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hi Kate,
the lesson on Pompeii sounds great. I also loved using Quiziz as a tool and found that generating the questions using AI is so quick and easy. I have tried it with several topics, Euro and non Euro countries and World Book Week and it has worked really well.
Hi Kate, this is exactly what I plan to do! As part of the exercise in the module I sourced two newspaper articles from the time of the famine- one from an Irish point of view and a totally opposing opinion piece from a British newspaper. I was able to find the pieces in seconds and can see myself using this feature a lot.
Hi Orla, Microsoft Reading Coach was one of the tools that really appealed to me too so I have spent some time checking it out. Microsoft Reading Coach has the potential to be a game-changer for young learners. Inside the classroom, it can be integrated into reading practice. Students can use the built-in library of leveled passages or bring in their own reading materials. The Coach’s AI features, like text-to-speech and personalised reading practice suggestions, can cater to different learning styles. Beyond the classroom, Reading Coach empowers independent practice which would be useful for SET.
For children with dyslexia, AI can be a dyslexic decoder’s dream. Text-to-speech software transforms frustrating reading tasks into engaging listening experiences, boosting comprehension and confidence. Meanwhile, AI-powered games make learning fun. Phonics practice becomes a world of interactive adventures, transforming letter and sound recognition into enjoyable challenges. AI can’t replace a supportive teacher, but it becomes a valuable tool in the classroom, making learning accessible and motivating children to participate.
Hi Sarah, I agree that AI is an excellent resource for writing, both for students and for teachers. AI seems to be a game-changer for writers of all levels. For those struggling with writer’s block, AI idea generators can spark creativity by suggesting topics, storylines, or even character names. This jumpstart can be invaluable, especially for students unfamiliar with a particular genre or struggling to begin or come up with an initial idea.
Primary classrooms are embracing AI assistants like Copilot, transforming both teaching and learning. Imagine teachers using Copilot to craft engaging lesson plans in seconds, complete with interactive activities tailored to different learning styles. Students, meanwhile, could receive personalised feedback on their writing/reading etc, scaffolded by AI suggestions that enhance their creativity and expression. Copilot’s potential to streamline tasks like marking frees up valuable teacher time, allowing them to focus on fostering a love for learning through hands-on activities and social interaction.
However, it’s crucial to remember that AI serves as a valuable tool, not a replacement for the irreplaceable role of teachers in sparking curiosity, fostering critical thinking, and nurturing young minds. Collaboration between AI and educators potentially holds the key to unlocking a future of personalised and engaging learning experiences in the primary classroom.
As I have said in the previous forums, there are many ways I plan to integrate AI into teaching and learning in my classroom, from using AI tools to help plan to using various tools such as Scratch etc. within my lessons to using Diffit for differentiation and generating of resources and differentiation.
From this module, the tool I have seen that I think I will use most widely is using co-pilot to generate questions and then pasting these questions into Quizzizz to create and interactive quiz for the class. I can think of dozens of ways I would use this is my classroom, as an exit ticket at the end of a module or as a fun way to revise a topic. Previously in the classroom I had been laboriously going through books and materials on a topic and manually writing or typing out quiz questions and a selection of answers, this way is so efficient that I think I will use it more often and that the children will experience using computers more often as a result.
Lesson plan: AI use- use Gemini to source original articles based on the Great Hunger
Lesson Plan: Decoding Bias in the News – The Great Famine of 1845
Subject: English Literacy (Reading & Critical Thinking)Grade Level: Third Class
Learning Objectives:
Students will define bias in the context of news sources.
Students will identify keywords and phrases that indicate bias in a text.
Students will compare and contrast viewpoints on the Great Famine of 1845 from different newspaper articles.
Introduction (10 minutes):Begin by brainstorming with students what “news” is and where they get it from (e.g., newspapers, TV, websites).
Discuss the importance of reliable information and how different sources might present information differently.
Introduce the concept of “bias” as a slant or favoritism towards a particular viewpoint.
Resources (5 minutes):Two original newspaper articles from 1845 on the Great Famine (one with a British perspective and one with an Irish perspective) – (teacher-prepared, see examples below)
Chart paper or whiteboard
Markers
Content (25 minutes):Identifying Bias:
Briefly explain the Great Famine of 1845 in Ireland.
Divide students into pairs and distribute one newspaper article to each pair.
Guide students to identify key points in the article about the Famine’s impact.
On chart paper, list the key points from both articles side-by-side.
Ask students to discuss:Are there any differences in how the articles describe the Famine’s severity?
What words or phrases stand out in each article? (e.g., “melancholy” vs. “starvation”)
Whose Perspective?Reveal that the articles represent different viewpoints (British vs. Irish)
Discuss how word choice and emphasis can reflect bias.
Ask students to analyze the following questions for each article:Who seems to be most affected by the Famine according to the article?
Who is responsible for helping those in need, according to the article?
Conclusion (10 minutes):Recap the importance of being critical readers and identifying bias in news sources.
Discuss the value of using multiple sources to get a well-rounded picture of an event.
Ask students: Why is it important to be aware of bias in historical information?
Activity (15 minutes):Divide students into small groups.
Each group will create a short “news report” on the Great Famine, taking on a specific perspective (e.g., farmer, government official, doctor).
Encourage them to use vocabulary and phrases that reflect their assigned perspective.
Groups can present their news reports to the class, highlighting their chosen bias.
Differentiation:Provide scaffolding for students who struggle with reading by summarizing key points of the articles before independent work.
Offer sentence starters or a word bank to help students identify bias-related keywords.
Assessment:Observe students’ participation in discussions and their ability to identify key points from the articles.
Evaluate their understanding of bias through their participation in the group activity.
Newspaper Article Examples:(British Perspective):
Headline: The Potato Blight in Ireland: A Time for Self-Reliance (adapted from The Times, 1846)
(Irish Perspective):
Headline: A Nation on the Brink: The British Government’s Shameful Inaction (adapted from The Nation, 1846)
The application that I plan to use from this module is the Scratch coding tool. I think that it is an excellent resource and having explored it as part of the course I can see the benefits of it in the classroom. As well as learning and applying the skill of block coding I can see cross curricular integration possibilities. When I am exploring the genre of procedural writing I am often looking for ways to demonstrate how stating each step and instruction clearly is very important. Scratch coding is an excellent example of this- if you do not code your sprite correctly and clearly and in the correct order it will not perform the required function correctly. The programme itself is engaging and interactive and won’t seem like ‘work’ to the children. They have an opportunity to be expressive and creative while developing their computer skills alongside problem solving skills.
The tools that I have identified to improve my teaching, learning and assessment are the Search Coach. I teach third class and use project work widely for example to research a European country. I found that I had to spend quite a lot of time teaching the children how to verify a source, how to search for information online, what search terms to use when seeking information etc. The search coach would be an invaluable tool for children to use independently when doing project work.
The speaker coach would also be excellent to prepare students to present their work. Teaching the children to speak well, to be aware of their pace and tone etc. is done throughout the year, having the speaker coach as an aide for individual students when they are preparing to present work would be very useful.
Diifit is the tool that I have spent most time exploring and can see many applications for its use. I tried the tool where you add an excerpt of writing. I added a descriptive piece about Mr Twits from the Twits by Roald Dahl and it generated a huge number of very engaging resources. I can see the children really enjoying the Jeopardy games. So much time is spent sourcing meaningful activities for differentiation of a topic, either for children who need more support or those who need more challenging activities, this tool seems to be easy to use and will save a lot of valuable time.I think that there is great potential for AI to transform the teaching and learning experience in my classroom. One of the greatest challenges I face as a teacher is the written planning element. The demonstration of how AI can be used to generate a lesson plan is the application that I am most interested in. Being well organised and having a clear and cohesive plan clearly leads to more efficient teaching and learning. There is a professional requirement to have both long and short term plans for each subject. There are huge challenges associated with this- teachers are hugely overloaded and oversubscribed and the ever changing curriculum and planning requirements make it a very difficult aspect of the job.
I would use AI to help with both long and short term planning as demonstrated in the module. It is clear that there are also setbacks- AI requires a lot of very specific instructions- there is a danger that the time required to finesse the instructions could take longer than writing a plan in the first instance. I do feel that with more experience you would become practised in writing the prompt and become more efficient. I see that copyright for book schemes etc. that you may want to integrate into plans could be an issue.
