suitable for most children in the class. Apart from adjusting the level downwards for struggling readers, I adjusted upwards for those children who are more able. Within this then, you can add vocabulary that is more challenging for them.
One specific adjustment you would make – Like I found in module 1, you really do need to check what adjustments they’re making. I thought when they simplified language or shortened sentences they did cut out a sentence or two that I considered important in the piece. I did like the flexibility of it however. I copied another piece into it directly from our online book which we’ll be using this year and it amended it for a struggling reader. From working with children lesser able and with children with additional needs, this adjustment makes the classroom a more inclusive place.

How Copilot Teach could be used in School Self-Evaluation (SSE) at your school.
To be honest I wasn’t sure how Teach could be used on our SSE. I drew a blank. So CoPilot made me some suggestions that were embarrassingly obvious! I’ve helped out with surveys in the past on Wellbeing we do each year in school. Of course I could generate questions for students and parents for these surveys and then create them on Forms. Creating posters on Create to promote these around the school/social media with nice graphics and a QR code would be a nice useful tool also. I’d assume then also it could help collate and summarise responses as these are used to feedback during Board Meetings and during Croke Park meetings.

[Helen Ryan]

Hi Cormac, thank you for engaging in Module 2 of this Copilot Course.

Your application of Copilot Teach for a 2nd Class reading lesson demonstrates its power in creating an inclusive classroom through targeted upward and downward differentiation.

I concur, with your note that we must double-check how language is simplified to ensure core meaning is not lost; this maintains the necessary human-in-the-loop oversight outlined in the  2025 DEY AI guidelines.

Using Copilot for your SSE survey design, parental posters and data collation is brilliant and perfectly shows how AI can streamline school administration to drive meaningful whole-school improvement.

[Author]

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