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ASSIGNMENT
Write a forum post (150 words min) as a <b>Reply </b>to this post. Plan a short curriculum-linked AI literacy activity or discussion for pupils in third to sixth class.
You may use:
Code Green Episode 4: Leaf Long Learners
or
A teacher-provided AI-generated-content scenario.
Include:
- Class stage
- Curriculum area and learning intention
- AI concept being explored
- Short activity or discussion outline
- One critical question about bias, accuracy, authorship or misinformation
- One responsible-use consideration
- How pupils will be supported to think critically
- How you would gather evidence of learning
Then reply to at least one other participant.
- Identify one strength in their learning intention or activity design.
- Explain how it supports age-appropriate AI literacy.
- Ask one question about bias, accuracy, authorship, privacy or responsible use.
- Offer one practical suggestion for support, extension or assessment
Throughout, consider how AI Literacy could be used as part of School Self-Evaluation (SSE) at your school.
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Class Stage: 5th Class
Curriculum Area and Learning Intention:
SESE (History / Geography integration with SPHE links).
Learning intention: To explore how AI-generated information is created and to develop awareness of accuracy, bias and responsible use of digital tools.AI Concept Being Explored:
AI-generated content and reliability of information (including hallucinations and bias).Activity Outline:
Pupils will be shown two short written descriptions of a familiar topic (e.g. “The River Shannon” or a local landmark). One will be factual (teacher-prepared) and one will be AI-generated with some inaccuracies included. In pairs, pupils will highlight differences, discuss which information they trust and justify their reasoning. The class will then discuss how AI produces answers and why it may not always be correct.Critical Question:
How can we know if information created by AI is accurate, or could it be biased or made up?Responsible Use Consideration:
Pupils must understand that AI tools should not be used as the only source of information and that all AI outputs should be checked against trusted sources.Supporting Critical Thinking:
I would guide pupils using prompting questions such as “What evidence supports this?” and “Where else could we check this?” I would also model comparing sources before drawing conclusions.Evidence of Learning:
I would gather evidence through annotated comparison sheets, group discussions, and exit tickets where pupils explain one thing they learned about AI reliability and one question they still have.-
I really like your learning intention, particularly the focus on helping pupils recognise that AI-generated information is not always accurate. Comparing a factual text with an AI-generated one is an engaging and age-appropriate activity because it encourages pupils to question information rather than simply accepting it as correct. This is an important AI literacy skill for 5th class pupils as they begin to use digital tools more independently.
One question I would ask is: How would you help pupils identify who is responsible for information created by AI if it contains inaccurate or biased content? This could lead to an interesting discussion about authorship and accountability.
As a practical suggestion, you could ask pupils to create a simple checklist of questions they should use whenever they read AI-generated information. This would provide a useful assessment tool and reinforce critical thinking. From an SSE perspective, developing these skills across classes could support whole-school improvements in digital literacy, critical thinking and the safe, responsible use of AI technologies.
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I really liked the idea of introducing AI in a simple and age-appropriate way. In my rural village primary school in the Midlands, I think this activity would work well with 5th and 6th class pupils.
The curriculum area would be English (Oral Language), with links to SPHE and Digital Learning. The learning intention is for pupils to evaluate information from different sources and recognise that AI-generated responses should be checked rather than accepted as fact.
The AI concept explored would be accuracy and bias. I would present pupils with an AI-generated answer to a question about a local landmark or Irish wildlife alongside information from a trusted source such as a school library book or a recognised educational website. Working in small groups, pupils would compare the information, identify any differences, and discuss which source they would trust and why.
A key critical thinking question would be: “Can AI make mistakes even when it sounds confident?” This would encourage pupils to think about accuracy and misinformation.
A responsible-use consideration would be reminding pupils never to share personal information with AI tools and to use AI as a support for learning rather than completing work for them.
To support critical thinking, I would use guided questioning, class discussion, and a simple checklist asking pupils to consider who created the information, whether there is evidence to support it, and whether another source agrees with it.
I would gather evidence of learning through pupils’ group discussions, their completed comparison checklists, and a short exit ticket where each pupil writes one thing they learned about using AI responsibly and one way they can check if AI-generated information is accurate. This activity is practical, curriculum-linked, and relevant to pupils in a small rural school where developing digital literacy is becoming increasingly important.
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I really enjoyed reading about the lesson that you have created to explore accuracy and bias when using AI.
Accuracy is a huge stumbling block for children as they learn to navigate this digital world with AI. I know in my class setting I have a huge problem with copy and paste for research or projects. AI will add another layer of inaccuracy for students unless we inform and guide them in its proper use.
In supporting age appropriate AI literacy we will need to explore and discuss how AI doesn’t ‘know’ things it is telling us. The pupils need to realise that it has been trained in gathering information and uses this to respond to the questions it is asked.
Verifying the data from AI using another source would be a good thing to instill in our pupils as they use this impressive and helpful digital tool.
In order to assess and support pupils we as teachers could use group feedback with teacher led prompt questions- What challenges did you face today in gathering data using AI and how did you as a group overcome that?
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AI Literacy Lesson
Class Stage: 3rd – 6th Class.
Curriculum Area & Learning Intention: SPHE (Digital Citizenship) or Science (Working Scientifically).
AI Concept: Machine Learning (Supervised Learning). Pupils explore how models are “trained” on datasets and how they use these patterns to make predictions.
Activity Outline:
- Introduction (5 mins): Explain that machines learn like pets; instead of telling them every step, we show them many examples until they recognise a pattern.
- The “Teachable Machine” Experiment (20 mins): Using a tool like ‘Teachable Machine’, have students train a model to recognize two different things (e.g., “Thumbs Up” vs. “Thumbs Down” or “Banana” vs. “Apple”).
- The “Imposter Test”: Once trained, have students show the model an object it hasn’t seen before or an “edge case” (e.g., a green apple if they only trained on red ones) to see if it makes a mistake.
- Critical Question (Bias/Accuracy): “If our model struggled to identify the green apple, was it because the computer was ‘broken,’ or because we didn’t show it enough variety in our training examples? How might this affect AI in the real world if it only learns from a limited group of people?”
- Responsible-Use Consideration: Discuss the “Never-Share” rule: pupils must never use real photos of themselves, classmates, or private personal information when training AI models to ensure their digital privacy.
- Supporting Critical Thinking: Support students by consistently asking, “Why did it get that right?” and “Why did it get that wrong?” after every prediction. This forces them to look at the data they provided rather than viewing the AI as a “magic” black box.
Gathering Evidence of Learning:
Formative Assessment: Have students complete a brief “Model Report” where they describe one thing they learned about the data they used (e.g., “The model was confused because I didn’t move the camera enough”).
Observation: During the “Imposter Test,” observe if students can correctly predict when the model will fail based on the limitations of their training data.
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Hi Niamh,
This is really strong. I love that you went with Teachable Machine because there is nothing like letting children train a model themselves to make machine learning click. They stop seeing AI as magic and start seeing it as something built from the examples/data they feed it.
The Imposter Test is the standout for me. Showing the model a green apple when it only ever saw red ones is such a fantastic way to make bias visible/concrete and your critical question lands it perfectly by pushing them to blame the data rather than the machine.
One thought to build on it. When pupils write their Model Report, you could ask them what they would add to the training data to fix the mistake. That moves them from spotting the problem to solving it.
If you use this in the classroom, we would love to know how it goes. 😊
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I really like the “Imposter Test” idea Niamh because it gives pupils a very clear way to see that AI does not always get things right. Testing it with something different, like the green apple, helps make the idea of training data and accuracy really easy for children to understand.
I also think the questions “Why did it get that right?” and “Why did it get that wrong?” are a great way of developing AI literacy and encouraging pupils not to see AI as a “magic” tool. The Never-Share rule is also really important at this age and links well with digital citizenship and online safety.
The activity is a really engaging way for pupils to learn by experimenting, making mistakes and then improving their model, rather than just being told how machine learning works.
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I really like the “Imposter Test” because it gives the pupils a clear, hands-on demonstration of the exact moment a machine learning model fails.
This test supports age-appropriate literacy by turning abstract data limitations into a concrete visual mistake that primary school children can easily understand.
If the model is only trained on limited images, how accurate would it be at recognizing different images?
For a practical extension, challenge the pupils to trick their models and then update the training dataset to fix the error.
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Hi Niamh,
I really enjoyed reading about your lesson. For me one strength of this lesson is the “Imposter Test” activity. Rather than just building a functional AI model and stopping there, you have deliberately designed a moment for the model to fail. Forcing the machine to confront an edge case (like the green apple) makes the students move from passive users of technology into active evaluators of it.
The lesson also supports age-appropriate AI literacy because it makes an invisible, abstract concept very visual. Students between 3rd and 6th class can struggle to comprehend what an “algorithmic dataset” is in theory. After completing this lesson students will realise that AI is not a magical, all-knowing brain, but a system entirely dependent on human inputs.
A critical question that you could ask the students would be
“If we train a model using Google’s Teachable Machine, where do the pictures we took actually go when we close the web browser?
To deepen the assessment and challenge your 5th and 6th class students, turn the “Model Report” into an “AI Patch Upgrade” challenge. Once pupils observe their model failing the Imposter Test, challenge them to “fix” it using data rather than code. -
I really like your activity design, particularly the use of comparing a teacher-prepared text with an AI-generated one.
This approach supports age-appropriate AI literacy because Fifth Class pupils are beginning to use digital technologies more independently. Comparing two texts encourages them to practise evaluating evidence, checking facts and understanding that AI can produce convincing but incorrect information.
One question I have is: How would you help pupils recognise subtle forms of bias in AI-generated responses, especially when the information appears factually correct but presents only one perspective?
As an extension, you could ask pupils to verify one of the AI-generated claims using a trusted source, such as a textbook or an educational website, and explain why they decided the source was reliable.
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I think a strength of your activity is that pupils are encouraged to compare, question and justify their thinking rather than simply accept information as correct. This supports age-appropriate AI literacy by helping pupils understand that AI can be useful but may also create inaccurate or biased information.
Your focus on checking sources and asking “What evidence supports this?” is a valuable way to develop critical thinking skills.
One question I would ask pupils is: “How could AI-generated information be influenced by bias or missing information?”
This lesson provides scope for an extension activity where pupils could be asked to create their own AI-generated example with an error for classmates to identify. This would reinforce learning and provide further evidence of pupils’ understanding.
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Class stage: 4th Class
Curriculum area and learning intention:
Science and Digital Learning: Pupils will develop an understanding of how AI can be used to generate information and will learn to question and evaluate whether AI-generated information is accurate and reliable.
AI concept being explored:
The activity will focus on AI-generated content and accuracy. Pupils will explore the idea that AI can produce information that sounds convincing but may not always be correct.
Activity:
I would begin by showing pupils an AI-generated piece of information about plants, animals or the environment. I would provide a second version containing some accurte information and some information that is incorrect. In small groups, pupils would investigate the statements and decide which they think are reliable. They would use trusted sources, such as books or teacher-approved websites, to check their findings. We would then discuss how AI generates responses and why we should not automatically assume that everything it produces is true.
Critical question:
“How can we tell if information created by AI is accurate?”
Responsible use:
Pupils should understand that AI is a tool to support learning rather than something that should replace their own thinking.
Supporting critical thinking:
I would encourage pupils to question, investigate, compare sources and explain the reasons behind their decisions rather than simply accepting the AI response.
Evidence of learning:
I would gather evidence through group discussions, pupils’ explanations and a short exit ticket where they identify one benefit of AI and one reason why AI-generated information should be checked. This would give me a clear indication of their understanding of responsible and critical AI use.
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For this activity, I would plan a lesson for 5th Class. The curriculum area would be English (Oral Language), with links to SPHE/Wellbeing and the Digital Learning Framework. The learning intention would be for pupils to understand that while AI can generate useful information, it can also make mistakes, so they need to question and evaluate what they read.
The AI concept I would explore is accuracy and misinformation. I would begin by showing pupils two short pieces of information on the same topic—one written by AI and one from a trusted source such as a children’s educational website. Working in pairs, pupils would compare the texts, identify similarities and differences, and discuss which information they believe is more reliable and why.
A critical question I would ask is: “How do we know if the information produced by AI is true?” This would encourage pupils to think about checking facts rather than accepting AI responses automatically.
A key responsible-use consideration would be reminding pupils never to share personal information with AI tools and to always use them with teacher guidance.
To support critical thinking, I would model how to verify information using trusted sources and encourage pupils to explain the evidence behind their decisions. I would gather evidence of learning through class discussion, observation of pair work, and an exit ticket where pupils write one thing they learned about using AI responsibly and one question they would ask to check whether AI information is trustworthy.
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I enjoyed reading your activity plan. Your learning intention is clear and very appropriate for 5th Class, as it encourages pupils to think critically about the information AI provides rather than accepting it at face value. I particularly like the comparison of an AI-generated text with a trusted source, as it gives pupils a practical way to evaluate accuracy and reliability. One question I have is how you would help pupils identify subtle bias in AI responses if both texts appear factual. As an extension, pupils could create a simple checklist for evaluating AI-generated information and use it during future research activities.
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I enjoyed reading this and could imagine using it with my own class group. They are so led and said (through no fault of their own) by AI, Youtube videos and things they read online. I would hope it sparks some doubt in their minds to maybe not trust everything they read and see. Safety online is a big worry for parents too so maybe it would provoke some discussion at home.
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I really enjoyed reading your post. One of the strengths of your lesson is the focus on helping pupils question the reliability of AI-generated information rather than accepting it at face value. I think comparing an AI-generated text with a trusted source is a realistic and engaging activity because it gives pupils a practical way to develop critical thinking skills. One suggestion might be to ask pupils to work together to create a checklist for evaluating AI-generated information, which they could use in future lessons whenever they use AI tools.
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Clodagh what a great lesson. It is so important to keep telling especially this age group how important not accepting answers from AI as truth and that not everything they see online is true. The fact that they have been given different texts to decipher if the information is correct is very clever as this is what they are experincing online daily, depending on the outlet.
This lesson supports age-appropriate AI literacy by helping the children to understand that while AI is a tool we use to provide us with information, that information may not always be correct. They are given the opportunity to evaluate information rather than accepting it as accurate automatically.
A critical question could be if AI gives them information that sounds accurate how can they test if it indeed is.
A way to further improve this lesson would be to make it more inclusive. Having some shorter, easier text samples for some readers or video clips for sturggling readers would make it more accessible to some students.
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I found your post very interesting, particularly the emphasis on encouraging pupils to think carefully about information produced by AI rather than automatically believing it. I think having pupils compare AI-generated content with information from a reliable source is an effective way to make AI literacy practical and meaningful. It gives them an opportunity to investigate information for themselves and develop their ability to question and evaluate what they are reading.
One idea that could build on this activity would be to have pupils work in small groups to develop their own checklist for checking AI-genrated information. They could include questions such as where the information came from, whether it can be verified and if there are any signs that it may be inaccurate. This checklist could then become a useful classroom resource that pupils could refer back to whenever they use AI in future learning activities.
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I would plan this actitivity for 4th Class – they were the group that popped into my head on reading this.
Curriculum Area: Maths – Problem SolvingChildren will learn that AI can help solve maths problems, but they should always check the working and not just accept the answer.
AI Concept: AI can make mistakes, so it is important to check its answers.
Obair Bheirte Activity:
I would give the class three word problems. Before the lesson, I would ask AI to solve them and include one answer with a mistake in the working. In pairs, the children would solve the problems themselves and then compare their answers with the AI answers. Their task would be to decide if the AI was correct and explain why. If they found a mistake, they would correct it and discuss how they knew the AI was wrong.Critical Question:
Should we always trust an AI answer, even if it sounds confident, true and correct?Responsible Use:
AI can be a useful learning tool, but we should always use our own thinking and check the answer before believing it.Critical Thinking activity:
The children will explain their thinking to their partner and use maths language to justify their answers. I will encourage them to show their working and explain why the AI was correct or incorrect.Evidence of Learning:
I will collect the children’s work to see if they identified any mistakes and used their own mathematical reasoning to explain their answer. I will also ask them to write one sentence explaining why they think it is important to check AI’s work.-
Great idea Linda as firstly the pupils are working collaboratively to solve maths word problems. The challenge of comparing the answers with AI should lead to interesting discussions around accuracy of data and as you have checked the answers prior from AI you would know they are suitable for your learners. An extension to the activity could be to then create their own word problem on a given maths topic and compare to what AI might create thus supporting that AI has its uses to help with creative tasks.
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Hi Linda, I really like how you’ve placed this activity within Maths, as my initial reaction to the brief was that it would naturally fit more within SPHE and digital citizenship. It was interesting to see it approached from a problem-solving and mathematical reasoning perspective instead.
Your post also reminded me of how important it is for pupils to understand that AI can sound very confident even when it is incorrect. For example, there have been instances where ChatGPT has given incorrect answers to simple questions, such as how many r’s are in the word “strawberry,” while this error has now been rectified, it highlights how easily misinformation can be presented as fact. I think this reinforces the importance of helping pupils recognise that AI is not always reliable, even when the response appears convincing.
A question I would consider is how we can help pupils develop a healthy level of scepticism without them completely losing trust in useful AI tools.
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Great idea linking it to maths Linda, I would have also be more inclined to link using AI to other subjects, SESE, SPHE and so on. Children often use alexa to answer simple maths questions but it is important that as more AI tools become available like chat gpt that they do not overly rely on it and understand that AI can get it wrong too and given them the activity of where they have to spot the mistake is a great idea. We used a new maths programme this year and there were lots of mistakes in the book and I often had to explain its new, mistakes can happen and because its an official book doesn’t mean mistakes can’t happen, similar enough to AI there can be mistakes. An extension example might include creating word problems in groups for each other to solve using AI tools and they have to solve them before they give them to others to solve to ensure the accuracy.
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HI Linda,
I really enjoyed reading your lesson plan in particular the Maths linkage. I think you have used AI as a great way to generate ‘Maths Talk’ amongst children in small groups/pairs. I like how your activity helps pupils to question each answer and to encourage them to examine their own understanding of Maths and to be able to justify their own thinking too. This will both develop their deeper understanding of a Maths concept but also their oral language skills.
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Hi Linda, I really like the use of pair work to spot a specific mistake in the AI’s maths problems. Instead of just telling the children AI makes mistakes, you are turning them into detectives who have to actively prove where AI went wrong. Children tend to think computers are always right so by showing them a maths problem where the AI got the final answer wrong because of a mistake in its steps, you are teaching them critical evaluation in a very concrete way. An extension for the children might be writing their own tricky maths problem specifically designed to trick the AI and see what AI comes up with.
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Hi Linda, this is a great idea for use of AI. It is very clear when using AI for maths because the children can see more obviously when a mistake has been made and explain why. At this age the children are very quick to believe what they read online. I`d say a lot of the class would second guess their own answer to the maths question and a few would probably adjust their answers to match the AI answers rather than trust their own judgement. One question they should ask is who created the answer to the maths problem and where it came from. One way to support the children would be to do the lesson at a time when the learning support teacher is in the room for in class maths if that is general practice in the school. It is always handy to have an extra pair or hands to listen to explanations in a lesson like this.
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Hi Linda,
<p class=”p1″>I really like the idea of pupils checking the AI’s answers instead of assuming they’re correct. It’s a fun and meaningful way to show that AI is a helpful tool, but not one we should always trust without thinking and is a really practical way to introduce AI literacy while reinforcing problem-solving skills in maths. The activity also fits really well with maths because it encourages pupils to explain their reasoning and justify their answers. One idea you could add would be a simple checklist to help pupils decide whether the AI’s answer is accurate before they make their final decision.</p> -
Hi Linda,
I really enjoyed reading your plan for 4th Class. Integrating AI literacy into a concrete curriculum area like Maths Problem Solving is a brilliant approach.
One major strength of your design is the “Obair Bheirte” active debugging task. Instead of just telling the children that AI can make mistakes, you are giving them the agency to act as the experts who hunt for and correct the error.
This supports age-appropriate AI literacy perfectly. At nine and ten years old, pupils are developing strong concrete logical reasoning, yet they still tend to view digital devices as infallible sources of truth. By showing them that the AI’s step-by-step logic can break down on a basic word problem, you are fostering a healthy, necessary scepticism. It demystifies the technology and teaches them that human oversight is always the final safeguard.
Regarding accuracy and responsible use, I have one question for us to consider: AI is designed to sound extremely polite, helpful, and confident, even when it is completely wrong. How can we help pupils navigate that false confidence so they do not get tricked by a highly polished but incorrect answer?
As a practical suggestion for assessment, you could have the pairs write a brief “bug report” back to the AI. They could type a prompt explaining exactly where the math went wrong and ask the AI to correct it. Watching the AI acknowledge the mistake and adjust its working is a fantastic way to assess if the children truly understand the mathematical reasoning, while showing them how humans and AI can work in a collaborative feedback loop.
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Hi Linda, I really like how you linked AI to maths curriculum here. It isn’t something I would have thought about using before. I like the way you are showing students the importance of reliability and credibility through the lens of Maths. They are still completing their Maths objectives yet you are creating an AI literacy teaching experience especially through your obair bheirte task.
Perhaps students could act as the ‘teacher’ and respond back to AI with a mathematical thinking question that would challenge the answer AI created. This is not only a fun and engaging activity but students are improving their Maths Talk and problem solving.
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I really like this idea, especially because it shows the children that AI can make mistakes and that we should not just believe an answer because it looks correct. I think this is a good example of purposeful learning because the children have a reason to use the AI and then have to use their own maths skills to check the answers. It also supports STEM as they are using problem solving, reasoning and technology together. I like the idea of the children working in pairs because they can explain their thinking to each other and discuss why they think the AI is right or wrong. Another curriculum link I think would work well is English, particularly oral language. The children could explain how they reached their answer and use mathematical language to justify their thinking. This would also help them understand that being able to explain and question information is just as important as getting the correct answer.
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Class Stage: Fifth and Sixth Class
Curriculum Area and Learning Intention: English (Oral Language) and SPHE. Pupils will explore how AI generates information, recognise that AI can make mistakes, and develop skills to question the reliability of online content.
AI Concept: Accuracy and misinformation.
Activity: Present pupils with an AI-generated response and a reliable source on the same topic. In pairs, they compare both, identify similarities and differences, and discuss which information they would trust and why. Finish with a whole-class discussion about checking information from multiple sources.
Critical Question: Can we always trust information created by AI? Why or why not?
Responsible-Use Consideration: Always verify AI-generated information using trusted sources before accepting it as accurate.
Supporting Critical Thinking: Use guided questioning, pair discussions and teacher modelling to help pupils evaluate evidence.
Evidence of Learning: Pupils complete an exit ticket explaining one way to check if AI-generated information is trustworthy.
School Self-Evaluation (SSE): This activity could support SSE by helping schools monitor and improve pupils’ digital literacy, critical thinking and responsible use of AI across the curriculum.
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I really like your learning intention because it focuses on helping pupils understand that AI can make mistakes rather than simply teaching them how to use AI. This is very age-appropriate for Fifth and Sixth Class, as pupils are already using digital technology and are beginning to develop the critical thinking skills needed to question information they find online.
One question I have is: How would you help pupils recognise when AI-generated information contains subtle bias, even if the facts appear to be correct? I think this could lead to a valuable discussion about how AI is trained on information created by people and why different sources can present information in different ways.
One practical suggestion would be to include a simple “trust checklist”that pupils complete during the activity. For example, they could ask: Who created this information? Can I find the same information in another trusted source? Is there evidence to support it? This would provide additional evidence of learning and give pupils a strategy they can use independently in future.
From a School Self-Evaluation (SSE)perspective, activities like this could help schools gather evidence of pupils’ progress in digital literacy and critical thinking over time. Teachers could compare pupils’ responses at different points during the year to evaluate how their ability to question AI-generated information and use digital tools responsibly is developing.
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I like how you’ve used an AI-generated response alongside a reliable source. It’s a really practical activity that gets pupils talking and thinking about whether information is trustworthy instead of just accepting it straight away. The pair work and class discussion are a good fit for 5th and 6th class and give everyone a chance to share their ideas.
I think this is a great way to introduce AI literacy because it shows pupils that AI can be helpful, but it can also make mistakes. It encourages them to question what they read and check information before believing it.
One question I’d ask is: How would you help pupils spot if an AI response is biased, even when the facts seem correct?
As an extension, you could ask pupils to find a second reliable source to check the AI response and explain which source they trust most and why. That would be a nice way to assess their thinking.
From an SSE point of view, activities like this could help track how pupils’ digital literacy and critical thinking skills are developing across the school. It would also give teachers useful evidence of how confidently pupils are using AI in a responsible way.
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The activity I have chosen is aimed at 3rd/4th class. The curriculum focus is SPHE – Myself/Decision making / Media Education.
The AI concept being explored is for students to realise the benefits to AI but also the drawbacks based on the algorithms and data provided.
The lesson would firstly discuss decisions made today. How do we know when we have made a good decision? Are there consequences? How do we know? We have learned through experience is the message here and repeated occurrences.
The activity is scenario based with a mixture of scenarios related to personal decision making which the students will be asked to sort into one of the following categories; Humans / Search Engine/AI. Once sorted pupils will be asked to observe any patterns in what they have sorted. It is important to note that the scenarios will have underlining patterns – feelings / facts/ creating
Discussions entered into about the reasoning behind their selections. I would then take a scenario that was chosen for a Human and compare it with an AI response for further discussion. Can AI mimic the intelligence and emotions of the person you really want to talk to? What are the risks? Focusing here on the teaching points of accuracy, emotions and misinformation supporting pupils to think critically when engaging with AI.
To gather evidence of learning, I would have the pupils take an image of their sorted scenarios once sorted and provide the opportunity to revisit at the end of discussion and retake if changes were made – adding captions to explain why they moved a certain scenario. Images then uploaded to their SeeSaw account. Listening and observing as well as pupil questioning is also happening throughout the lesson.
This lesson could then be followed with Machine Learning activity such as the AI for Oceans activity or Code Green lessons to explain more.-
Hi Deirdre. I love this lesson idea. Incorporating a lesson about AI into SPHE is a great idea as it would open up lots of other safety discussions and use of language they are already familiar with from the Stay Safe program for example.
One strength is the sorting activity (Human / Search Engine / AI). It’s hands-on and makes a tricky idea easy to understand. This helps AI literacy because pupils can see that AI works differently from people, especially around feelings, facts, and patterns. One question I have would be: How will you help pupils spot when AI might be wrong or giving one-sided information? Could you give them a simple check card (e.g. “Can I trust this?”, “Does it show feelings?”, “Can I double check it?”) to use during and after the activity.
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Hi Deirdre, I enjoyed reading your activity and thought your learning intention was very clear. I like how the pupils have to sort the scenarios into Human, Search Engine or AI before discussing their reasoning. It encourages them to think about when AI is useful and when another source of support might be more appropriate, rather than seeing AI as the answer to everything. I also liked your idea of comparing one of the ‘Human’ scenarios with an AI response, as I think this would lead to some valuable discussion about emotions, judgement and the limits of AI. One question I would ask pupils is how they could check whether an AI response was accurate before acting on it or sharing it with someone else. As a follow-up activity, it might also be useful to ask pupils to work in pairs to create one or two of their own scenarios for the class to sort. I think that would provide another opportunity to assess their understanding while keeping the discussion engaging.
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As I’m currently teaching 2nd class, I planned this activity for 3rd class. I would link it to the STEM Education: Technology curriculum and Media and Digital Wellbeing. My learning intention would be for pupils to recognise that AI is part of everyday life and understand that AI-generated information and images should be questioned rather than automatically trusted. This reflects the message from Module 5 that AI literacy is about understanding, questioning and using technology responsibly.
The AI concept I would explore is accuracy and misinformation. I would begin by asking pupils where they might already come across AI, such as YouTube recommendations, predictive text or voice assistants. I would then show two images of an animal, one real and one AI-generated and ask pupils to work with a partner to decide which they think is genuine and explain their reasoning. This would lead to a discussion about how AI can create realistic images that are not always accurate.
A critical question I would ask is, “How can we check if an image or piece of information is real?” This would encourage pupils to think about the reliability of information instead of believing everything they see online.
A responsible-use message I would reinforce is that pupils should never share personal information with AI tools and should always ask a trusted adult or teacher if they are unsure about something they find online.
To support critical thinking, I would encourage pupils to explain the reasons for their choices, discuss different viewpoints with their classmates and compare AI-generated content with trusted sources such as books or child-friendly websites.
I would gather evidence of learning through class discussion, observation of partner conversations and a simple exit ticket where pupils write one thing they learned about using AI safely and one question they should ask before trusting information online.
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Hi,
I really enjoyed reading your post. I like how you chose a simple activity that would be engaging for 3rd class while introducing an important concept about AI. Comparing a real image with an AI-generated one is a great way to encourage discussion and help pupils realise that not everything they see online is genuine.
I also think your focus on asking pupils to explain their reasoning is an excellent way to develop critical thinking skills. It encourages them to question information rather than accept it at face value. Overall, it sounds like a practical and age-appropriate lesson that would help pupils become more responsible digital citizens.
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I really like this example as I’ve been caught out by AI images a few times myself. The Pope in the white puffer jacket is a great example, and some of the Donald Trump images have been very convincing too. It really shows how easy it can be to mistake AI-generated images for real ones.
I think this is a great activity for helping pupils understand that they should question what they see online and check information before believing or sharing it. Developing these critical thinking skills is becoming more important than ever.
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Hi Lorna,
I really liked your learning intention of encouraging pupils to question AI-generated information instead of just accepting it as true. I also think using a real image and an AI-generated image is a great way to get 3rd class pupils talking and thinking about what they see online.
One thing I was wondering is how you would explain that AI can sometimes create images that look very realistic but still aren’t accurate. Would you show a few different examples to help pupils spot the differences?
One idea that could work well is ending the lesson by creating a simple class checklist of questions pupils can ask when they come across AI-generated content, such as “Can I check another source?” or “Does this seem believable?” I think that would give them something practical to remember when using technology in the future.
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I think linking this idea with wellbeing and supporting children identifying misinformation from an early age is a great idea. So many children are now spending a significant amount of time on apps such as youtube, and I can hear it in discussions in my own classroom, that the children themselves are questioning if it’s real or not. Supporting them with an evidence based way to identify this misinformation is a great idea. Doing something like a spot the difference activity, suggested by another poster here, would be a great idea, or showing two different videos, one ai generated, would be great as well. Maybe even using one of those train the ai type activities to feed it a range of ai images and see if it can spot the difference would be an idea, but perhaps an idea for adapting it to an older class moving forward.
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Hi Deirdre, I really like your idea of having pupils sort scenarios into Human, Search Engine or AI. I think it’s a very engaging activity that helps children understand that different tools are appropriate for different situations, making AI literacy meaningful and age-appropriate for 3rd and 4th class.
It would also encourage pupils to think carefully before accepting information at face value, especially when discussing accuracy and misinformation. I wonder how pupils could check whether an AI response is accurate before deciding to trust it? I think that could lead to some really interesting discussions.
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Class Stage: 6th Class
Curriculum Area and Learning Intention: English (Writing) with links to SPHE and Digital Learning. Pupils will understand that AI can be a useful tool for generating ideas, but they must think critically about the information it produces and recognise the importance of creating their own original work.
AI Concept Being Explored: Authorship and responsible use of AI.
Activity Outline: I would begin by asking pupils to write a short introduction to a story based on a simple prompt. I would then show them an AI-generated version of the same prompt. Working in small groups, pupils would compare both pieces of writing, discussing the strengths and weaknesses of each. They would identify which ideas they liked, what they would change, and how they could improve the AI version using their own creativity. The class would finish with a discussion about when AI can support learning and when pupils should produce their own work.
Critical Question: If AI writes part of your story, who is the real author?
Responsible-Use Consideration: Pupils should understand that AI can be used to generate ideas or support learning, but it should never replace their own thinking or creativity.
Supporting Critical Thinking: I would encourage pupils to justify their opinions by explaining why they preferred certain ideas and asking them how they could improve the AI-generated text. This would reinforce that AI is a tool to support learning rather than provide all the answers.
Evidence of Learning: I would gather evidence through group discussions, pupils’ annotated comparisons of the two texts, and a short written reflection where they explain one benefit and one limitation of using AI for creative writing.
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I liked the way your activity gets the children to compare their own writing with the AI-generated version instead of just accepting what the AI produces. It’s encouraging them to think about the quality and creativity of their writing.
I think this works well for 6th Class as children at this age are starting to use AI and online tools more often. It helps them understand that AI can be useful for generating ideas but that they still need to think for themselves and not rely on it to do all of their work.
One question I had was how you would explain to the children who the author is if they use AI to help improve a piece of writing rather than write the whole thing.
One suggestion would be to ask the children to highlight one idea they kept from the AI version and one idea they changed themselves. -
Hi Niamh, I really like your idea of having pupils compare their own writing with an AI-generated version. I think this is a great way to reinforce that AI should be used to support creativity rather than replace it, while also developing pupils’ critical thinking skills in an age-appropriate way.
One question I had was how you might discuss authorship if a pupil used AI to generate just one paragraph of their story. At what point does it stop being their own work? It would make for an interesting discussion!
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Hi Niamh I really enjoyed your lesson activity and thought it was a great way to teach such an important concept to pupils in 6th class before they go on to second level.
Strength in Activity Design: Pupils contrast their own writing with AI-generated text. By placing their original work alongside the machine’s output, pupils will see that AI can be used to analyse and edit rather than just accepted as is and copied.
Supporting age-appropriate AI Literacy: At this stage, pupils in 6<sup>th</sup> class are transitioning into more complex writing tasks where they may be tempted to use shortcuts; by forcing them to critique the AI’s “weaknesses,” you help them realise that AI often produces generic or predictable content.
Critical question on authorship and bias: How might a pupil determine if the “ideas” the AI suggested for their story are actually just recycled stereotypes from the training data it was fed, and why does this matter for the originality of their writing?
Practical suggestion for assessment: Using the paragraph generated by the AI ask the pupils to “humanise” it by adding specific emotions, a familiar local setting, and/or a unique character trait that the AI failed to include. You can then evaluate their understanding by reviewing their final annotated version; if the pupils can clearly explain why their human additions improved the story, they have successfully demonstrated an understanding of the limitations inherent in machine-generated content compared to human creativity.
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HI Niamh,
I really like your idea for this lesson on ensuring the children think critically about information that is generated by AI.
I like the idea of the children comparing and contrasting work created by AI and their own original pieces. Children are getting to evaluate their own work and the work of AI in a structured environment.
I think it would show how ideas could be expanded and developed while also valuing the child’s own creativity.
I like that they are left with the question if AI writes part of your story, who is the real author? Do the children actually feel a sense of ownership and achievement after reading the AI assisted piece of their work?
I feel that this is a very current and topical debate especially in the areas of the arts, where songs and books are being produced using AI more frequently.
I think it opens it up in a way that is relevant for the children’s understanding.
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I would plan this lesson for 5th Class.
The curriculum area is SPHE and Digital Learning.Learning intention: Children will understand that AI can be helpful but that the information it gives is not always correct, so it is important to question what they read online.
AI concept being explored: AI can sometimes make mistakes or give false information.
Activity: Show the class two short pieces of information about the same animal. One will come from an AI tool and the other from a trusted children’s website, such as NatGeoKids. Read both together and ask the children to spot any differences. As a class, discuss which source they think is more reliable and why. Finish by talking about why it is important to check information instead of believing everything an AI tool says.
Critical question: How do we know if the information an AI tool gives us is correct?
Responsible-use consideration: Always check information from AI with another trusted source before using it in your work.
How children will be supported to think critically: Children will work in pairs to compare the two texts and discuss their ideas before sharing them with the class. I will ask questions to encourage them to explain their thinking and give reasons for their answers. I will ask guided questions.
How I would gather evidence of learning: I would listen to the class discussion and ask the children to write one thing they learned about using AI responsibly, reflecting on their learning.
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Class stage: 6th Class (currently in 6th class, but I think this would suit senior classes in general)
Curriculum area and learning intention: SPHE (Digital Citizenship) – To develop pupils’ understanding of responsible use of AI tools and the importance of critically evaluating information found online.
AI concept being explored: Accuracy, misinformation and authorship.
Activity outline: This lesson is based on an issue we experienced in school last year, where pupils were copying and pasting ChatGPT-generated information directly into project work without checking if it was accurate. Pupils will be given a sample AI-generated text on a familiar topic (e.g. space) and will compare it with trusted sources such as Britannica School or Scoilnet. In pairs, they will identify inaccuracies or missing information and discuss why AI responses may not always be reliable.
Critical question: Why might AI-generated information look correct but still be inaccurate or misleading?
Responsible-use consideration: Pupils will be reminded that AI tools should support learning, not replace understanding, and that all information must be checked against reliable sources before being used in schoolwork. As highlighted in Module 5, a confident answer does not always mean a correct answer, so pupils must learn to critically evaluate information rather than accept it at face value.
Supporting critical thinking: Pupils will also engage with short Minecraft Education videos that explain what AI is in simple, child-friendly language, including both the benefits and limitations of AI. These resources help pupils develop a clearer understanding of how AI works and why it must be used thoughtfully and critically.
Evidence of learning: Teacher observation, paired discussion notes, and a short reflection where pupils explain one example of misinformation they identified.
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Hi Aisling,
This is such a strong, grounded plan. I really like this idea!
The fact that it grew out of a real issue in your school, pupils pasting ChatGPT text straight into projects, makes it instantly meaningful and comparing an AI text against Britannica School or Scoilnet is a brilliant way to make the accuracy point land. Children get to catch the errors themselves rather than just being told AI can be wrong/hallucinate.
Your critical question is spot on too because that gap between looking correct and being correct is right at the heart of AI literacy for this age group.
One question back to you. When pupils spot inaccuracies, would it be worth asking them where they think the AI got it wrong, whether it made something up or mixed two things together? That nudges them from spotting errors into thinking about why they happen.
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I think this is a really important lesson and it is something I also experienced in 6th class when we did our end of year projects.
I like that the children would be working in pairs or groups and they finding the inaccuracies themselves as it makes them far more aware and active.
I would suggest doing this lesson with younger classes maybe 3rd class throughout a school and then building on it with developing an understanding of why and how errors happen.
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Class Stage: 5th Class
Curriculum Area and Learning Intention:
English-Oral language and writing
Learning intention: To evaluate information from different sources and communicate informed opinions.AI Concept Being Explored:
To realise that AI generates responses based on patterns in data and can sometimes make mistakes or present biased information.Activity Outline:
We use kids britannica and kiddle a lot in my classroom for searching information on the chrome books. I would give the childen a topic like ‘why do bees matter’? and children would have to research using the above sites and AI tools and write down the information they get from both and to compare. They will be prompted to notice whether all the sites give evidence or research papers to back up points. Children will then discuss which site they found most trustworthy and why. The kids will already have prior knowledge on the topic.Critical Question:
How can we know if information created by AI is accurate or correct?Responsible Use Consideration:
Pupils must understand that AI tools should support learning and not replace their own thinking or information and not to share personal information with such AI tools.Supporting Critical Thinking:
I would guide pupils using prompting questions such as “What evidence supports this?” and “Where else could we check this?”Evidence of Learning:
Does the information they found match their prior learning. What are the diffences between the information AI tools gave and kiddle/kids britannica. Teacher observation/questioning.-
Hi Orla,
I really like your learning intention as it encourages pupils to compare information from different sources rather than accepting AI responses at face value. I think using the KidRex or Britannica alongside AI is very realistic way of developing pupils critcal thinking skills and helping them recognise information should always be checked.
One question I had was how you might support pupils if the AI and the trusted website both give slightly different answers. It could lead to lots of great discussions about why that happens and which source should they trust.
One suggestion might be to create a simple checklist with the class that they could use whenver they use AI such as ‘who created this? Is there evidence? Can I check another source?’ I think this could give practical stategies to the pupils that they could use in the future too.
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Class stage: 6th class
Curriculum area and learning intention: SPHE – to develop pupil’s ability to read, interpret and critically evalute information, including AI-generated pieces, and justify their reasoing using discuision and eivdence.
AI concept being explored: Accuracy of information
Short activity or discussion outline: Pupils will take part in a structured literacy-based discussion and comprehension activity called ‘Two Truths and a Lie – AI edition.’ The teacher will present three short written statements/facts on a familiar topic such as animals etc. Pupils will read the statements carefully and work in small groups to identify which one they believe is false before the timer runs out. One of the statements will be AI generated and deliberately incorrect. Pupils will use their own knowledge and will also have access to trusted online sources such as Britannica School to fact check.
One critical question about bias, accuracy, authorship or misinformation: How can a written statement sound correct and still be inaccurate when it comes from AI?
One responsible-use consideration: Pupils will be reminded that AI tools are simply that, just a tool. They can support our learning, but all information needs to be read critically against reliable sources.
How pupils will be supported to think critically: The focus of this lesson will be on reading each statement carefully and comparing information and discuss reasoning before reaching a conclusion.
How you would gather evidence of learning: Teacher observation during discussions of why they chose a particular answer.
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Hi Michelle,
I love this. Two Truths and a Lie, AI edition is such a clever hook because the game format gets the children reading closely and arguing their case without it ever feeling like a comprehension exercise. Slipping one AI-generated false statement in among the three is a lovely way to make the accuracy point real and having them fact check means they are practising exactly the habit you want to build.
Your critical question is well pitched too since that idea of something sounding right while being wrong is right at the core of AI literacy.
One question back to you. When groups fact check, would it help to ask them to note what tipped them off, whether it was their own knowledge or the trusted source that settled it? That makes their reasoning visible .
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Hi Michelle, one real strength in your learning intention is how clearly you focus on reading, interpreting and critically evaluating information. That emphasis is perfect for 6th class because it supports age‑appropriate AI literacy: pupils aren’t just spotting the wrong answer, they’re learning how AI can sound correct while still being inaccurate, which is exactly the kind of critical thinking they need. This aligns strongly with accuracy in AI and helps pupils see AI as something to question, not simply trust.
A helpful question to deepen the discussion could be: ‘What clues might show that an AI‑generated statement is confident but not actually reliable? ‘This links naturally to misinformation and authorship. A practical suggestion would be to add a short reflection sheet where pupils justify their final choice using evidence from Britannica School or prior knowledge. You could also consider a quick whole‑class discussion comparing how different groups reached their conclusions, supporting critical comparison and reinforcing responsible use.
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I currently teach 2nd class so have decided to gear my activity towards 3rd class.
AI Literacy Activity: “Is This Fair? Testing an AI Story”.
Curriculum area: English / Digital Media Literacy.
Learning intention: Pupils will learn that computers can write stories, but they do not always get things right or fair, and they will start to use AI tools carefully and honestly. Become aware of what AI is and how it can be used to write stories.AI concept: Generative AI and fairness – the computer learns from many stories written by people. If those stories are not fair, the computer’s stories might not be fair either. We cannot always trust AI generated stories.
Activity: Show two short story beginnings (one by you, one by AI) and ask, “Which did the computer write? Why?” In pairs, pupils read a short AI paragraph about a familiar topic (“A Day at School”). They mark one thing that seems true and one thing that seems strange or not fair using two different coloured highlighters. As a class, discuss how the computer gets its ideas from many other stories and why it might say things that are not true for everyone. Pupils then rewrite one sentence to make it more fair or more true (e.g., change “All children in school only eat the school lunches” to “Some children eat the school lunches, some eat own lunch more and school lunches, and some do not get school lunches at all”).
Critical question: “If a computer writes a story using ideas from many other stories, who really made it – the computer, the people who wrote the first stories, or the person who asked the computer?”
Responsible use: Always check if the computer’s words are true and tell the truth if you used AI to help.
Support for critical thinking: Use sentence starters (“This might not be fair because…”) and a T-chart (“What the computer said” / “What we think”).
Evidence of learning: Collect highlighted paragraphs, rewritten sentences, and a short exit ticket (“One thing I learned… One rule I think we should follow…”).
I think this would be a great way to engage and learn about AI for this age group.
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Hi Michelle, I like the highlighting task because it gives 3rd class pupils a simple way to question whether an AI response is accurate or fair.
It supports age-appropriate AI literacy by showing that AI-generated text should be checked rather than automatically trusted.
One question pupils could explore is: “Whose experiences might be missing from this story?”
As a practical assessment idea, I would ask pupils to explain why they changed one sentence. Their reason would show whether they understood the issue of fairness or bias.
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I really enjoyed reading your activity. I think your learning intention is very clear and age-appropriate, and I particularly like how pupils are encouraged to question whether AI-generated content is fair and accurate rather than simply accepting it. The use of highlighting and rewriting sentences makes the concept of bias very accessible for primary pupils.
One question I would ask is how you might extend the discussion if pupils disagreed about whether a sentence was fair or accurate. This could lead to some valuable conversations about perspective and the importance of checking information using trusted sources.
As an extension, pupils could work in small groups to create their own “AI checklist” outlining the questions they should ask whenever they use AI. This would reinforce responsible AI use while providing a useful assessment of their understanding.
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I would use the Gairdin Climate Zones unplugged activity with Stage 4 (5th/6th Class). The activity asks pupils to examine climate data and climatographs, identify similarities and group places according to climate patterns. Behind this, pupils are being introduced to the AI concept of clustering, where data with similar characteristics can be grouped together.
Lesson link here for anybody interested – https://gairdin.eu/climate-zones/unplugged
My curriculum area would be Social and Environmental Education – Geography. My learning intention would be: pupils will interpret climate data, identify patterns and use evidence to group locations with similar climatic characteristics. This fits well with Geography’s focus on exploring the natural environment and developing geographical investigation skills.
I would begin by giving groups a selection of climate graphs from different locations. Pupils would decide how to group them and explain the patterns they noticed. I would then introduce the idea that a computer can also analyse the data and form clusters based on similarities. The important discussion would be that the computer is finding patterns in the data provided; it does not automatically “understand” climate. This links closely with Module 5’s explanation of machine learning as identifying patterns from examples and then testing predictions.
My critical question would be: “Could the computer group a location incorrectly if it was given limited or incomplete climate data?”
A responsible-use consideration would be that pupils should not accept an AI output as automatically correct. We would compare the grouping with the original climate data and reliable Geography sources. To support critical thinking, pupils would complete the grouping themselves before seeing the computer’s result and then discuss any differences.
I would gather evidence of learning through pupils’ annotated climate graphs, their reasons for grouping locations and a short exit question: “Why might an AI system make an inaccurate prediction?”
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Hi Colm, I really like your lesson idea as an unplugged activity to introduce AI as a new concept to students. There is huge integration in this lesson in both Geography as you have mentioned and maths by looking at different data models and data sets. Your learning intention is clearly defined and it is measurable for you as a teacher in terms of assessment and gathering evidence. How would you ensure students understand the limitations of AI? This activity can be easily extended and built on as it integrates many curricular areas and can be applied to scientific concepts such as cause and affect activities etc. I like your short exit question as this encourages critical thinking by looking at how AI systems can make inaccurate predictions
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Curriculum Area and Learning Intention: Stage 3
SESE Geography: Learn about Germany, including its location, landmarks, culture and traditions.
Modern Foreign Languages (German): Become familiar with some simple German words and cultural elements.
Learning Intention: As German will be our modern foreign language from next year, I think this would be a nice way to introduce children to aspects of German culture while also developing their AI literacy skills.
Children will learn some facts about Germany and begin to understand that AI-generated content is not always accurate and should be checked before it is accepted as true
AI Concept Being Explored: Accuracy and Bias – AI can make mistakes, leave out important information or present information from a particular viewpoint.
Activity Outline: I would ask an AI tool to generate 10 fun facts about Germany for children. Then I’d give groups the AI fact sheet and ask them using one or more of the websites we have used in the past for fact files (including Scoilnet, National Geographic Kids and Britannica Kids) to compare the AI-generated fact file with information from these websites.
The children would be asked to look at each of the facts and using one of the 3 colours compare the information
Green = Fact confirmed by another source
Yellow = Can’t find evidence
Red = Incorrect or misleadingHow the children Will Be Supported to Think Critically:
Asked to check different sources to see how they compare with ach other.
They will be prompted to
Pair and share
Say why they think something is right or wrong.
Use simple prompt questions like:
“How do we know this is true?”
“Can we find this somewhere else?”
“Is anything missing?”How I Would Gather Evidence of Learning:
Listening to group and class discussions.
Children’s completed comparison sheets. The traffic light system is something we have used in the past for fact checking.Responsible use consideration:
The children would be asked to reflect on their findings and open the discussion about the role of AI in their learning going forward. They would be able to see at the conclusion from this exercise that AI is a tool that can support their learning, that it is useful for giving them ideas, checking facts and finding information quickly but that it can make mistakes. As a teacher I feel that it is important that we support critical thinking but also embrace AI so being able to demonstrate to the children that it is a useful tool but also understand that it can make mistakes and be biased is an important.-
I love the idea of colour coding the text to show their fact checking. It will give a very visual impression of how inaccurate AI can be. The colour-coding will be especially helpful to those children with learning difficulties and for engaging the class in the activity. I would almost ask AI to make sure there are inaccuracies, to ensure the colour-coding is dramatic and really make a point!
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For **4th Class**, I would plan this activity as part of **English** and **SPHE**, with the learning intention of helping pupils understand that while AI can be a useful tool, it does not always provide accurate or reliable information.
The AI concept I would explore is **accuracy and misinformation**. I would show the class a short AI-generated response to a simple question, alongside information from a trusted children’s website or book. Working in pairs, pupils would compare the two sources, identify any differences, and discuss which information they think is more trustworthy and why.
A key question I would ask is: “How do we know if information created by AI is correct?”. This would encourage pupils to think about checking facts rather than accepting every answer they receive.
We would also discuss responsible AI use, including never sharing personal information with AI tools and always asking an adult if they are unsure about something they read online.
To support critical thinking, I would model how to question information, compare different sources, and explain my reasoning before asking pupils to do the same. I would gather evidence of learning through group discussions, pupils’ explanations, and an exit ticket where each child writes one thing they learned about using AI safely and responsibly.
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Class Stage- Multigrade Class (3rd- 6th Class)
Lesson: Leaf Long Learners
Curriculum area and learning intention: STEM, SEE- my locality (Environment and sustainable living)
AI Concept being explored-AI Machine learning- creating an AI system to identify nutrient deficiencies in plants in the local environment of the school.
Discussion- Prior to starting the lesson, have a discussion around key vocabulary to ensure all students understand the key concepts for example ecosystem, biodiversity, nutrients, AI, Machine learning and training data. I would also ask the children what they know about AI, where they use it and the pros and cons of AI before starting the lesson. This will help me to scaffold the lesson for the children.
Question: How does an AI system become more accurate or what influences how accurate an AI system is
How do we become responsible users of AI- what information is important not to upload to generative AI systems?
I would encourage the children to work in groups together scaffolding discussions and encourage them to question each other by asking why and how questions.
I would gather evidence of learning by encouraging the children to complete the worksheets attached, taking photos of their learning on ipads and complete a slideshow presentation on google slides within Google Classroom. I would also encourage them to reflect on their learning when they have finished.-
I really liked your learning intention because it links AI with the local environment and gives pupils a real-life example of how AI can be used. I think this is a good way to introduce AI literacy as it helps pupils understand that AI has practical uses while also encouraging them to think about how it works.
I also liked that you plan to introduce the key vocabulary before starting the lesson. This is appropriate for a multigrade class as it gives all pupils a good understanding of the topic before moving on to more challenging ideas.
One question I have is how you would help pupils decide whether the AI’s results are always accurate. Would they compare the AI’s suggestions with information from another source or their own observations?
As a suggestion, you could finish the lesson with a short exit ticket where pupils write one thing they learned about AI and one question they still have. I think activities like this could also support School Self-Evaluation (SSE) by helping schools develop pupils’ AI literacy and encouraging safe, responsible and critical use of AI across the curriculum.
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For this activity, I would plan a lesson for 5th/6th Class local history lesson. There would e links to English (Oral Language/Report Writing ) and the Digital Learning Framework. The learning objective would be for pupils to understand that while AI can generate useful information, it can also make mistakes, so they need to question and evaluate what they read. As I teach in Longford town I would focus on the burning of the Cathedral on Christmas Eve night a few years ago. I think it is well linked to looking at primary and secondary sources of information too. The lesson will begin with a whole class KWL chart.
The AI concept that I would like to explore is misinformation and accuracy. I would begin by showing pupils a short video clip from the news about the event and then present them three pieces of information about the fire-one a newspaper article, one from a local historian (first hand witness) account and one AI generated. Working in pairs, children would then compare the accounts, highlighting similarities and differences, and they would look for facts/evidence within each piece to support their argument.
The critical question to ask would be: “How do we know if the information produced by AI is true?” This would encourage children to check facts rather than accepting the initial AI responses straight away.
An important consideration for staying safe online would be reminding pupils never to share personal information with AI tools.
Pupils will be supported in their critical thinking by modelling how to analyse and examine a piece of information ensuring it’s from a trusted source and we will have a think aloud when examining it and encourage pupils to explain the evidence behind their decisions.
Evidence will be gathered through observation, learning journal, class discussion and by completing the L section in the KWL chart.-
I really like the use of a local history topic that pupils may already know something about. The KWL chart is a good starting point, as it gives the children a chance to record what they think they know before comparing the different sources. Using a news report, a local account and an AI-generated response should also lead to a good discussion about why one source should not automatically be trusted over another. I think the critical question is very well focused and easy for pupils to understand. One practical suggestion might be to return to the AI response at the end and ask groups to rewrite or correct it using the evidence they found. This would show clearly what they had learned.
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I really liked your activity. Using a local history event is a great way to make AI literacy meaningful for 5th and 6th Class pupils. Comparing different sources helps children understand that AI can make mistakes and that it is important to check information carefully.
I have one question: How would you help pupils decide which source is the most reliable?
One suggestion would be to give pupils a simple checklist with questions like, Who created this? and Can I check this information somewhere else? This would help support their critical thinking and learning.
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I really liked your use of a real local event, as it makes the lesson meaningful and gives pupils an authentic reason to question the information they are reading. Comparing AI-generated content with primary and secondary sources is an excellent way to develop age-appropriate AI literacy and critical thinking. One question I would ask is whether pupils could identify any clues that suggest a piece of information has been generated by AI rather than written by a person. As an extension, you could use the pupils’ reflections from the KWL chart as evidence for School Self-Evaluation to help inform future digital literacy and AI learning across the school.
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I like that your activity is based on a local event that the children can identify with and possibly have knowledge of themselves or a trusted adult has knowledge of. I think it is age appropriate as the children in 5th and 6th class are learning more independently, choosing their own content and are also preparing for secondary school where researching topics will be a key part of their education. It is also an age where there may be beginning to follow sources of information and opinion online which may not be accurate or unbiased. One extension could be to task three groups with reporting a fictitious event from the perspective of three or four sources, an eyewitness, a trusted national broadcaster, AI and a social media influencer. The children might explore the motivations, rules, ethics and delivery of each.
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I planned an AI literacy activity for 5th Class.
Curriculum Area and Learning Intention
The curriculum area is English. The learning intention is for pupils to understand that AI can generate information and ideas, but that the information should always be checked using reliable sources.
AI Concept Being Explored
The activity focuses on accuracy and misinformation. Pupils will learn that AI can sometimes make mistakes or provide incorrect information, so it is important to think critically rather than believing everything they read.
Activity Outline
I would begin by showing pupils a short piece of information created by AI about a well-known animal or landmark. Pupils would then work in pairs to compare the AI response with information from a trusted book or child-friendly website. They would identify which facts are correct, discuss any differences they find and decide whether they think the AI response is reliable.
Critical Question
How can we tell if information created by AI is accurate and trustworthy?
Responsible-Use Consideration
Pupils should understand that AI is a useful tool for learning, but it should not replace their own thinking or research. They should always check information before using it in their schoolwork.
Supporting Critical Thinking
I would encourage pupils to explain their answers, ask questions and provide evidence for their opinions. Working in pairs would also allow them to discuss different ideas before sharing with the class.
Evidence of Learning
I would gather evidence by listening to pupils’ discussions, asking them to complete a short exit ticket explaining one thing they learned about AI, and checking whether they could identify reliable and unreliable information. I think AI literacy could also support School Self-Evaluation (SSE) by helping the school develop pupils’ digital literacy skills and encouraging the safe and responsible use of AI across different curriculum areas.
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Class stage: 6th Class
Curriculum area and learning intention: English, Media Literacy and Digital Learning. Pupils will learn to question information generated by AI and check whether it is accurate.
AI concept: AI can produce convincing answers, but these answers may contain mistakes or made-up information.
Activity: I would give groups a short AI-generated information text on a topic we have already studied, such as World War 2 or the Solar System. Some information would be accurate while other details would be incorrect. Pupils would work in groups to fact-check the text using textbooks and reliable websites. Each group would highlight statements they could verify and identify anything doubtful or incorrect.
Critical question: If an AI answer sounds confident and convincing, does that mean it is true?
Responsible use: Pupils should not copy AI-generated information directly into their work without checking it.
To support critical thinking, I would model how to check a claim using more than one source and discuss the difference between evidence and opinion. Evidence of learning would be gathered through the pupils’ corrected texts, group discussions and a short exit ticket asking them to explain one rule they would follow when using AI for schoolwork.
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Hi Grace, I like your idea of incorporating this AI concept into your English lessons. Using information from a topic they have already covered also provides the teacher with great assessment opportunities as pupils will be able to show their previous learning. I like that this idea creates space for critical thinking to verify the statements they are reading as factually correct. It helps pupils to question what they are reading and check before using information gained from an AI source.
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Class Stage: Multi-class 3rd to 6th Class, working in pairs (mixing older and younger pupils if possible).
Lesson Plan: AI Fact Checking with Leaves
Curriculum Area & Learning Intention: Science and Digital Learning. Pupils will learn to question information generated by AI about the natural world and check whether it is accurate.
AI Concept: AI tools can produce very convincing descriptions of plants and animals, but these answers can easily contain mistakes or mix up details.
The Activity: I would bring in a few common local leaves that the class has already studied e.g., Oak or Sycamore. I give each group of children a short, highly confident paragraph written by an AI identifying and describing the leaves. I would deliberately leave in a few major AI mistakes. The children would work together using nature guidebooks, school library books, or trusted wildlife websites to fact-check the AI’s claims.
Critical Question: Is information from AI always correct?
The children will learn that they must never copy and paste AI descriptions directly into their science or geography work without checking at least one other trusted source first.
Evidence of Learning: The worksheet showing the childrens written corrections.
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Hi Katie, I really like the hands-on design here. By using real leaves the class already knows alongside a deliberately flawed AI paragraph lets pupils verify claims themselves rather than just taking your word for it. It gives the children independence in fact-checking.
It suits multi-class age-appropriate AI literacy well, since it doesn’t ask pupils to struggle with using AI abstractly but just to apply skills they already have (cross-referencing sources) to a new context.
How will you make sure the planted mistakes reflect the kind of errors AI actually makes (like confusing similar species), rather than being too obviously wrong? Sometimes I find that AI is only slightly off sometimes which makes it a bit difficult to plan for in a lesson like this. Takes a bit more thinking time on behalf of the teacher!
One suggestion: for older pupils, have them rewrite the AI paragraph correctly and reflect on why the AI might have made that mistake. This might build insight into how AI generates answers, not just where it went wrong. Thanks and well done!
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Class stage: Fifth Class
Curriculum area and learning intention: SPHE / Digital Learning Framework. Learning intention: Pupils will understand that AI-generated information is not always accurate or neutral, and will practise questioning digital content critically before accepting it as true.
AI concept being explored: Bias and accuracy in AI-generated text and images with a focus on how AI tools learn from existing data, which can include human bias and errors.
Activity/discussion outline: In small groups, pupils are given the same simple prompt (e.g. “describe a scientist” or “describe a family”) to try with an AI image or text generator. Teacher modelling is important here so that the pupils are using the tool safely and appropriately. Groups compare results, noting patterns in who or what the AI consistently shows, then discuss as a class why these patterns might occur.
Critical question: Why might an AI tool repeatedly show the same type of person or leave certain things/groups out — and where might that pattern have come from?
Responsible-use consideration: Pupils should understand that AI tools should never be given personal information (names, addresses, photos) and that adult supervision is required for any AI interaction.Supporting critical thinking: Using simple talk frames such as “I noticed… I wonder why… This might affect…”, to scaffold pupils’ reasoning during discussion, and explicitly modelling how to question rather than accept AI output.
Gathering evidence: A simple task where pupils write one thing they noticed about bias in the AI output and one question they’d ask before trusting AI content in future. Gather the evidence and display it on an interactive whiteboard for concluding discussion. Put some posters up on the classroom walls with the pupils suggestions and advice.
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I would base my literacy on Sixth Class and fact checking
I would build the lesson around persuasive writing and more specifically debating. I would put the class into teams and give them a motion to write a debate for. I would feed both groups with information supporting and refuting the motion on sheets telling them I had used AI to find the information. Some of the information would be inaccurate or misleading. I would write the sources of each fact alongside the facts. I would tell them it is up to them to highlight the false information I have given them and to listen out for the wrong information the other team may use.
After the debate I would ask them if they can tell the difference between the facts or not. I would then have a class discussion around believing what they find online and different ways to verify information to include authorship and misinformation e.g. who created the output and if it came from a reliable source and I would model critical thinking for them.
Assessment can be carried out by taking up the sheets and observing the facts that were highlighted.-
Hi Marie,
I really like this. Building AI fact checking into a debate is a clever move because it gives the children a genuine reason to interrogate the information. Having to spot the false facts in their own pack and listen out for the other team’s shaky claims turns critical thinking into something active and a bit competitive which will really pull them in.
I also like that you plan to model critical thinking yourself and bring authorship and sources into the discussion, since who created the information and whether it is reliable is right at the heart of AI literacy.
One question back to you. When they highlight the false facts, would it be worth asking them to jot down how they knew, whether it was their own knowledge or a source that gave it away? That makes their reasoning visible and those sheets would give you richer evidence for SSE.
Hope you enjoyed the course. 😊
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Class stage: 5th class
Curriculum area and learning intention: Science (Living things) with links to technology. Pupils will understand that AI can recognise patterns in data but that it can also make mistakes. They will learn that scienctific observations and evidence are important when evaluating AI generated predictions.
AI concept being explored: Machine learning, accuracy and responsible use of AI
Activitiy: As part of our biodiversity topic pupils will first investigate a selection of real leaves collected from the school grounds and garden. Working in groups they will sort the leaves into categories and explain the features they used to put them into those groups. The class will thencompare their classifitcations with predictions made by an AI image classification tool. Pupils will discuss any differences between their own groupings and obervations and the AI responses and consider why the AI may have made mistakes.
Critcal questionsl If AI gives a different answer from our own scientific observations, how can we decide which one is correct?
Responsible use consideration: AI can support scientific learning but it should not replace our own careful obervations, evidence and critical thinking.
Supporting critical thinking: Pupils will justify their decisions using scientific vocabulary, compare evidence and explain why they agree or disagree with AI’s prediction. They will also discuss how the quality and quantity of data can influence the AI model.
Evidence learning: Pupils will complete a short reflection explaining one limitation of AI and one way they could check whether AI generated answers are reliable.
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For this activity I would use it with 4th Class during an SPHE lesson with links to Media and Digital Wellbeing.
Learning intention: Pupils will begin to understand that AI can be helpful, but that its responses should always be questioned and checked before they are trusted or shared.
The AI concept I would explore is accuracy and misinformation. I would begin by showing pupils two photographs of yellow plants, one healthy and one unhealthy, and ask them what they notice. I would then share the AI statement: “Every yellow leaf means a plant needs more water.” Working with a partner, pupils would discuss whether they think this is always true and suggest other possible reasons why a leaf might turn yellow. Together we would compare the AI response with information from a trusted source and discuss why the answers might differ. This would help pupils understand that AI can sound convincing but is not always correct.
One critical question I would ask is: “How could we check if this information is accurate before we believe or share it?”
A key responsible-use message would be that AI can support our learning, but it should never replace our own thinking or reliable sources of information.
To support critical thinking, I would use visual prompts, structured questioning and partner discussion so that all pupils could take part and explain their ideas in a way that suited their individual needs. I would gather evidence of learning through observation, questioning and a short exit activity where pupils decide whether they would trust an AI statement and explain how they would check it. This would support our School Self-Evaluation by developing pupils’ digital literacy, critical thinking and responsible use of technology across the curriculum. -
For this activity, I chose 4th Class.
Curriculum Area: English and SPHE
Learning Intention: Pupils will learn how to ask questions, compare information from different sources and think carefully about whether information is reliable.
The AI concept being explored is that AI can generate answers, but it can sometimes make mistakes or give incomplete information. Pupils need to think critically instead of believing everything they read.
I would begin by asking the class a simple question, such as “What do hedgehogs eat?” I would show pupils an answer from an AI tool and compare it with information from a children’s information book or a trusted website. As a class, we would discuss any similarities and differences and decide which information is the most reliable.
One critical question I would ask is: Can we always trust information that AI gives us? Why or why not?
A responsible-use consideration is that pupils should never share personal information with AI tools and should always ask an adult if they are unsure about something they find online.
To help pupils think critically, I would encourage them to ask questions such as: “Where did this information come from?”, “Can I check it somewhere else?” and “Does this answer make sense?” We would discuss why it is important to use more than one source of information.
To gather evidence of learning, pupils would work in pairs to complete a simple comparison sheet, recording one fact from AI, one fact from another source and explaining whether the information matched. We would finish with a class discussion and an exit ticket where pupils write one thing they learned about using AI safely and responsibly.
This activity could also support School Self-Evaluation (SSE). As part of our school’s Digital Learning Plan, teachers could use similar AI literacy activities across different class levels to help pupils develop critical thinking and responsible digital skills. Evidence from pupil work, classroom discussions and teacher observations could be used to review pupils’ understanding and identify areas for improvement. This would help the school monitor progress in digital learning and ensure that pupils are becoming confident, safe and thoughtful users of AI and other digital technologies.
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Class Stage: 5th Class
Curriculum Area: SPHE – Myself and the Wider World (Digital Citizenship) and Oral Language
Learning Intention: Pupils will understand that AI is a useful tool, but they need to think critically about the information it gives them and check if it is accurate.
The AI concept being explored is accuracy and misinformation. I would start the lesson by asking the class where they have already come across AI. Pupils will possibly mention YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat filters, gaming or ChatGPT, so this is a good way to connect the lesson to their own experiences.
Next, I’d tell the class they’re going to become “AI Detectives” In mixed-ability groups, each group would be given an AI response to a simple question linked to something they’re already learning about, such as a local historical site, a time in History such as the Vikings or a summary of their class novel. They would compare it with information from a trusted children’s website or a library book and use a simple checklist to decide which facts they could trust. They would look for incorrect information, missing facts or anything that doesn’t sound right. We would also discuss responsible AI use, emphasising that AI can help us learn but should never replace our own thinking or be copied without checking the information first.The main discussion question would be, “Just because AI gives us an answer, does that mean it’s always right?” This would lead to a class discussion about misinformation and why it’s important to double-check facts.
We would finish by talking about using AI responsibly. I’d explain that AI is great for giving us ideas or helping us get started, but it shouldn’t do our thinking for us or be copied without checking the facts first.To support everyone, I’d use mixed-ability pairs, provide key vocabulary, model one example together and encourage pupils to explain the reasons for their choices. I’d assess learning by listening to group discussions, collecting their AI Detective checklists and asking each pupil to complete an exit ticket explaining one thing they’ll do differently the next time they use AI.
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Class Stage: 5th Class
Curriculum Area and Learning Intention: English (Oral Language) and SPHE (Wellbeing). Pupils will explore how Artificial Intelligence generates information and develop the skills to question whether information produced by AI is accurate, reliable and appropriate.
AI Concept Being Explored: Accuracy, misinformation and responsible use of AI.
I would begin the lesson by asking pupils to use an AI tool to generate a short paragraph about a familiar topic, such as hurling or Kilkenny. Pupils would then compare the AI-generated response with information from trusted sources such as books or reputable websites. Working in small groups, they would identify any inaccuracies, missing information or misleading statements before discussing why it is important not to accept AI-generated content without checking it.
A key discussion question would be: “How do we know if information created by AI is true or accurate?”
A responsible-use consideration would be discussing why pupils should never share personal information with AI tools and should always use them with teacher guidance.
To support critical thinking, pupils would use a simple checklist to ask questions such as: Who created this information? Can I verify it? Is it supported by another trusted source? This would encourage them to think critically rather than accepting information at face value.
Evidence of learning would be gathered through pupil discussions, completed comparison checklists and a short written reflection explaining how they verified the information they found.
As our school is a DEIS Band 1 primary school, this activity supports our DEIS Action Plan, which incorporates the principles of School Self-Evaluation. Developing AI literacy will strengthen pupils’ digital literacy, critical thinking and responsible use of technology while providing evidence of learning through pupil voice, teacher observations and samples of pupil work. -
This lesson would be for the class stage 3rd Class
Curriculum area: SSE and STEM. The children will be able to research and recall facts about Australia, whilst understanding that AI is an everyday tool but can make mistakes and develop the skills to question it.
AI concept: Accuracy and Bias
Activity – This is an activity we do in our school in 3rd class, where the teacher present a powerpoint with information about Australia. I think a way to improve and to integrate the STEM curriculum, would be to use an AI tool to create a information sheet about Australia and then children would use Britannic to verify the information. They could work in groups to organise the information into correct and unfound. The whole class will then come back together and create a shared chart of their findings.
Question: How do we know the information provided by AI is correct?
One responsible-use consideration – The children will learn that AI is a useful toolthey should question it. They will learn that should not include AI generated information without checking from another trusted source when researching.
By working in groups the children will discuss and question and then as a whole class work we would discuss and question our findings
I would gather evidence of learning through observations, discussion and whole class chart -
Class Stage
5th & 6th Class
Curriculum Integration & Learning Intention
• Curriculum Area: SPHE integrated with English (Oral Language & Literacy).
• Learning Intention: Pupils will identify how stereotypes and human biases are mirrored and reinforced by digital media, specifically generative AI.
AI Concept: Training Data & Algorithmic Bias
We want pupils to understand that AI doesn’t “think” on its own. It learns patterns from training data (huge collections of existing images and text from the internet). If the training data contains human biases, the AI will repeat them.
Activity Outline: “Draw a Scientist vs. Prompt a Scientist”
• Step 1 (The Human Drawing): Hand out blank sticky notes. Give pupils exactly 2 minutes to draw a quick sketch of “a scientist working in a lab.” No pressure on artistic skill—just simple stick figures are fine.
• Step 2 (The Reveal): Have everyone stick their drawings on the whiteboard. As a class, spot the common themes. Are they mostly men? Do they have wild, messy hair? Are they wearing lab coats?
• Step 3 (The AI Prompt): Open up a child-friendly generative image tool (like Adobe Firefly) on the interactive whiteboard. Type in: “A scientist working in a laboratory.” Let it generate 4 images.
• Step 4 (The Comparison): Compare the AI’s images to the pupils’ drawings. Typically, the AI will also generate images of older, white men with wild hair or lab coats.
Supporting Critical Thinking & Key Questions
To bridge the gap between “seeing” the bias and “understanding” it, we use the “Lunchbox Analogy”:
“If you only put apples into your lunchbox every single day, can you ever open it and expect to find a banana? AI is just a lunchbox. It can only show us what humans have fed it.”
The Critical Question:
“If the AI only looks at pictures that are already on the internet to learn what a scientist is, how does that affect what it thinks a scientist can look like? What does that mean for real-life people who don’t fit that picture?”
Responsible-Use Consideration:
Pupils must realize that AI is a mirror of our past, not a guide for our future. When using AI for projects, they must practice “deliberate prompting”—actively telling the AI to include diverse representations (e.g., prompting for “a female young scientist from Ireland”) rather than accepting the default, biased output.
Gathering Evidence of Learning
To wrap up, pupils complete a quick Exit Ticket with these two prompts:
1. “AI image generators make assumptions because…” (Looking for answers like: “they learn from biased training data” or “what is already on the internet”).
2. “When I use AI in the future, I will…” (Looking for answers like: “critically check the results”, “prompt for diversity”, or “not trust it as 100% true”).-
Thank you for sharing this lesson outline. I think it is a really valuable and age-appropriate way to introduce pupils to the ideas of stereotypes, bias, and how AI systems learn from data. I particularly like the “Draw a Scientist vs. Prompt a Scientist” activity because it allows pupils to see their own assumptions before comparing them with AI-generated images.
The lunchbox analogy is also a strong way to explain training data and algorithmic bias in a way that children can understand. Encouraging pupils to question AI outputs and use deliberate prompting to seek more diverse representations is an important skill for responsible AI use.
One suggestion could be to include a short discussion after the AI comparison where pupils consider why certain images or characteristics appeared more often, and how we can help create fairer and more inclusive AI systems. Overall, this is a thoughtful lesson that supports both digital literacy and critical thinking.
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Class Stage: fourth class.
Curriculum Area and Learning Intention
Curriculum Area: STEM (Science and Technology).Learning Intention: Learn how computers group Australian animals by features, and why humans must check AI work.
The concepts are classification and training data. AI recognizes animals by looking for patterns in features like color, size, and shape. Humans must label these features first.
Short Activity Outline
Pupils explore the Minecraft Australian Wildlife world to see native animals. Next, we run a classroom activity called Train the Ranger AI. We list strict rule-based features to tell a kangaroo apart from a wallaby.
Finally, we test our rules with a picture of a quokka to see if the AI makes an error.Critical Question
“If we only train our AI with photos taken in bright sunlight, will it still recognize a koala at night?”We cannot blindly trust AI for school research. Computers rely on human data, so human experts must always double-check the final output.
Pupils use “True or False” paddles during the quokka test to support critical thinking. They must state one specific visual feature to prove why the AI was right or wrong.
Pupils draw a “Robot Ranger” in their copies to gather evidence of learning. They write two short sentences below it. One explains the data the robot needs, and one explains why human supervision is required.
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Class: Fifth Class
Curriculum area and learning intention: English and SPHE. Pupils will develop critical thinking skills by evaluating information from different sources and discussing how AI-generated responses should be checked before being accepted as fact.
AI concept being explored: AI can generate convincing information, but it can sometimes be inaccurate.
Activity: Present pupils with a question such as, “What are the benefits of having a pet?” Compare an AI-generated response with a child-friendly book. In small groups, pupils identify similarities, differences and any information that needs to be verified. They then discuss which source they would trust most and explain their reasoning.
Critical question: How can we tell if information created by AI is accurate and trustworthy?
Responsible-use consideration: Pupils should understand that AI should support learning, not replace their own thinking or be used to complete work without acknowledging its use.
Supporting critical thinking: I would model questioning strategies such as “Who created this?”, “How do we know this is true?”, and “Can we confirm this with another reliable source?” Pupils would use a simple checklist to evaluate the information before drawing conclusions.
Evidence of learning: I would gather evidence through group discussions, observation, completed evaluation checklists.
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A strength of this lesson is that pupils compare an AI response with a book, encouraging them to think critically instead of accepting information straight away. This helps them understand that AI can make mistakes and that information should be checked using reliable sources. How will you help pupils understand that books and websites can also contain errors or bias? As a follow-up, ask each group to explain one fact they checked and how they knew it was accurate.
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Hey Nicola,
I like how this activity gets pupils to question the information they are given rather than just accepting AI-generated answers as fact. The learning intention is clear and it links well with English and SPHE. Using a comparison between an AI response and a child-friendly book is a really suitable way to introduce AI literacy and helps pupils think about how reliable different sources might be.
A good question for pupils to explore could be, “Who created this information and how might that affect what is included or left out?” This would help them start thinking about authorship and bias in a simple, accessible way.
One practical step you could add is asking pupils to take one fact from the AI response and check it using another trusted source before sharing it with the class. This would give them a clear, hands-on way to practise checking information and thinking more critically about what they read.
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Class stage: Third to sixth class (Primary)
Curriculum area and learning intention:
SPHE / Digital Technologies. The learning intention is for pupils to develop the skills to use AI tools safely and responsibly, while understanding how to evaluate information and make informed decisions online.AI concept being explored:
The activity will explore AI-generated content, including how AI creates responses and why these responses may not always be accurate or unbiased.Short activity/discussion outline:
Pupils will work in small groups to ask an AI tool a question linked to a curriculum topic, such as “What causes climate change?” or “Describe life in Ancient Ireland”. They will examine the response, identify information they think is useful, and discuss anything that may need checking. The class will then discuss how AI can support learning but should not replace human thinking or research.Critical question:
How can we tell if information created by AI is accurate, fair and trustworthy?Responsible-use consideration:
Pupils should understand the importance of protecting personal information, using AI appropriately, and acknowledging when AI has been used.Supporting critical thinking:
Pupils will be encouraged to question AI outputs, compare information with reliable sources, and explain their reasoning.Evidence of learning:
Learning will be assessed through group discussions, pupil explanations, and a short reflection where pupils describe one benefit and one risk of using AI. -
I would plan this lesson for 5th class
My lesson would be based on the AI Teachable Machine, I would integrate primary language, technology, and geography. My lesson would be teaching the AI tool to recognise what clothes are best suited for packing for summer holidays. So the children would teach the AI to recognise t-shirts, shorts and sandals as summer wear.
The critical thinking would be to identify the materials of the items and this could be an added second layer to the AI.
We would have to consider can we trust AI, or do we need to check the weather and to critically think about the need for sun cream etc and other items to pack.
I would a short assessment exercise after of how the children adapted to the AI simulator.
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Although I currently teach Senior Infants, I have chosen 5th Class for this activity.
The lesson would link with SPHE (Media Safety) and English (Oral Language). The learning intention would be for pupils to understand that while AI can be a useful tool, its responses should be questioned and verified rather than accepted as fact.
I would use Code Green Episode 4: Leaf Long Learners as the starting point for a class discussion about how AI works and the benefits and limitations of using it. I would then present pupils with a short AI-generated information text alongside information from a trusted source on the same topic. Working in small groups, pupils would compare the two, identify any inaccuracies or missing information, and discuss which source they would trust and why.
A key question would be, “How do we know if the information was written by a person, created by AI or is even true?”
An important responsible-use message would be that AI can support learning, but it should never replace critical thinking or reliable sources.
I would support pupils by modelling how to question information, check multiple sources and justify their opinions with evidence. Learning would be assessed through group discussions, pupils’ comparison sheets and an exit ticket where each child identifies one way they can use AI responsibly in the future.
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AI Wildlife Challenge
Class Stage:
Stage threeCurriculum Area and Learning Intention: STEM Education.
Technology -build on the process of using, modifying and/or creating algorithms to solve a problem or achieve a desired outcome. Use abstraction [focus on important characteristics and reduce unnecessary detail] and debugging [identify and correct errors] to increase effectiveness or make improvements. AC, DL, M
Science – classify groups of plants and animals according to a range of criteria such as families/ types, habitats, parts/ movement and diet. AL, C, M
AI Concept Being Explored: Machine Learning (Supervised Learning)
Pupils will see that AI learns by finding patterns in the examples it is given. They will also discover that if the training data is limited, the AI is more likely to make mistakes.
Activity Outline
Introduction (5 minutes)
Begin by asking pupils how they think apps like Google Lens or Snapchat filters recognise objects. Explain that AI does not “know” what something is—it learns by looking at lots of examples and spotting patterns.Training the AI (20 minutes)
Using Teachable Machine, pupils work in small groups to train an AI model to recognise two categories: Forest and Beach.They are given a selection of teacher-provided objects, such as leaves, pinecones, shells, pebbles or sticks. Pupils should try taking photos from different angles and distances to help improve the model.
the model has been Once trained, each group tests it with objects it has already seen.
The Mystery Object Challenge (10 minutes)
Next, give each group a few “mystery” objects that were not included in the training data, for example a feather, a flower, a smooth stone or a toy animal.Before testing each object, ask pupils to predict what the AI will decide and explain why. Afterwards, discuss whether the prediction was correct and what may have caused any mistakes.
Critical Question
If the AI got the feather wrong, was the computer making a mistake, or did we not give it enough different examples to learn from? How could this affect AI systems that people use every day?
Responsible-Use Consideration
Remind pupils that they should never use photos of themselves or other people when training AI models. Instead, they should use classroom objects or teacher-approved images to protect everyone’s privacy.
Supporting Critical Thinking
Throughout the lesson, encourage pupils to explain their thinking by asking questions such as:
- Why do you think the AI chose that answer?
- What examples did we give it?
- What could we add to improve the model?
This helps pupils understand that AI depends on the data it is trained on rather than simply “knowing” the correct answer.
Gathering Evidence of Learning
Teacher Observation:
Listen to group discussions and observe whether pupils can explain why the AI made certain predictions and identify ways to improve the training data.Exit Ticket:
Before leaving, pupils complete a short reflection:- One thing I learned about how AI learns.
- One reason AI sometimes gets things wrong.
- One way I could improve my AI model.
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<h2>Where did you find this activity?</h2>
<h2>Peer Response</h2>
A key strength is the clear link between Science and Technology. Pupils classify objects while training, testing and improving an AI model.The activity supports age-appropriate AI literacy by showing that AI learns from examples and can make mistakes when its training data is limited.
One question is:Could the model become biased if it only sees a narrow range of leaves, shells or backgrounds?
A useful extension would be to compare two models: one trained with a small set of similar examples and another with a wider variety. Pupils could record which model is more accurate and explain why.
For SSE, the school could ask:Can pupils explain why an AI prediction may be wrong and suggest how to improve it?
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I liked how your lesson gives pupils the opportunity to discover for themselves how AI learns, rather than simply being told how machine learning works. The mystery object challenge is a real strength because it encourages pupils to predict, test and reflect on the results. I think this is a very age-appropriate way of introducing AI literacy, as it shows that AI is not intelligent on its own but relies on the quality and variety of the data it is given.
Like my own activity where pupils compare an AI-generated biography with one from a trusted source. Although our activities are different, they both encourage pupils to question AI outputs instead of accepting them at face value. Your lesson focuses on how the training data affects AI predictions, while mine focuses on checking the accuracy of AI-generated information.
One question I had was whether you would encourage pupils to think about who selected the training data in the first place. Could the AI make unfair decisions if the examples chosen were too limited or didn’t represent enough variety?
One possible extension could be to let pupils retrain their model after the mystery object challenge and compare the results. This would provide a clear way of assessing whether they understand how improving the training data can improve the AI’s performance.
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<p class=”isSelectedEnd”>I really like the strength of the learning intention in this activity. The Mystery Object Challenge is a great way of making this idea practical and age-appropriate, as pupils can actually see how the quality and variety of training data can affect the AI’s decisions.</p>
<p class=”isSelectedEnd”>I think this is a strong introduction to AI literacy because pupils are not just using AI; they are beginning to understand how it works and why it can make mistakes.</p>
<p class=”isSelectedEnd”>One question I would ask is: Could the AI be biased if we only give it certain types of examples during training? For example, what might happen if we only showed it large objects or objects photographed from one angle?</p>
For support, I would provide pupils with a simple recording sheet where they record their predictions, the AI’s response and whether they think the training data could have influenced the result. This could also provide useful evidence for SSE by showing how confidently pupils can explain AI decisions and identify limitations in the data.
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AI Literacy Lesson: 3<sup>rd</sup>/4<sup>th</sup> Class.
Curriculum Area: English – Oral Language, Exploring and using language. Pupils will recognise that AI can generate information, but that it is important to question whether that information is accurate and trustworthy before accepting it as true.
AI Concept: Misinformation – AI-generated content can sometimes be inaccurate or misleading, so we need to check for reliable sources.
Activity: I have chosen to use the Code Green Episode 4: Leaf Long Learners as the basis for my AI literacy activity. I would show the class this episode and ask pupils to identify facts they think are correct, and any they are doubtful or unsure of. They will then compare the AI generated information with trusted sources such as books, school websites or fact sheets. We will then discuss which information was accurate and which was questionable, leading to a discussion on why checking information matters. Then we will create a simple chart and sort the data into two headings; ‘Information we could verify’ and ‘Information we needed to question’.
Critical question: How to tell if AI-generated information is true or if it contains misinformation?
Responsible use: Although AI is a useful tool, we should also always check the information provided with reliable sources before using or sharing it.
Pupils will be supported to think critically through modelling of questions, think-pair-share and whole class discussions, and sentence starters. Evidence of learning is gathered through observation, the completed two-heading chart, and through listening to pupil discussion.
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Hi Louise,
There is a lot of good teaching thinking in this reflection. Your two-heading chart, sorting information into what could be verified and what needed to be questioned, is a lovely concrete way to make critical thinking visible. The think-pair-share, modelled questions and sentence starters are also exactly the right supports for helping 3rd and 4th Class pupils talk about trust and accuracy.
One thing I wanted to check with you is the episode you selected. Code Green Episode 4: Leaf Long Learners is actually focused on biodiversity and using AI to monitor plant health. Pupils use the GenAI Teachable Machine to train an image classifier to recognise nutrient deficiencies in plants. The main AI concepts are machine learning and training data rather than misinformation.
Your misinformation lesson is a strong idea in its own right, but it would need a different stimulus. You could use a short piece of AI-generated text on a familiar topic that contains a couple of errors for pupils to identify and verify.
Alternatively, if you would prefer to keep Leaf Long Learners, the lesson could focus on how machine learning works and why the quality of the training data matters.
It might be worth going back into the episode and deciding which of those two directions you would like to take. Either could work really well.
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Class -5th/6th
Curriculum area/learning intention – Science (properties and characteristics of plants), technology (using AI to identify patterns), Oral Language (critical thinking and problem-solving scenarios). Learning Intention: understand how AI can identify patterns in nature and use coding to solve problems while critically evaluating the information technology provides.
AI Concept – Pattern recognition and machine learning. Pupils explore how AI can identify leaves by comparing features, and learn that AI makes predictions based on the data it has been trained on rather than “knowing” the answer.
Activity outline: Guided lesson with Dream Space TV: watch the episode and discuss how AI can recognise different leaves. Pupils then complete the coding activity, programming a simple classifier or interactive project linked to leaves. Follow with a nature walk where pupils collect or photograph leaves and compare their own observations with an AI identification tool. Discuss similarities and differences between human observations and AI predictions.
Critical Question: Do all plants look the same if they have the right level of nitrogen or are there differences? Have I included different types of plants or all the same ones?
Responsible use consideration: AI can be a useful helper, but we should check important information using reliable sources or our own observations rather than accepting every AI response as correct.
How will critical thinking be supported: Pupils will be encouraged to make predictions before using the AI, compare AI results with real leaves or identification guides, explain whether they agree or disagree with the AI’s answer, and justify their thinking using evidence from observations. Teacher questioning will prompt pupils to consider why different results might occur.
Evidence of learning: Observe pupil discussions and reasoning during the activity; use questioning to assess understanding of how AI works; review completed coding projects; collect pupils’ comparison charts or science journals; end of lesson summary such as “One thing AI is good at…” and “One reason we should still think for ourselves…” to assess understanding of both AI concepts and responsible use. Check for understanding of science concepts through questioning of AI mistakes – how did you know this plant was healthy when it was classed as unhealthy by AI?
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Hi Catherine,
This is a really strong reflection and it is clear that you engaged fully with the episode. You have picked up exactly what Leaf Long Learners is about. AI recognises leaves by comparing features and makes predictions based on the data it was trained on.
The nature walk idea is standout. Having pupils collect real leaves and test them using an AI identification tool, then compare the prediction with their own observations, turns an abstract idea into something they can see, discuss and question. That is where the critical thinking really comes through.
I also love your closing prompts, asking pupils to identify one thing AI is good at and one reason we should still think for ourselves. This brings together both sides of AI literacy, its usefulness and the need for healthy scepticism. It would also give you lovely evidence of their understanding for SSE.
One small question to consider. When a pupil disagrees with the AI, for example if they believe a plant is healthy but the model has identified it as unhealthy, could you ask them what the AI might have been missing? It could have been the quality of the photograph, the angle or the training images. This would move them from simply spotting the error to thinking about why machine learning sometimes gets things wrong.
We would love to know how you get on if you try this in your classroom. 😊
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Thanks for sharing, Catherine! I also teach 6th class, and I love how you’ve blended hands-on science with AI pattern recognition here. Linking the Dream Space TV episode with a outdoor nature walk is such a fantastic way to make machine learning concepts real for this age group. Focusing on how AI makes predictions based on training data rather than knowing facts is brilliant. It builds genuine AI literacy by helping pupils see technology as a tool to question rather than an undeniable authority.
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AI-Generated Wildlife Poster
Class stage: Stage 3 — Third and Fourth Class
Curriculum area and learning intention:
STEM Education and Primary Language.
Pupils will examine an AI-generated wildlife poster, identify possible errors and explain why digital information should be checked before it is shared.AI concept being explored:
Generative AI, accuracy and misinformation.Activity outline:
The teacher presents an AI-generated poster about Irish woodland animals containing several deliberate errors, such as an incorrect habitat, diet or animal feature. In pairs, pupils identify statements or images they think may be inaccurate. They then check the information using teacher-approved books or websites and create a corrected version of the poster.Critical question:
How can we decide whether AI-generated information is accurate enough to trust or share?Responsible-use consideration:
Pupils should not enter personal information or upload photographs of themselves into AI tools. Any AI-generated material used in class should be selected and supervised by the teacher.Supporting critical thinking:
The teacher prompts pupils to ask:* What evidence supports this claim?
* Could this information be incorrect?
* Where could we check it?
* Who is responsible for correcting mistakes before sharing?Evidence of learning:
The teacher gathers evidence through pupil discussion, completed fact-checking sheets and corrected posters. An exit ticket asks pupils to record one AI error they found, how they checked it and one rule for using AI-generated information responsibly.-
Hi G,
This is a lovely practical plan. The AI-generated wildlife poster is a really clever hook because building the errors into something visual gives pupils something concrete.
Asking them to spot the incorrect habitat or diet, check it against a trusted source and then create a corrected version is especially strong. They are not simply being told that AI can make mistakes. They are proving it for themselves and then fixing the information.
Your critical questions are really well pitched too. That is exactly the kind of transferable skill you want to build at this age.
I also like that you included the responsible use message by reminding pupils not to upload personal information or photographs of themselves. This keeps privacy alongside accuracy which is really important.
One small idea to build on your exit ticket would be to ask pupils how confident they now feel spotting mistakes made by AI. This could give you a simple before and after picture across the class.
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Hi G,
I really liked your AI lesson about the AI generated wildlife poster. You incorporated observation skills, team work and creativity in your Nature & DT lesson. Inaccuracy and misinformation is rife in AI materials, so teaching the pupils this as part of a Geography lesson is a great idea – so much learning wrapped up in one lesson (my favourite kind!).
You have linked the lesson to the age of the children, their curriculum, and encouraged them to look critically at the information that they are being shown, a perfect level for your age-group. Your evidence of learning is a lovely ending to the lesson, especially the error finding and how they discovered it – children are quick to spot errors, however, checking validity and correcting isn’t automatic, so it is good for them to have this ability and to regularly use it.
I love your critical question – there is no definitive answer, so the question itself is teaching the children that not everything is black and white and not everything can be answered. That question is a lesson/research project in itself.
My question: How do you propose to ensure that the pupils only use selected AI-generated material or visit only teacher approved sites? Is it by the honour method or does your school have a system in place for monitoring/limiting the websites that they use?
Perhaps, as an activity for the beginning of your next lesson, you could consider pooling the insights that the pupils have gained by asking them via menti meter or similar, how they can ascertain if AI information is accurate – their answers could form a word cloud and thus give you a poster of ideas/rules/suggestions for the class. It should also show you what they understood from your lesson.
I enjoyed reading your lesson, and shall be using it in my own class this coming year, thank you.
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Sixth Class
Curriculum Area and Learning Intention: SPHE (Digital Citizenship) and English (Oral Language) with integration with History.
Pupils will develop the skills to critically evaluate digital information by comparing AI-generated content with information from a trusted source and recognising that not everything generated by AI is accurate.
AI Concept Being Explored:
AI-generated content can appear convincing but may contain inaccuracies, omissions or misinformation. It is important to verify information using reliable sources.Activity Outline:
I would provide pupils with two short accounts of the life of Michael Collins. One account would be AI-generated and would deliberately contain a number of factual inaccuracies, while the other would come from a reputable source. Working in pairs, pupils would compare the two texts, identify any differences and discuss which account they believe is more trustworthy. They would then use evidence from the reputable source to explain why certain information in the AI-generated account was incorrect or misleading. This would be followed by a class discussion on why AI can make mistakes and why we should always think critically about the information we read online.Critical Question:
How can we decide whether information created by AI is accurate and trustworthy?Responsible Use Consideration:
Pupils should understand that AI can be a valuable tool for learning, but they should always look beyond the AI response, consider where the information has come from and verify it using reliable sources. As teachers, we also have a responsibility to ensure the sources we use are accurate, age-appropriate and suitable for our pupils and what AI platforms could be exposing to the children.Supporting Critical Thinking:
Pupils will work collaboratively to compare evidence, justify their decisions and explain why they trust one source over another.Evidence of Learning:
Pupils will complete a reflection explaining one inaccuracy they identified, how they verified it and one thing they will do in future to avoid being exposed to misinformation. -
A teacher-provided AI-generated-content scenario
Class stage- 4th class
Curriculum area and learning intention:
Wellbeing/ SPHE
Train Gen AI teachable Machine to recognise recyclable. compostable rubbish
AI concept being explored:
Teachable machine
Short activity or discussion outline:
The children will be introduced to the GenAI Teachable machine through seeing it on the interactive whiteboard/ their own IPADS. Then they will be shown the episode of Code Green with Michael and Corey on how to train the machine to recognise when a plant is lacking nitrogen.
They will then discuss their project which would tie in nicely with things such as Green Schools and Picker Pals at our school. Discussions around what is recyclable and compostable will take place in gorups and as a whole class.
The children will then either use their IPAD camera or images from google to assess rubbish they want the machine to sort.
They will then input 6 recyclable and 6 compostable items into their machine and test it. They can then test it with an item which is neither to see if it works. They can then be creative in how to improve their machines and use it to assess rubbish within our own school bins.
One critical question about bias, accuracy, authorship or misinformation
Should we check an item before relying on the answer from our AI machine?
One responsible-use consideration:
Can we rely on AI alone to help us with environmental care?
How pupils will be supported to think critically
They learn to question the answers from AI rather than just accepting them.
How you would gather evidence of learning
Observations, questionning, teacher use of their machines to test them
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Hi Brona
I really liked your idea of using the Teachable Machine to sort recyclable and compostable waste. It’s a hands-on activity that helps pupils understand that AI learns from the examples we give it, making AI literacy meaningful and age-appropriate.
One question I would ask the class is: What might happen if the AI gives the wrong answer? This would encourage pupils to think about accuracy and why it’s important to check AI’s responses instead of accepting them straight away.
A simple extension could be to ask pupils to explain why the AI made a mistake and how they could improve it by adding better examples. This would reinforce critical thinking and show that AI improves through testing and refining.
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Hi Brona,
I love this idea! I really like that you adapted what Michael and Corey demoed in the Leaf Long Learner episode to something that’s relevant and meaningful for your school. Side note I love the Picker Pals concept you’ve mentioned.
A quick extension idea could be a game of AI detective where each group is given 3-4 “tricky” items (pizza box, coffee cup etc). They must predict what their AI model will say, test it and discuss was the AI right or wrong and why/why not?
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Hi Brona,
This is a fantastic idea and I hope you don’t mind but I’m already planning on using it with the Green Schools Committee in school this coming year!
There are so many extension ideas…one that sprung to mind immediately was discussing what companies could make use of this tool in their process, or may do already? (I’m thinking of Recycling centres and is it possible that future Recycling bins could become ‘Smart’ and ‘refuse’ a non-recyclable item?)
So interesting and relevant- thank you!
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Class Stage: 3rd/4th Class
Curriculum Areas: English, SPHE and Digital Learning.
Learning Intention: Pupils will develop critical thinking skills by exploring how AI creates digital content and learn the importance of questioning and checking information online.
AI Concept Being Explored: Pupils will explore AI-generated content, understanding that AI can create realistic images and information but can also make mistakes or produce inaccurate content.
Short Activity or Discussion Outline: Pupils will compare two images of the same animal: one real photograph and one AI-generated image. Working in pairs, they will discuss which image they think is real and explain their reasons. The class will identify clues that suggest an image may have been created by AI and discuss why we should think carefully about online content.
As a pause point, I would raise a critical question about bias, accuracy, authorship or misinformation “How can we check if something created by AI is accurate and trustworthy?”
Pupils will discuss the importance of using AI responsibly by checking information, respecting ownership of ideas and recognising when content has been created using AI.
How Pupils Will Be Supported to Think Critically: Through questioning, pair discussions and sharing ideas, pupils will be encouraged to explain their thinking and use evidence to support their opinions.
How I Would Gather Evidence of Learning: Evidence will be gathered through observation, pupil discussions and a short reflection or exit ticket where pupils share what they learned about AI and how they can check if online content is reliable. This could support SSE by informing a whole-school focus on Digital Learning and responsible technology use.
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I really like this activity as it encourages pupils to question the content they see online in an engaging and age-appropriate way. Comparing a real image with an AI-generated image is an excellent way to introduce important concepts such as accuracy and misinformation. Your learning intention clearly supports AI literacy by helping pupils develop critical-thinking skills while also linking naturally with English, SPHE and Digital Learning. I was wondering how you would approach situations where pupils disagree about which image is real. Would you introduce additional sources to help them verify the information? One possible extension activity could be to ask pupils to create a checklist of clues that might indicate that an image has been generated by AI. This could also provide useful evidence for assessment and support your school’s focus on digital learning through SSE.
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Hi Fiona,
I really like this activity, particularly because it is so relevant to the world pupils are growing up in today. We are increasingly presented with AI-generated images and content, particularly on social media, and it is important that children develop the habit of questioning whether what they see is real rather than automatically believing it. I think this is a strong way of developing age-appropriate AI literacy as it encourages pupils to question, discuss and look for evidence rather than simply accepting digital content at face value.
I also think there is a really strong link here with SPHE and digital safety. It could open up discussion about how AI-generated images or information could potentially be used to embarrass or bully someone, impersonate someone, or even form part of an online scam. How might we help pupils recognise when AI-generated content could be being used in a harmful or deceptive way, and what should they do if they encounter it?
As an extension, pupils could be given a few age-appropriate examples of online scenarios and work in groups to decide whether they should trust, question, check or report the content. This could provide a practical way of assessing whether pupils can apply what they have learned about responsible AI use to real-life digital situations
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For this activity, I would use Code Green Episode 4: Leaf Long Learners with a 5th class. The lesson would link to Science and SPHE, while also supporting pupils’ digital literacy and critical thinking skills.
After watching the episode, I would lead a class discussion about what artificial intelligence is and where we might come across it in everyday life. We would talk about how AI can be helpful, but also why it is important to question the information it gives us and use our own judgement. Pupils would work in small groups to sort different scenarios into “AI could help” and “A person should decide”, explaining the reasons for their choices.
The learning objective would be for pupils to understand that AI is a tool that can support learning, but that people are responsible for making decisions and checking information. To finish the lesson, pupils would create a simple classroom poster with tips for using AI safely and responsibly.
I think this activity would encourage discussion, collaboration and critical thinking while helping pupils develop a balanced understanding of AI and its role in everyday life.
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I really like the idea of asking pupils to sort scenarios into “AI could help” and “A person should decide”. It is an engaging way to encourage critical thinking and helps children understand that AI should support rather than replace human decision-making. Your learning objective is very clear and is appropriate for fifth class pupils because it encourages them to think about both the benefits and limitations of AI. Creating a classroom poster is also a great way to reinforce responsible use. One question I had is how you would deal with situations where pupils disagree about whether AI or a person should make a particular decision. As an extension activity, pupils could revisit their posters later in the year and add new ideas as their understanding of AI develops.
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For this activity, I would use Code Green Episode 4: Leaf Long Learners with a fifth-class group. The lesson would link to SPHE and Science, with a focus on developing pupils’ critical thinking and digital literacy skills. The learning intention would be for pupils to understand that artificial intelligence can generate information quickly but that the information should always be checked for accuracy and reliability.
The AI concept being explored is that AI systems generate responses based on patterns in data and can sometimes produce incorrect or biased information. Pupils would watch the episode and then work in small groups to compare information generated by AI with information from books and trusted websites. They would discuss similarities and differences and decide which sources they trust most.
A key question for discussion would be: How do we know whether information created by AI is accurate and trustworthy?
An important responsible-use consideration is that pupils should never share personal information with AI tools and should always seek help from a trusted adult when using technology.
To support critical thinking, pupils would be encouraged to ask questions about where information comes from, who created it and whether it could contain mistakes or bias. Evidence of learning could be gathered through group discussions, pupil reflection sheets and a short class presentation explaining how they evaluated the information.
As part of School Self-Evaluation, teachers could use activities like this to assess and strengthen pupils’ digital literacy and critical-thinking skills across the school.
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For this activity, I would work with a third-class group and use a teacher-provided scenario involving AI-generated content. The lesson would link to English, SPHE and Digital Learning. The learning intention would be for pupils to understand that artificial intelligence can create text and images but that people must think carefully about whether the information is accurate and reliable.
To begin the lesson, I would show the class two short descriptions of the same animal. One would be written by a person and the other would be generated by AI. Working in groups, pupils would discuss similarities and differences and identify any information that seems unusual or incorrect. We would then discuss how AI creates content and why mistakes can happen.
The AI concept being explored is accuracy and authorship. Pupils would learn that AI does not think like humans and that it creates content using information that it has been trained on.
A critical question for the class would be: Who is responsible if AI creates information that is incorrect?
A responsible-use consideration would be the importance of checking information with trusted sources and never sharing personal details with AI tools.
Pupils would be supported to think critically through class discussion, group work and questioning. They would be encouraged to explain their opinions and provide evidence for their answers.
Evidence of learning could be gathered through teacher observation, pupil discussion and a short written reflection explaining one thing they learned about AI. As part of School Self-Evaluation, this activity could support a whole-school focus on digital literacy and help pupils become more responsible users of technology.
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I really like your activity because comparing an AI-generated description with one written by a person is a simple and engaging way to introduce AI to third-class pupils. It helps them develop critical thinking skills by encouraging them to question what they read instead of assuming it is always correct. One question I have is: How would you help pupils decide which source is more reliable if both descriptions seem believable? One suggestion would be to give pupils a simple fact-checking worksheet where they can record which facts they checked, where they found the information, and whether it was accurate. This would also provide good evidence of their learning.
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I would use this activity with 4th Class and link it to English. The aim is to help pupils understand that AI can be helpful, but it doesn’t always give correct information.
I would give the class a short AI-generated paragraph about a topic they know, such as dolphins or volcanoes. The paragraph would include a few mistakes. In pairs, pupils would read it, spot any information they think is wrong, and use a book or a child-friendly website to check the facts.
The AI concept is accuracy. Pupils learn that AI can make mistakes, so it’s important to check information instead of believing everything it says.
A discussion question could be: “Should we always trust AI? Why or why not?”
I would remind pupils to use AI as a tool to help them learn, not to do all the thinking for them.
I would support pupils by encouraging them to explain how they know something is true and to use reliable sources. I would check their learning through class discussion and a short exit ticket where they write one thing they learned about using AI safely.
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For this activity, I planned a short AI literacy lesson for a **6th class in a Gaelscoil**. It links with **Literacy and STEM**, with the learning intention of developing **critical thinking and group work**.
I would give the class a short AI-generated article about a topic they already know something about, such as the Giant’s Causeway or the Vikings in Ireland. Working in small groups, the pupils would read the article and highlight anything they think is correct, anything they are unsure about, and anything that doesn’t seem right. After a few minutes, I would tell them that the article was created by AI and we would discuss what they noticed.
The AI concept I want the pupils to explore is that **AI can create convincing content, but it doesn’t always get the facts right**. A question I would ask the class is: **”How can we tell if this information is true?”** This would get them thinking about accuracy and misinformation.
We would also talk about using AI responsibly. I’d explain that AI can be a really useful tool for ideas and learning, but it shouldn’t do all the thinking for us. It’s important to check information using trusted sources and not just believe everything AI says.
To help pupils think critically, I’d give each group a simple checklist with questions like “Can we prove this?”, “Where could we check this?” and “Does this sound believable?” They could compare the AI article with a book or a reliable website and discuss any differences they find.
To gather evidence of learning, each group would share one fact they confirmed and one fact that turned out to be wrong or misleading. I’d finish with a quick exit ticket where pupils write one thing they learned about AI and one way they can check if AI-generated information is accurate.
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• Class stage: 4th
• Curriculum area and learning intention: Wellbeing/SPHE: use AI responsibly by critically evaluating the content it provides.
• AI concept being explored: accuracy
• Short activity or discussion outline: the class will work in pairs to analise two texts on the current topic of learning in history. One will be from a trusted site(Britannica/Scoilnet), the other will be from ChatGBT and will contain inaccuracies. The class will not be told which text is which as named headings, etc. will be deleted. They will work together to decide which facts are correct by using a device to research questionable information.
• One critical question: Can we believe everything AI gives us straight away?
• One responsible-use consideration: Pupils will learn that we need to check all information given to us by AI against reliable sources before believing it.
• How pupils will be supported to think critically: we will use the Minecraft Education Videos to learn about AI. I will present a powerpoint of real/fake statements/images for children to review and realise how often this can happen in order to promote their critical thinking.
• How you would gather evidence of learning: We will use AI in some follow up activities and I will observe their use of fact checking and critical thinking.-
I really enjoyed reading your post and I think your learning intention is a very important one for developing AI literacy in primary pupils. A particular strength of your activity is the decision to have pupils compare an AI-generated text with a trusted source without revealing which one is which. This is a great way to encourage genuine investigation and prevents pupils from assuming that one source is automatically more reliable than another. It supports age-appropriate AI literacy by helping children understand that AI can produce convincing information but that it still needs to be questioned and checked.
I also think the link with History is very effective, as pupils are already used to exploring evidence and considering whether sources are reliable. This naturally supports the development of critical thinking skills that are essential when using AI tools.
One question I had was how you might introduce the idea of bias alongside accuracy. For example, could pupils discuss whether an AI response might leave out certain viewpoints or present information differently depending on the data it has learned from?
A practical suggestion for assessment could be to ask pupils to create a short “AI fact-check checklist” that they can use in future activities. This would provide a useful piece of evidence of learning and encourage them to apply these skills independently.
From a School Self-Evaluation (SSE) perspective, I think your activity could provide valuable evidence of pupils developing digital literacy, research skills, and responsible technology use. Observations of pupil discussions, their fact-checking process, and follow-up activities could help the school evaluate how effectively AI literacy is being embedded across learning experiences.
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I’d run this with a fourth class group, using Code Green Episode 4: Leaf Long Learners as the starting point.
It ties in well under SESE, with the objective that pupils come away understanding that AI doesn’t just “know” things automatically, it learns to spot patterns by looking at loads of examples first, similar to how the episode shows an AI being trained to tell different leaves apart.My aim would be to show the episode, then hand out a mix of real leaves for pupils to sort into groups however they think makes sense. Afterwards, we’d talk through what they used to decide, shape, colour, edges, and so on, and I’d point out that this is roughly what the AI is doing too, just with thousands of examples instead of a handful.
The question I’d throw out to the class is this: if you only ever showed the AI oak leaves, would it be able to recognise a holly leaf? Getting them to wrestle with that opens up a good chat about bias and why the examples an AI learns from really matter.
On responsible use, I’d show that AI can be wrong, so it’s never something to take at face value without double-checking.
To keep them thinking critically rather than just accepting what they see, I’d keep circling back to “how would we know if this was wrong?” throughout.
For evidence, I’d engage in teacher observations during their sorting discussions and get them to write quick written line at the end on what they’d need to change to make the AI “smarter.”
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For this activity, I would use **Code Green Episode 4: *Leaf Long Learners*** with a **5th Class**. The lesson links well with the **Science** curriculum, particularly the strand of *Living Things*, while also supporting digital literacy and critical thinking. The learning intention would be for pupils to understand how AI can be used to solve real-world environmental problems while recognising that AI is only as reliable as the data it is trained on.
The AI concept I would explore is **machine learning**. After watching the episode, pupils would discuss how the AI model learned to identify healthy and unhealthy leaves by recognising patterns from the examples it was shown. We would then explore what might happen if the AI was only trained using one type of leaf or poor-quality images. This would help pupils understand that AI can make mistakes if it is not trained with enough accurate and varied information.
A critical question I would ask is: **”If the AI says a plant is unhealthy, should we always believe it? Why or why not?”** This would encourage pupils to think about the accuracy of AI and the importance of checking information rather than accepting AI-generated answers without question.
A key responsible-use consideration would be helping pupils understand that AI should support human decision-making, not replace it. In this context, scientists and gardeners would still need to observe plants themselves and use their own knowledge before making decisions based on AI predictions.
To support critical thinking, I would encourage pupils to justify their answers during class discussions and compare the AI’s predictions with their own observations. They would work in pairs to explain why they agreed or disagreed with the AI’s conclusions, using evidence from what they observed in the images and what they learned during the lesson.
To gather evidence of learning, I would use group discussions, teacher observation, and an exit ticket asking pupils to explain one thing they learned about how AI works and one reason why AI can sometimes make mistakes. This would help me assess both their understanding of machine learning and their ability to think critically about AI.
From a School Self-Evaluation (SSE) perspective, I think lessons like this could make a valuable contribution to developing digital literacy and critical thinking across the school. Collecting pupil reflections and examples of their reasoning would provide useful evidence of how AI literacy is being embedded into teaching and learning while helping to identify opportunities for further development.
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Class Stage: 5th Class
Curriculum Area and Learning Intention:
SESE (Science with SPHE links)
Learning Intention: To recognise that AI-generated information should be evaluated carefully and to develop strategies for checking the accuracy of digital information.AI Concept Being Explored:
AI-generated content, accuracy and misinformation.Activity Outline:
Pupils will be presented with an AI-generated information sheet about native Irish animals, including species such as the red squirrel, badger and Irish hare. The text will contain a small number of incorrect or misleading statements. Working in pairs, pupils will identify facts they believe are inaccurate and use classroom resources, such as non-fiction books or approved websites, to verify the information. The class will then discuss why AI sometimes generates incorrect information and the importance of checking facts before accepting or sharing them.Critical Question:
How can we decide whether information produced by AI is trustworthy?Responsible Use Consideration:
AI can support learning by providing ideas and information, but it should never replace reliable sources or our own critical thinking.Supporting Critical Thinking:
I would encourage pupils to explain how they reached their conclusions by asking questions such as “What makes this source reliable?” and “What evidence can you find to support your answer?” Pupils would compare information from multiple sources before deciding which information is most accurate.Evidence of Learning:
Evidence would be gathered through pupils’ annotated information sheets, observations of paired discussions and a short written reflection explaining one inaccurate AI statement they identified and how they verified the correct information.-
Hi Niamh,
This is a strong, well-grounded plan. Using an AI-generated fact sheet about animals native to Ireland, with a few errors included, is a lovely way to make the issue of accuracy feel real. Choosing familiar species such as the red squirrel and Irish hare also gives pupils some existing knowledge to draw on when spotting the mistakes.
Your critical thinking prompts are really well pitched too. Asking what makes a source reliable and encouraging pupils to compare information across several sources before reaching a conclusion helps build a habit that will serve them well beyond AI. That is exactly the kind of transferable skill you want to develop at this stage.
One small thought to build on it. When pupils annotate the sheet, you could ask them to note not only what was wrong but also how confident they felt about their judgement. AI can present incorrect information with the same confidence as accurate information, so this opens up an important discussion about the difference between sounding certain and being correct.
This is a lovely lesson idea!
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Class Stage: 6th Class
Curriculum Area & Learning Intention:
SESE (Science / Environmental Awareness) & Literacy. The intention is for pupils to critically evaluate an AI-generated text about local wildlife to spot factual errors and biases.
AI Concept Explored: AI Hallucinations, Accuracy, and Authorship.
Activity Outline:
I’ll give the class a short, AI-generated article about Irish woodland habitats containing a few subtle inaccuracies. Working in pairs, pupils will cross-check the AI text against reliable reference books and trusted websites to fact-check the claims.
Critical Question: “Just because an AI writes something confidently, does that automatically make it true or accurate?”
Responsible-Use Consideration: AI should be used as a starting tool for ideas, not as an unquestioned source of truth without human fact-checking.
Supporting Critical Thinking & Evidence of Learning:
Pupils will highlight errors using a color-coded system (green for facts, yellow for myths). I’ll gather evidence through their annotated sheets and a quick exit ticket reflecting on why fact-checking AI is essential.
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I like how your learning intention combines Science and Literacy by asking pupils to fact-check information about Irish wildlife. Using a topic that pupils may already know something about should help them notice when a claim seems inaccurate and encourage them to investigate further.
This supports age-appropriate AI literacy because Sixth Class pupils are learning that AI can produce convincing information without fully understanding the topic. Comparing the article with reliable books and trusted websites also shows them that human judgement and evidence are still important.
One question pupils could explore is: How does not knowing who wrote the AI-generated article affect how much we should trust it?
As a practical assessment idea, pupils could complete a table with the headings claim, source checked, accurate or inaccurate, and corrected information. Each pair could then explain one error they found and the evidence used to correct it. This would make their fact-checking process and understanding clearly visible.
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Hi Shona, I really like how you included the colour coded system for checking the facts and it prevents confusion for them. The responsible use consideration you have included is very realistic as we are not telling them they cannot use AI we are just trying to guide them to use it appropriately and creatively as a starting tool for ideas.
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I watched the episode of Leaf Long Learners which is a fantastic lesson and also demos how to use teachable machine.
Can AI recognise shape?
Class stage: 3rd/4th class
Curriculum area: Maths – shape and spaceI would use Teachable Machine as part of a maths lesson on 2D shapes. The learning intention would be for children to classify shapes using their properties while also exploring how a supervised machine learning model learns from labelled examples. This links well with stage 3 outcome of investigating and analysing 2D and 3D shapes and identifying classes of shapes based on their properties.
In groups, children would train a model using images of triangles, quadrilaterals and other shapes. Once trained, we would test it with new examples including shapes that are different colours, sizes, orientation or hand-drawn.
I think an interesting part would be deliberately creating a based training set. For example, using only red triangles and blue quadrilaterals and then testing blue triangles. This could lead into the question “has the AI actually learned what makes a triangle a triangle or has it learned something else from our pictures?”
The responsible use element would be that we only photograph the shapes and not pupils or other personal information.To support critical thinking, children would compare the AI’s answer with the actual mathematical properties of the shape and suggest ways to improve the training data. This also fit s with computational thinking through pattern recognition, testing and improving digital creations.
I would gather evidence through a simple results table and short exit question “what made our AI model more accurate?”
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Class stage: Fifth Class (Stage 4)
Curriculum area and learning intention:
This activity would link mainly to STEM Education, particularly Science – Living Things. The learning intention would be for pupils to observe and compare leaves, explore how data can help us investigate plant health and understand that an AI prediction must be checked against scientific evidence.
AI concept:
The main concept would be machine-learning image classification. Pupils would explore how a model is trained using examples and labels and then uses patterns to make a prediction.
Activity outline:
I would use Code Green Episode 4: Leaf Long Learners as an introduction. Pupils would first examine teacher-selected pictures of healthy and unhealthy leaves and discuss the features they notice, such as colour, shape, spots or damage. They would organise the images into labelled categories and consider whether the examples provide enough variety to train a reliable model. We would then look at sample predictions and compare them with our own observations and information from a trusted plant guide.
A critical question I would ask is: Could the model give an inaccurate or biased prediction if it was only trained using a small selection of leaves?
For responsible use, I would only use teacher-selected leaf images that do not contain pupils, names, faces or personal information. Pupils would be supported to use the steps pause, question, check and decide before trusting a prediction.
I would gather evidence of learning through pupil discussion, annotated leaf images and a short reflection explaining how labelled examples affect predictions and why AI does not replace scientific investigation.
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Hi Cathal,
This is a really solid plan and it is clear that you understood what the episode is teaching. You have the core idea spot on, that the model learns from labelled examples and then uses patterns to make a prediction. Getting pupils to sort and label leaves themselves is a lovely way to make that idea concrete.
Your critical question is probably the strongest part. Asking whether a model trained on only a small selection of leaves could give a biased prediction gets right to the heart of why training data matters. It is exactly the kind of question that will get Fifth Class thinking more deeply about how AI works.
I also really like your pause, question, check and decide steps. Giving pupils a simple routine they can use when looking at an AI prediction helps turn the lesson into something they can apply again in other situations.
One small idea to build on this. When pupils compare the model’s prediction with their own observations, you could ask what they would add to the training set to make the model more reliable. This moves them from spotting the limitation to thinking about how they might improve it.
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Class stage: 3rd class
Curriculum areas: Science, English, Visual Arts, Digital learning
Learning intentions:
– Use existing knowledge about an animal to critically evaluate AI generated information.
– Identify inaccuracies, explain why information is incorrect and understand the importance of checking information provided by AI sources with reliable sources.AI concept being explored – AI information and accuracy – how AI can produce information that sounds extremely convincing but yet contains inaccuracies and misinformation.
Short activity or discussion outline:
For this lesson I will use the knowledge the pupils have already acquired. Last year, my class focused on one animal in pairs. They created habitat shoeboxes in art and science and they created reports on that animal in English. By using a number of different curricular areas, the class became immersed in learning and became experts in regards their chosen animal. Using the knowledge they have already acquired in their projects, the pupils will become AI fact checkers.
Short pieces of information will be generated based on their animal using AI. The information will contain a mixture of accurate facts and several inaccuracies. For example, if a pair has researched penguins, the AI-generated text might incorrectly state that all penguins live in the Arctic or that penguins can fly.In their pairs, pupils will compare the AI-generated information with their own research, reports and habitat models. They will highlight information they believe is incorrect and explain why. The class will then discuss how AI can produce an answer that sounds believable even when some of the information is wrong.
One critical question which could be posed to the class after the completion of the is if AI gives us information that sounds correct, how can we know whether it is actually accurate? Also what is the impact of using and sharing information which is incorrect.
Responsible-Use consideration –
Pupils will discuss how they should check their information using trusted sources before using and sharing information gathered through AI.How pupils will be supported to think critically?
Pupils are encouraged through this activity to use the knowledge they have already gained rather than accepting the content provided by AI sources. I will model how to question the AI responses through an initial example on the board and post the activity I would encourage them to provide evidence for their decisions.How you would gather evidence of learning?
I would gather evidence of learning through the pair and class discussions. The pairs will also record the inaccuracies which they have located and provide explanations for why it is inaccurate. At the end of the lesson, I would also ask the class to record one thing they have learned from using AI in the lesson. -
Class stage: 6th Class
Curriculum area: SESE Science/Geography, with links to STEM Education and Digital Learning.
Learning intention: Pupils will use their knowledge of the Burren in County Clare to evaluate AI generated information and recognise that AI is not always accurate.
AI concept: Accuracy, bias and misinformation.
Activity: Pupils will receive an AI generated information sheet about Burren wildlife and biodiversity, containing a mixture of accurate and inaccurate facts. Working in pairs, they identify statements they question and use reliable sources to fact check them. The class then discusses why AI might produce incorrect information.
Critical question:
If AI gives us information that sounds convincing, how can we know if it is actually true?Responsible use: Pupils will learn that AI should support learning rather than replace their own thinking. They will learn that AI generated information should always be checked against reliable sources before being shared.
Supporting critical thinking: Pupils explain why they believe information is correct or incorrect and provide evidence to support their decisions.
Evidence of learning: I would collect pupils’ fact checking sheets and use an exit ticket asking: “What is one reason we should check AI generated information?” Their responses and participation in discussion would provide evidence of understanding and I will also use teacher observation as they are completing the activities in pairs.
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Hi Ellen,
This is a lovely plan. Because your pupils already know the Burren area, an AI-generated sheet about Burren wildlife gives them local knowledge to draw on when spotting errors. That makes the fact-checking much more meaningful than working with a topic they have no connection to.
Your critical question is really well pitched too. Helping pupils recognise the difference between something sounding convincing and actually being accurate is right at the heart of AI literacy and it is an important skill for 6th Class to develop.
One small idea to build on this would be to ask pupils to predict which facts they think might be wrong before they begin checking them. They could then compare their predictions with what they discover. This would encourage them to actively use their existing knowledge and could open up a lovely discussion about why some errors were easy to spot while others were more difficult.
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Class Stage: 3rd & 4th Class
Curriculum Area and Learning Intention: SESE – History
Learning Intention: To understand why incorrect or insufficient input can cause AI to give inaccurate output.
AI Concept Being Explored: AI accuracy/inaccuracyActivity Outline:
Stimulus & Introductory Activity: A series of images of buildings captioned either ‘Historic’ or ‘Modern’ will be given out to each group of pupils. The captions may or may not be correct- it is up to the pupils to decide in their groups, drawing on their shared knowledge and using classroom resources- books and iPads.
Critical Question: Name some causes for inaccurate information?
Introduce WALT: Understand how AI works and why incorrect or insufficient input can cause inaccurate output.
Responsible Use Consideration: The requirement for human fact checking, as pupils did during introduction activity, using their own and other knowledge sources.
Understanding: Teacher models using the Teachable Machine (https://tm.gen-ai.fi/image/general) to demonstrate a simple classification, e.g. identification of a cat vs. a dog. The teacher explicitly teaches that fewer sample images can result in output errors, drawing pupils attention back to critical question.
Exploring and Using: In pairs children use the Teachable Machine to classify buildings correctly into historic or modern.
Evidence of learning: Pupils record classification errors and reiterations on a tracking sheet (stuck into their SESE copybooks). -
For pupils in 5th/6th Class , I would introduce an AI literacy activity using a teacher provided AI‑generated scenario. The lesson would integrate within SPHE and Digital Citizenship, with the learning intention that pupils will understand how AI tools create content and how to question its accuracy, fairness and purpose.
The AI concept explored is AI‑generated text and the possibility of bias or misinformation.
Activity Outline: Pupils are shown a short AI‑generated ‘news update’ about a school event. Working in groups, they compare it with a teacher‑written version. They identify differences, discuss why the AI might have made certain assumptions, and highlight any inaccuracies or missing context. Groups then rewrite one section to make it clearer and more reliable.
A critical question for discussion: How do we know if AI has made something up, exaggerated information or left out important details? This links naturally to bias and accuracy in AI systems.
A responsible‑use consideration is reminding pupils that AI should support their thinking, not replace it, and that they should always verify information with a trusted source.
To support critical thinking, I would use prompts such as: What evidence can you find? What would you ask the author (human or AI)?
Evidence of learning would be gathered through group discussion notes, a KWL chart, and short pupil reflections explaining what they changed and why.
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I like this idea as the veracity and details of a school event would likely be known by all the pupils.
It would be a good lesson in comparing the real vs the Ai version and discuss what differences they found. ‘What would you ask the author?’ is a good question. Sometimes a trusted adult is all that’s needed or with this school event article, any pupil who witnessed the event.
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I think one of the main issues with AI is our dependency on it. That we accept suggestions from AI without much thought or consideration, that it does our thinking for us and we lose the ability to think critically.
I think therefore it is hugely important to explicitly teach skills of critical thinking, checking sources and always checking over the credibility of AI. This would be how I would introduce AI into the classroom.
My idea would be to look at a series of statements and pictures and try to determine which are real and which are AI. What are the tell tale signs that it is in fact computer generated and what makes it real? How can you tell the difference?
By incorporating images and statements that could easily be taken as real, it will highlight to children the importance of always questioning and checking information and sources. This is a skill that could also transfer to history lessons where you have to check sources and check for accuracy.
We will focus on the language needed in order to carry out such a discussion and children will have to come up with arguments for and against opinions regarding the statements or images. Children will learn the skills of debate and vocalising their thinking. They can work in groups in order to help the collaborative nature of the lesson.
Once we check the source of the statement or image at the end, it will provide learning and awareness of the need for this kind of thinking when engaging in any activity online.
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I love Ellen Downs idea of using a familiar image of the Burren and using them to discuss both the credibility of AI and also the extent to which it can really be quite excellent. There is no doubt about the usefulness of AI and the extent of which it has improved in recent years. I think it could really surprise children to learn what is real and what is AI generated. Hopefully by doing so it will highlight to children the importance of always questioning and checking your sources.
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Class Stage: 6th Class
Curriculum Area and Learning Intention:
I would link this activity with English, SPHE and Digital Learning, focusing on helping pupils evaluate information and think critically about what they see online. This is particularly relevant for sixth class, as many pupils are already using phones and social media. I have often heard pupils say something that does not seem believable and, when questioned, their response is, “But I saw it on TikTok.” I think this provides a very relevant starting point for discussing how easily misinformation can spread online.AI Concept Being Explored:
The main concept would be AI-generated content, accuracy, bias and misinformation.Activity:
As we regularly use CBBC Newsround to discuss current affairs, I would choose a news story about a celebrity, footballer, musician or film that would interest my students. I would show pupils the genuine news report first and identify the key facts together. I would then give them an AI-generated version of the same story containing a few subtle inaccuracies. Working in pairs, pupils would highlight anything they think might be incorrect and use the original report and another trusted source to check the information. We would discuss how AI-generated information can sound convincing even when it is not accurate.Critical Question:
“How can we know if something we see online is true, even if it sounds believable or lots of people are sharing it?”Responsible Use:
I would emphasise that AI should support learning but should not automatically be treated as a reliable source. Pupils should check information against trusted sources before using or sharing it.Supporting Critical Thinking:
I would ask questions such as, “What evidence do you have?”, “Where could we check this?” and “Who created this information and why?”-
Hi Miriam,
I really like the way you have linked your activity to something that pupils are already experiencing in their everyday lives. The use of a current news story is a particular strength because it gives the pupils a real reason to question the information they are being presented with, rather than AI literacy feeling like a separate topic.
I think the activity is very age-appropriate for 6th Class as it develops pupils’ ability to question the accuracy of information and check it against reliable sources. The question, “How can we know if something we see online is true, even if it sounds believable or lots of people are sharing it?” is particularly effective as it encourages pupils to think beyond simply whether something looks convincing.
One question I would be interested in exploring further is “Could an AI-generated story be biased depending on the information it was trained on or the person who created the prompt?” This could open up a discussion around bias and authorship as well as accuracy.
As a practical extension, pupils could create their own short AI-generated news story containing one or two inaccuracies and swap with another pair to fact-check. This could also provide a good opportunity to assess how well they can identify and verify unreliable information
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I would like to use the resource ‘Code Green’ to help 4th class to investigate whether AI can tell if a plant is healthy or not. I hope that this would help them to understand what AI learns from data and that the examples given to AI can affect its decisions. I would like them to be able to recognise that AI can make mistakes and its answers should be verified by people.
Activity
Show pupils two or three pictures of plants – one healthy, one dry/wilted, one with damaged leaves and discuss how to tell if the plant is healthy, What clues we can give AI and If we showed an AI 100 healthy plants would it automatically know what a healthy plant looks like? Watch the section of Code Green episode 4 where the pupils explore plant health and train an AI model.In pairs, pupils become the “AI”. Give each pair 8–10 plant cards/photos and ask them to sort them into healthy or unhealthy plants. They should decide on the features they used eg colour of leaves, drooping/wilting, brown or damaged leaves. Then deliberately introduce a tricky example eg a plant with some brown leaves but lots of healthy growth and have them think about whether our AI would know what to do.
As a class finish by discussing whether we gave the AI enough examples, what further information what might be needed and whether we can always trust an AI’s decisions?-
I especially like your idea of using photo cards as sort of unplugged activity. The students becoming a form of precursor AI is great too, since they must undergo the same criteria as the AI after them – deciding the two categories. How would you further proceed with the tricky examples, though? Let the students decide or is there a “perfect” solution to this?
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For 5th class, I would use the Microsoft Code Green episode “Leaf Long Learners” as a starting point for a Science and Digital Learning lesson. The learning intention would be for pupils to understand how AI can be used to identify patterns and support people in solving real-world problems, while also recognising that AI does not always give correct or unbiased answers.
After watching the clip, pupils could work in small groups with pictures of different leaves and try to sort them into groups based on their own observations. We could then discuss how an AI system might be trained to do something similar and what information it would need. A key question would be: “If an AI system identifies a leaf incorrectly, who should we trust – the AI or our own evidence?”
Responsible use would include checking AI-generated information against reliable sources rather than accepting it automatically. Pupils would be encouraged to explain their reasoning, compare answers and question results. I would gather evidence through group discussions, pupil explanations and a short exit ticket asking pupils to give one useful use of AI and one reason why its answers should be checked.
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Class stage: 6th Class
Curriculum area and learning intention: Science and Digital Learning. The learning intention would be for pupils to understand that AI can generate information, but that the information it provides is not always accurate or reliable.
AI concept being explored: AI-generated information, with a focus on accuracy, bias and misinformation.
I would use Code Green Episode 4: Leaf Long Learners as a starting point for a short AI literacy activity. After watching the episode, I would give the pupils a short piece of AI-generated information about plants. Working in pairs, they would look through the information and decide which statements they think are correct and which ones they are unsure about. They would then use their own knowledge, books and reliable online sources to check the information.
We would discuss why AI might give us an answer that is incorrect or misleading, even when it sounds very convincing. A key question I would ask is: “If AI gives us an answer, how can we know that it is actually correct?”
I would also discuss responsible use, particularly the importance of not simply copying or sharing AI-generated information without checking it first. I would encourage pupils to use the “Pause, Question, Check, Decide” approach when using AI.
To support critical thinking, I would model how I would check an AI response and encourage pupils to explain why they trust one source over another. I would gather evidence of learning through pupil discussions, their checking of the AI-generated statements and a short reflection on what they should do before accepting information from AI as fact.
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I think one of the main strengths of your learning intention is the clear focus on accuracy and reliability. This is particularly appropriate for 6th Class pupils, as it moves beyond simply learning what AI is and encourages them to question and evaluate the information it produces. The “Pause, Question, Check, Decide” approach is a very practical way of developing age-appropriate AI literacy that pupils could also apply outside the classroom.
I particularly like the use of AI-generated statements about plants because pupils have to investigate the information rather than simply being told whether it is correct. This gives them an authentic opportunity to develop critical thinking and understand that AI can sound convincing while still being wrong.
One question I would ask is: Could an AI system show bias in the information it provides about plants or other topics, and how might pupils recognise this?
As a practical extension, pupils could create their own AI-generated plant fact sheet containing a mixture of accurate and inaccurate statements for another pair to investigate. This would allow them to demonstrate their understanding of accuracy, misinformation and responsible AI use while also providing a useful form of peer assessment.
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To give me a bit of a hand with this assignment, I googled common AI errors, but didn’t get useful anything to help me. I then asked for ‘ai error lessons for children’ and got the following statement:
‘Teaching children that AI is fallible turns technology into an interactive playground for critical thinking rather than a definitive authority.’I really love this sentence – an interactive playground, makes it sound fun and full of exploration rather than negative and invasive. So with this sentence in mind, I set about creating my lesson:
Class stage: 2nd/3rd class
Curriculum area and learning intention: History: Famous Figures – Myth or Fact
AI concept being explored: Pupils can make judgements about the reliability and credibility of information sources, and consider safe and responsible use of digital technologies.
Short activity or discussion outline: Teacher to create 6 bios for the class with the help of AI – eg. Tom Crean, Amelia Earhart, Neil Armstrong, Jane Goodall, Grace O’Malley. Some bios to be factually correct, others to contain errors. Pupils to work in groups of 3 to a)discuss their thoughts on each character before even touching a computer keyboard, b)sort the bios into true and false, c) present their sorted bios to the class, stating their reasons as to why. Teacher keeps a note of each group’s answers at this point. d) groups to research the bios on the laptops, keeping a note of the websites they have used for verification and noting the ‘facts’ that are incorrect e) pupils present their findings. f) class discussion around their findings. Which websites did they find the most useful? Did they find any clashing information? Why do they think some websites contain incorrect information?
One critical question about bias, accuracy, authorship or misinformation: How can we know or find out if the information on these people is correct?
One responsible-use consideration: Before the pupils go online to research, their list of ‘safe’ websites will be discussed and research limited to these. (We have Senso in our school and I can either limit the pupils’ browsing ability or display their screens on the interactive panel – this I have found to be a great deterrent for wandering searches)
How pupils will be supported to think critically: When they are discussing the characters, prior to researching, they will be looking for inconsistencies or facts that don’t make sense.
How you would gather evidence of learning: From their presentation of facts at the end of the lesson and their discussion afterwards.For a follow-up lesson, I would ask the pupils to research 2 other characters and present their findings (either as a poster or on Slides), however, they are to include one piece of fake news in each character’s information page. Can the other groups spot the errors?
While researching for this lesson, I discovered that Webwise, Twinkl and Tes all have packs to teach the lessons I was searching for, but I didn’t go down that rabbit-hole. I would however give them a visit when the time comes to teach this type of lesson.
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This is a great lesson. I like that you started with screen free critical thinking followed by research and opportunities for the children to present and discuss their findings.
How would you guide learners who found it hard to distinguish fact from fiction or to see that they have received clashing information?
Your follow up lesson reinforces the critical thinking aspect as the children will again be asked to spot misinformation.
I also liked the quote you found and it is a useful one to bear in mind while approaching technology, we can often be absolutist in good/bad and scared into avoiding things.
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Class Stage: Fifth Class in a primary school in County Meath
Curriculum Area and Learning Intention:
This activity would link Science, Geography and Digital Learning, with a particular focus on biodiversity and our local environment. The learning intention is for pupils to explore how AI can help us identify and classify plants and to understand that AI-generated information is not always accurate and needs to be checked.AI Concept Being Explored:
Pupils will explore AI image recognition and classification. Using Microsoft Code Green – Episode 4: Leaf Long Learners as a starting point, pupils will consider how AI can recognise patterns and features in images to help identify different types of plants and leaves. They will also explore the importance of providing good information and checking AI-generated results.Activity:
I would begin by watching Leaf Long Learners with the class and discussing how AI is used to help identify plants. We would discuss what information an AI system might use, such as the shape, colour, size and structure of a leaf.Our school grounds would provide an ideal real-life setting for the activity as we have many different trees and plants around the school, with labels identifying the different species. Pupils would work in pairs and choose a number of labelled trees or plants. Before using an AI identification tool, they would carefully observe the leaves and make their own prediction about the species.
They would then use an AI tool to identify the leaves and compare the AI’s answer with the labelled information already provided around our school grounds. Pupils could record whether the AI was correct, incorrect or uncertain and discuss why this might happen.
Critical Question:
If the AI gives us a different answer from the label on our school grounds, which answer should we trust, and what evidence could we use to find out which is correct?Responsible Use:
Pupils would be reminded that AI is a tool to support learning and is not always correct. They should not automatically accept an AI answer and should check information using reliable sources, their own observations and the labelled information available in the school grounds.Supporting Critical Thinking:
Pupils would compare their own observations, the labelled information and the AI response. I would encourage them to ask questions such as: “What evidence supports the AI’s answer?”, “Why might the AI have got this wrong?” and “How could we verify the information?”Evidence of Learning:
I would gather evidence through teacher observation, group discussions and a simple recording sheet. Pupils could record the name of the tree or plant, their initial prediction, the AI identification and the labelled identification. An exit ticket could ask pupils to explain one way AI can help us learn about biodiversity and one reason why we should not always trust an AI answer.This activity would make AI literacy meaningful because pupils would be using AI to investigate the real biodiversity in their own school grounds in County Meath. It combines the digital learning explored in Leaf Long Learners with hands-on scientific observation, encouraging pupils to become critical users of AI rather than simply accepting the information it provides.
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<b>Class stage: 5th & 6th Class</b>
<b>Curriculum Area: </b>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Science/Living things- Stage 4</span>
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<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Explore how science can help to understand and solve biodiversity problems</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”> Technology- Stage 4</span>
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<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Explore digital systems and the role of technology</span>
<b>Learning intention:</b>
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<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Understand what an ecosystem is and how it works</span>
<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Explore the concept of biodiversity and its importance</span>
<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Learn how AI can help improve and maintain biodiversity</span><b>AI concept being explored: </b>
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<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Plan and create an AI model to monitor plant health</span>
<b> Activity outline:</b>
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<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Brainstorm ‘ecosystem’- meaning and the pupils understanding of it without any prompts. </span>
<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Discuss the term ‘biodiversity’- What does it mean in relation to the term ecosystem</span><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Activity 1:Group work</span>
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<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>List different types of plants, animals and insects you could find around our school. Use chart paper to gather this information</span>
<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Draw lines to show how they are connected and get children to note their interactions.</span><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Activity 2: Teacher led discussion</span>
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<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Importance of biodiversity- Explain the 3 terms: Earth helpers, Living shield and Life’s treasure</span>
<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Led in to questioning how we could use digital technology to improve biodiversity- farms and AI use as an example</span><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Activity 3: Machine learning outline to build AI</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Question: ‘ Check is the leaf healthy or not’</span>
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<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Collect Data- gather images online of leaves</span>
<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Label Data- using aka.ms/DSTVGen AI </span>
<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Train- </span>
<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Testing- use webcam and can also upload file</span>
<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Improve</span><b>Critical Question about bias, accuracy or misinformation:</b>
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<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Check outputs for accuracy and bias. Re test if needed and gather ample images from different sources</span>
<b>Reasonable use consideration:</b>
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<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Gain parental permission for children before using</span>
<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Check data storage in line with schools digital policy</span><b>How pupils will be supported to think critically:</b>
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<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Help pupils to see that AI repeats human bias found in its training.</span>
<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>AI is used as a support tool and not the only way to gather information</span><b>Evidence of learning:</b>
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<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Discussions</span>
<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Annotated images</span>
<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Reflection notes in science copies</span>
<li style=”font-weight: 400;” aria-level=”1″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Display posters to show steps used in ‘teaching AI’</span> -
Class stage: 5th & 6th Class
Curriculum Area:
Science/Living things- Stage 4
Explore how science can help to understand and solve biodiversity problems
Technology- Stage 4
Explore digital systems and the role of technology
Learning intention:Understand what an ecosystem is and how it works
Explore the concept of biodiversity and its importance
Learn how AI can help improve and maintain biodiversityAI concept being explored:
Plan and create an AI model to monitor plant healthActivity outline:
Brainstorm ‘ecosystem’- meaning and the pupils understanding of it without any prompts.
Discuss the term ‘biodiversity’- What does it mean in relation to the term ecosystem
Activity 1:Group work
List different types of plants, animals and insects you could find around our school. Use chart paper to gather this information
Draw lines to show how they are connected and get children to note their interactions.
Activity 2: Teacher led discussion
Importance of biodiversity- Explain the 3 terms: Earth helpers, Living shield and Life’s treasure
Led in to questioning how we could use digital technology to improve biodiversity- farms and AI use as an exampleActivity 3: Machine learning outline to build AI
Question: ‘ Check is the leaf healthy or not’
Collect Data- gather images online of leaves
Label Data- using aka.ms/DSTVGen AI
Train-
Testing- use webcam and can also upload file
ImproveCritical Question about bias, accuracy or misinformation:
Check outputs for accuracy and bias. Re test if needed and gather ample images from different sources
‘Am I sure that the sources for images gathered are accurate and appropriate for this task?’Reasonable use consideration:
Gain parental permission for children before using
Check data storage in line with schools digital policyHow pupils will be supported to think critically:
Help pupils to see that AI repeats human bias found in its training.
AI is used as a support tool and not the only way to gather informationEvidence of learning:
Discussions
Annotated images
Reflection notes in science copies
Display posters to show steps used in ‘teaching AI’-
Hey Aoife,
This is a really strong activity. I particularly like that the AI element grows naturally out of the Science learning. Pupils first build their understanding of ecosystems and biodiversity, then explore where technology might genuinely help. That keeps the focus on the learning rather than using AI for the sake of it.
The machine learning activity is very well thought through too. Collecting, labelling, training, testing and then improving the model gives pupils a practical way to see how the quality of the data can affect what an AI system produces. Your focus on checking the images, questioning the results and reminding pupils that AI should support rather than replace other sources of information fits really well with developing responsible AI literacy.
The posters showing the steps used to ‘teach AI’ are a lovely assessment idea as well, particularly alongside the discussions and reflection notes.
One question I would be interested to explore with the pupils is: if the model performs well on the leaves it was trained with but struggles with a new type of leaf, what might that tell us about the training data?
Really well planned, there is a great balance here between Science, Technology and critical thinking.
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Hi Aoife,
I really like how your learning intention clearly connects Science, biodiversity and technology in a practical way. The activity where pupils create and test their own AI model is particularly strong, as they get to see how the quality and variety of the data they provide can affect the results.
I think this supports age-appropriate AI literacy really well for 5th and 6th class because pupils are not just being told how AI works – they are actively training, testing and improving a model. This should help them understand that AI is not always correct and that human judgement is still important.One question I would be interested in exploring with the pupils is: If our AI model works well with the leaves we tested, does that mean we can trust it to correctly identify every leaf? This could open up a good discussion about accuracy, bias and limitations in training data.
As a practical extension, pupils could deliberately test the model with more challenging or unfamiliar leaf images and record where it makes mistakes. They could then suggest what additional training data might improve the model. This could also provide useful evidence of their understanding.
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The lesson I would plan would be aimed at 4th class year group.
Curriculum Area; SESE Lives of people from the past- Famous People
Learning Intention: The children will learn that while AI is a useful tool, we must always check reliability and credibility of the output.
Examine a piece of writing for factual errors in an AI-generated piece.AI concept: misinformation and accuracy
Activity: students will examine two pieces of writing, one from AI generated source and another from a reliable resource such as history book or reliable website. Students must compare the information from both pieces. They must compare similarities and differences and discuss which piece they would trust more.
Critical question; Can we always trust AI? Does it sound “right”- even if it’s wrong. How can we fact check. This would encourage students to check facts rather than just accepting them as truths.
Responsible Use- We should double-check information generated by AI against more trusted sources before taking it as fact.
Critical Thinking- model how to compare sources and check for misinformation. Always questioning the facts given to me. engage in paired discussion and hands on editing practice to give the students experience.
This activity ties into SEE by helping to build digital literacy, critical thinking and responsible use of AI across the curriculum.
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Hey Sinead,
This is a really strong and very practical AI literacy activity for 4th Class. I particularly like that the pupils are not simply being told that AI can make mistakes, they actually have to compare an AI-generated text with a trusted source, spot differences and decide what they would believe. That makes the idea of accuracy and misinformation much more concrete.
Your question, “Does it sound right, even if it’s wrong?” is a great one. It gets to the heart of why we need to pause, question and check AI outputs rather than accepting something because it sounds confident.
The paired discussion and editing element is a lovely addition too, as it gives pupils a chance to explain their reasoning and show how they reached a judgement.
One possible extension could be to ask pupils to highlight the exact claim that needs checking and then show which source they used to verify it. That would give you a really clear piece of evidence of their learning.
A really thoughtful way to connect History, digital literacy and responsible AI use.
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Hey Sinead,
This is a really strong and very practical AI literacy activity for 4th Class. I particularly like that the pupils are not simply being told that AI can make mistakes, they actually have to compare an AI-generated text with a trusted source, spot differences and decide what they would believe. That makes the idea of accuracy and misinformation much more concrete.
Your question, “Does it sound right, even if it’s wrong?” is a great one. It gets to the heart of why we need to pause, question and check AI outputs rather than accepting something because it sounds confident.
The paired discussion and editing element is a lovely addition too, as it gives pupils a chance to explain their reasoning and show how they reached a judgement.
One possible extension could be to ask pupils to highlight the exact claim that needs checking and then show which source they used to verify it. That would give you a really clear piece of evidence of their learning.
A really thoughtful way to connect History, digital literacy and responsible AI use.
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This is a great lesson Sinead. I often notice that students just write down the first thing they see when researching for projects. I like how you question the AI, does it sound right. Another extension to the lesson might be for students to show examples of factual and misinformation and how they proved it. Great lesson and will be looking at incorporating it into the new school year.
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I really like this activity. Comparing AI-generated information with a trusted source is a great way to help the children understand that AI can make mistakes. It encourages them to think carefully about what they read. As a follow-up, the children could work together to create a list of ways to check if information is trustworthy
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I would create an activity for 6th class linked to the maths curriculum and digital literacy- understanding machine learning. The children would create a “homework checker” for long multiplication. To do this, it would train the machine using photos of correctly worked models of long multiplication and incorrectly worked examples. Once trained they could test their checker on new examples. They could identify issues and see if they could improve the data or quality of data they provide the machine to solve these.
For discussion would be why this would be a useful or not piece of technology. Depending on results they could discuss the accuracy of this machine. They could discuss how this would differ from using a calculator and whether it was something they should or shouldn’t use regularly to help their learning.
I would gather evidence directly from the machine results but also from the discussion in class and observation of the work to train the machine and troubleshooting. -
Class: 4<sup>th</sup> to 6<sup>th</sup>
Lesson length: 50 minutes
Curriculum area: STEM / Environmental Awareness and Care / Digital Literacy
Learning intention: Pupils will understand that an AI image classifier learns patterns from images supplied by people. Pupils will investigate the efficiency of the images given to the classifier.
AI concept explored: machine learning. Pupils will create two image classes – recyclable and non- recyclable by taking and uploading photographs. They will train the classifier and test it with new images. The lesson demonstrates that AI does not understand an object in the same way a human does. It can only recognise patterns.
Resources: https://tm.gen-ai.fi/image/general
Camera on ipad
Activity outline:
Introduce the question ‘ how could we teach a computer to recognise something?’
Working in pairs pupils choose two categories that can be represented visually.
They collect a range of images and upload to the teachable machine.
Pupils test it using images the machine has not seen before.
One critical question about accuract would be ‘if the classifier gets the answer wrong, is the AI necessarily at fault or could the training examples possibly be the reason?
One responsible use consideration: Pupils should upload identifiable photographs of themselves or of other people.
How will pupils be supported to think critically? They will be encouraged to test and improve the machine by adding more images. They will be encouraged to reflect – What could we change in the training data?
How would you gather evidence of learning:
Observation
Compare classifier results before and after training
Ask the pairs to record one successful prediction, one incorrect prediction and the possible reason for error.
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Hi Marie,
I really liked your answer. For me the key strength is the hands on interactive approach using a teachable machine tool.By building their own classifier pupils move from passive users to active creators of AI technology.
In terms of supporting AI literacy this activity demystifies tech. by proving AI relies entirely on human provided data.
My question would be ‘Under the responsible use section, should pupils be advised not to upload identifiable photographs of themselves to protect personal privacy?
Lastly a practical suggestion for assessment might be the use of a 3 question exit ticket at the end of the lesson
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I would begin by watching Code Green Episode 4: Leaf Long Learners with 3rd class. We would discuss what pupils noticed about AI and machine learning, particularly how AI can be trained using examples, tested and improved. I would then adapt the idea from the episode and apply it to something more familiar and relevant to my 3rd Class pupils: recycling.
Recycling is a very relevant and important issue for children today, particularly through Green-Schools initiatives and the focus on environmental awareness in schools. Instead of training an AI model to recognise healthy and unhealthy leaves, pupils could explore how AI might be trained to recognise and sort different recyclable materials. This would allow pupils to connect their learning about AI with an issue they see and experience in their everyday school environment.
The activity also develops AI literacy, as pupils are not simply using AI but beginning to understand how machine learning works, how AI can make mistakes, why the data used to train it matters, and why humans need to check AI decisions.
• Class stage: 3rd Class (Stage 3)
• Curriculum areas: Science – Environmental Awareness and Care; Technology
• Learning intention: Pupils will understand how AI and machine learning can be used to help solve environmental problems.
• AI concept: Machine learning – collecting data → labelling → training → testing → improving.
• Activity: Sort recyclable items and discuss how we could train AI to recognise them.
• Critical question: “What might happen if we don’t give the AI enough different examples when we train it?”
• Responsible use: AI should be treated as a tool and its answers should be checked rather than automatically trusted.
• Critical thinking: Pupils explain their reasoning, compare their answers with the AI’s predictions and consider why the AI might make mistakes.
• Evidence of learning: Observation, class discussion and a short exit ticket explaining how AI learns and why its answers need to be checked. -
AI Literacy Activity – Code Green: Leaf Long Learners
For this activity, I would use Code Green Episode 4: Leaf Long Learners with 5th or 6th class. I like the lesson because it connects AI with something pupils can actually see and investigate in their own environment.
The main curriculum link would be Science – Living Things, with a learning intention that pupils will explore biodiversity and consider how technology can be used to identify and monitor plant health.
The AI concept I would focus on is machine learning and training data. Pupils would first look at and discuss examples of healthy and unhealthy plants/leaves. They would then explore how an AI model can be trained using examples and how it can make predictions about new images. In groups, pupils could discuss what makes good training data and what might happen if the examples given to the AI were too limited.
A key critical question I would ask is: “If an AI tool tells us that a plant is unhealthy, should we automatically believe it? Why or why not?” This could lead to a useful discussion about AI accuracy and the importance of checking information rather than assuming an AI-generated answer is correct.
For responsible use, I would emphasise that AI should support rather than replace our own observations, knowledge and judgement. Pupils would be encouraged to question the AI’s predictions, compare them with their own observations and explain why the AI might sometimes get things wrong.
To gather evidence of learning, I would use a short exit ticket asking pupils to explain how an AI model learns, give one reason why its prediction might be inaccurate, and describe one way a human could check its answer. I think this would be an engaging way of combining Science, sustainability and AI literacy while developing pupils’ critical thinking skills.
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Class Stage : 6<sup>th</sup> Class
Curriculum area and learning intentions: SPHE
Myself and the wider world > Media education >
become increasingly critical and discerning in his/her own attitude to advertising and the techniques used to promote products, life-styles and ideas.
AI concept being explored:
Consider reliability, credibility and safe responsible use of digital technologies.
Short activity or discussion outline
Generate a selection of AI advertisements for their favourite drink / food / hobby.
One critical question:
Look at and discuss the advertisements. Do they match the experience of the child? Can these claims be proven? Are there claims that are untrue? How tempted would you be to try the drink / food / hobby based on the AI advertisement?
The children would be supported to think critically by being first scaffolded through a similar lesson. Question would be encouraged and supported by the teacher.
Evidence of learning could be gathered by comparing and contrasting their initial response to the advertisement and their response after critically analysing it.
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Class Level: 5th/6th Class
Curriculum Area: SPHE/Media Literacy
Objective: To explore how AI generated text can mimic real journalistic writing but spread factual errors.
AI Concept Explored:Generative Capabilities
Lesson Outline: I would present the pupils with a teacher-provided, AI -generated historical profile of their own city/town containing highly realistic but entirely fabricated facts.In pairs, students will use school library books and verified local history sites to check the document line by line, highlighting errors as they proceed.
Critical Question: If an AI tool outputs realistic sounding information but completely incorrect historical profiles who holds responsibility for the spread of misinformation?
Responsible -Use Consideration: Pupils must learn that AI is a tool for brainstorming and not an absolute facts database.
Critical Thinking Support:Children are provided with a structured checklist to scaffold factual validation similar to the algorithms we saw being used in the Oide clip of Thomastown N.S where they used algorithms for Irish verbs.
Evidence of Learning: Group Discussion,annotated student textsheets and checklist documents.-
Hey Noreen,
This is a really strong AI literacy activity. Using a realistic but deliberately inaccurate local history profile gives pupils a very concrete reason to question what they are reading, rather than accepting something simply because it sounds convincing.
I particularly like the line-by-line checking against trusted sources. That fits really well with the idea of pausing, questioning and checking an AI output, and the structured checklist should give pupils a clear process they can reuse in other contexts too.
Your critical question around responsibility for misinformation could lead to a brilliant discussion, especially around the role of the person creating, checking and sharing the information.
The annotated texts and completed checklists should also give you really clear evidence of pupils’ thinking and learning.
A very practical and age-appropriate way to explore accuracy, misinformation and responsible AI use.
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Class stage: 3rd Class
Curriculum area: STEM Education – Technology
Learning intention: Pupils will understand that AI uses examples and data to recognise patterns and make predictions.AI concept: How AI learns from data and examples.
I would use the Leaf Long Learners activity as a simple introduction to AI. I would show the children different pictures and ask them to sort them into groups. We would talk about how they decided where each picture should go and what patterns they noticed. I would then explain that AI can also be given lots of examples and labels to help it recognise patterns. I would show them that if the AI is not given enough examples, it might make the wrong prediction.
Critical question: What could happen if the AI doesn’t have enough examples to learn from?
For responsible use, I would explain to the children that we can’t always believe what an AI tells us and that we should check information with a teacher or another reliable source. I would encourage them to ask questions such as, “How do we know?” and “Could it be wrong?”
To gather evidence of learning, I would listen to their discussions and ask them to explain how the examples helped the AI make its prediction. I could also give them a few pictures to sort and ask them to explain the pattern they noticed. This would show me if they understand that AI learns from data and that the information it is given is important.
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I would use google maps to plan a journey as an AI literacy activity and discussion. I would start with a discussion on google maps and how they route it gives doesn’t always work out best. The third class SESE curriculum covers maps, directions and ariels views. The learning intentions I would have would be to critical assess the accuracy of AI predictions. I would use the questions.
Who created this output? / Who is giving you directions.
How did they gather this data? / Does AI actually live here.
How did they make this prediction? / How did AI predict the best route to your destination.
What might be missing?
What should a human decide? / Does the AI in Google maps know an area better than the humans living there.
The concept I would explore is how AI is meant to help us be needs human critical thinking, decisions and oversight and how not to be over reliant on AI, that it is meant to supplement knowledge and help rather than be the only source of information. -
Class Stage: 5th & 6th Class (Stage 4)
Curriculum Area & Learning Intention: Science (Living Things / Environment) & Digital Media Literacy. Pupils will learn to explore how science and technology can solve biodiversity problems by training a machine learning model to spot plant nutrient deficiencies (e.g., yellowing leaves from nitrogen deficiency).
AI Concept Being Explored: Machine Learning & Training Data. Computers learn to make decisions by finding patterns in labeled training data rather than following explicit step-by-step programming.
Short Activity / Discussion Outline:
Hook & Research: Watch the episode. Identify local schoolyard plants using tools like PlantNet and research specific nutrient deficiencies using resources like Teagasc.
Data Collection: Collect and label images of both healthy plants and deficient plants (e.g., yellowing leaves).
Model Training & Testing: Upload the labeled image sets into the GenAI Teachable Machine to train an image classification model. Test the model live on actual schoolyard plants to evaluate its predictions.
Critical Question (Bias / Accuracy): “If our training data only includes bright, well-lit studio photos of leaves, how will the AI perform when testing a plant outside in rainy weather or deep shadow?”
Responsible-Use Consideration: Data Quality over AI Blind Trust. Recognise that AI outputs depend entirely on training data quality. Humans must stay in the loop to verify automated diagnoses before taking action (e.g., applying remedies or compost).
How Pupils Will Be Supported to Think Critically: Scaffold testing using an Improvement Loop. When the AI misclassifies a leaf, prompt pupils to ask: “Is the mistake caused by too few training images, bad lighting, or poorly labeled data?” Pupils then add more diverse images to refine accuracy.
Gathering Evidence of Learning:
Digital Artifact: Evaluate the completed GenAI Teachable Machine model to check if it accurately distinguishes healthy leaves from unhealthy ones.
Planning Guide Worksheet: Review the completed Plant AI Model Planning Guide sheet to assess pupil understanding of data collection, labeling, and error correction strategies. -
Class level: 3rd Class
Curriculum Area: History & Geography ( Trim’s Heritage)
The students will discover how AI can unfairly leave out or minimize important local history because of the data it was trained on. The AI concept being explored is algorithmic bias.
Learning intention:
Students will learn about the history of Trim Castle, while discovering how AI algorithms can show bias by ignoring certain people or perspectives.Omission & Underrepresentation: Students will learn that AI tools only know what they are fed. If the internet data used to train the AI mostly talks about kings and knights, the AI’s algorithm will “predict” that only men built history. It accidentally leaves out the crucial roles played by women, ordinary workers, and local communities.
Short Activity & Discussion Outline:
The one-sided AI story: The students will work in small groups and focus on print outs of a short AI-generated history of Trim Castle. The text heavily praises the famous Norman Lord, Hugh de Lacy, and his son Walter, making it sound like they built the huge castle completely by themselves.
The History Detectives: In small groups, the students are given a “Trim Timeline Toolkit” containing local heritage snippets and historical sketches. Their job is to find the “missing builders.” They will discover that hundreds of ordinary local stonemasons, carpenters, and labourers did the actual heavy lifting, and that Rose de Lacy (Hugh’s wife) played a major role in managing the lands.Class Discussion & Evidence gathering :
Key question to begin discussion:
“Why did the computer only talk about the famous Lord and forget the workers and women?”Critical Question (Bias & Authorship)
“The AI algorithm chose to highlight only one powerful man and left out the hundreds of ordinary people who actually built Trim. If we only use AI to learn about the past, who gets left out of history, and is that fair?”Responsible-Use Consideration;
‘Look for the Missing’ Rule: When using AI to research a topic, I will encourage the students to actively look for bias. They must ask: “Whose voices or stories are missing from this computer screen?” and use local library books or Irish heritage websites to find the hidden details.Supporting Critical Thinking
“Fairness Scales” Worksheet: The students are given a simple drawing of a balancing scale. On one side, they write who the AI focused on (e.g., The rich Norman Lord). On the other side, they write who the AI ignored (e.g., Local stonemasons, women, and cooks). This visual helper shows the students how algorithms create an unbalanced, biased view of reality.
“Include Them!” Poster: For their final task, I would get the students to take the biased AI text and stick it in the middle of a blank A4 sheet. Using a green highlighter, they will draw arrows and write in the missing history. -
Class: 3rd Class
Curriculum Area & Learning Intention: SPHE/Wellbeing and Digital Learning. The children will understand that AI can generate information and images, but that people need to think carefully about whether the information is accurate and trustworthy.
AI Concept Being Explored: Accuracy and misinformation.
Activity/Discussion Outline: After watching Code Green Episode 4: Leaf Long Learners, discuss how AI can help people learn and solve problems. I will show the children two short facts about an animal, with one fact generated incorrectly. Working in pairs,the children will decide which fact is accurate and explain why. Discuss how they can check information using trusted sources such as books or teacher-approved websites.
Critical Question: Can AI ever give us information that is wrong?
Responsible-Use Consideration: Always check AI-generated information before sharing it with others.
Supporting Critical Thinking: Encourage pupils to explain their reasoning and compare information from different sources.
Evidence of Learning: The children complete an exit ticket stating one thing AI can do and one reason we should check AI-generated information.
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