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Part 1:Lesson Plan: Grace O’Malley (Gráinne Mhaol)
Class: 2nd Class
Subject: History
Strand: Story – Stories from the lives of people in the past
Theme: Grace O’Malley, the Pirate Queen of Connacht
Time: 50 minutes

Learning Objectives
The student will be enabled to:

Identify who Grace O’Malley was and why she is remembered.
Sequence key events in her life using a simple timeline.
Discuss her bravery and leadership qualities.
Use digital/AI tools to explore, understand, and express learning.

Resources & Tools
Story of Grace O’Malley
AI Tools:

Gamma
Kahoot
Immersive Reader
Canva Magic image
ChatGPT

Lesson Steps
1. Introduction (10 mins)
Begin with a quick “Think-Pair-Share”: What do you think life was like for a woman in Ireland long ago?
Show pupils an AI-generated image of a pirate ship and ask: Who might have lived here?
Introduce Grace O’Malley as Ireland’s most famous female pirate and chieftain.

2. Story & Exploration (15 mins)
Present Grace’s story using a Gamma presentation:

Early life in Mayo
Her love of the sea
Leading men and ships
Meeting Queen Elizabeth I in London
Use Immersive Reader with the text of the story so children can hear it read aloud, change background colour, or translate words if needed.
Ask comprehension questions orally as the story unfolds.

3. Active Learning Task (15 mins)
In groups, children sequence picture cards of Grace’s life to build a simple timeline.
Then, each group uses ChatGPT  to come up with two questions they’d like to ask Grace if she were alive today.
Share some questions with the class (e.g. “Were you scared when you met Queen Elizabeth?”).

4. Consolidation & Assessment (10 mins)
Run a short Kahoot quiz with 5–6 fun questions about Grace O’Malley (multiple-choice).
Exit ticket: Pupils write or dictate one word that describes Grace (e.g. “brave,” “leader,” “pirate”).

Differentiation
Immersive Reader ensures all pupils can access the story text.
AI images support visual learners.
Group work allows peer support.
Kahoot provides instant feedback and keeps motivation high.

Assessment
Observation during group sequencing task.
Responses in class discussion.
Kahoot results to check recall.
Exit ticket word choice.

 

Part 2: Reflection:

After completing this course, I feel genuinely excited to return to school and put my new learning into practice. What excites me most is the opportunity to explore AI-generated games and activities that can refresh my teaching style and inject new energy into the classroom. In the past, planning engaging resources often took hours or even days, but with tools like Gamma, I can now design visually appealing, interactive presentations in minutes. Kahoot enables me to create AI-driven quizzes that make assessment fun, competitive, and immediate, while Immersive Reader ensures that every child, including those with literacy challenges or English as an additional language, can fully access the lesson content. These tools don’t just save valuable preparation time; they also open up new possibilities for creativity and differentiation. The future of education and technology is exciting!

[fiona conneely]

Id love to do this lesson Nicola! I can imagine conversations that would take place already!

[fiona conneely]

I really love this idea Felicity. Would never even have thought of a use like this in SET.

[fiona conneely]

I wasn’t able to get RoboGarden working on my laptop- Im not sure if this was because it needs a subscription. After watching a few YouTube videos, it looks like a fun and engaging app that second class would really enjoy.

To start, I’d ask the class if anyone knows what coding is or has tried it before. After hearing their ideas, I’d show a short YouTube video that explains how robots are coded. Then I’d open the RoboGarden interface using a sample student account and walk them through the first few “Adventures,” which are the beginner lessons.

I’d show them how to move the robot using block-based coding, and then let them try it out on their Chromebooks. At first, we’d do the activities together as a class so everyone feels confident. After completing five adventures, they’d take a short quiz to check their understanding.

Once they’re comfortable and doing well, I’d let them continue at their own pace. This way, they can build their coding skills gradually while having fun.

[fiona conneely]

I found their video tutorials excellent also and used them a lot throughout the school closures. In our school we provide a monthly newsletter for parents outlining what topics will be covered in class. I must link some of the video tutorials again as a homework helper.

[fiona conneely]

I was really impressed with Gamma too Peter. In the past I’ve used the ai feature on chat gpt & canva for powerpoints. After giving both platforms the same prompts today I thought Canva had the best graphics but was more impressed with Gamma’s content!

[fiona conneely]

I wholeheartedly agree with you Anthony. A lot of education for Teachers needs to happen surrounding the use of AI and developing awareness around data protection etc; otherwise the negative implications for the future could be huge.

[fiona conneely]

I had no idea how many excellent tools Microsoft provide for education, what is more is how impressed I was with the specific feedback and instruction that the apps gave. The two standouts for me were Microsoft Reading Coach & Microsoft Speaker Coach tools.

I think Microsoft Reading Coach’s fun look will grab the attention of the reluctant readers in my class. The emojis and awards will also draw them in. The read-aloud function is an excellent tool because I can always check back on their progress, especially if I miss our group reading time. The rewards built into the app will keep them wanting to use it. I wish there was an app like this for Gaeilge!

Microsoft Speaker Coach is a tool I can definitely see myself using with our debating team. It would help build their confidence and give them points to work on at home when practicing. By seeing their progress and getting positive reinforcement, I think students will feel more confident about their public speaking skills.

Another worthy mention would have to be YouTube’s AI translation feature. I’ve always felt a deep sense of guilt that I wasn’t doing enough for the EAL students in my class. It’s been incredibly challenging to watch them sit through a video they can’t understand, knowing how bored they must feel, even if the content is exciting to others. This feature directly addresses that gap, ensuring that all my students have equal access to the lesson material.

[fiona conneely]

Shaun, I like your idea of using ai platforms to generate comprehensions. We are implementing UFLI this year in our school. I have discovered a platform https://www.projectread.ai/

It can generate decodables but also has a feature coming where it will group your students and set specific lesson plans for them according to their weekly ufli assessment!

 

 

[fiona conneely]

Hi Don,

I did a bit of research on this area too! If you register your schools domain with microsoft you can enrol in in Microsoft’s Office 365 Education program free; meaning all classes would have access to Immersive reader also!

[fiona conneely]

Im excited to use immersive reader in my classroom in September. We have previously paid for an app snap type pro which has been an excellent tool for our dyslexic children but what makes immersive reader most appealing is the fact that it is free! One feature that is missing is changing picture to text element. Id like to explore and see if there is a workaround for this.

 

I was interested to see Minecraft as a suggested app for schools. Previously I had thought that Minecraft was just a minefield of danger for anonymous online chat rooms etc However after a deep dive I have learned that this is only the original minefield integrated into Java that allows this feature and that appropriate controls are in place provided it is setup correctly.

 

I thought the lesson plans generated by the various ai platforms were really good. I’d love to know if its possible to insert our fortnightly planning grid and use this for planning- would it populate the columns correctly?

[fiona conneely]

I’m excited about using AI tools with my class and furthering their digital literacy skills. It will be interesting to explore AI content and have discussions  with the class about digital literacy and fact-checking.

Increasing productivity was what drove me to do this course in the first place! I’m looking forward to finding out more about different tools for assessment so that vast amounts of paper work can be tackled in one fell swoop. Its also exciting to think about using ai to enhance engagement and interest.

Using ai and canva together sounds like a tool that could save me a huge amount of time. Im thinking slides for morning meetings, staff meetings etc. I have never used Gemini and found the comparison between copilot and chat gpt very interesting. I loved how detail oriented it was and I think this might be of huge benefit when researching topics for history classes.

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