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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.
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.
This sounds like a great lesson. It is always great to find ways to explore the topic of online safety. It sounds like the lesson is well laid out and would be engaging for students.
I think by using Minecraft it would also appeal to students and would not be too heavy or serious. Minecraft is something most children are familiar with. It is also some where children need to be cautious and aware of dangers so by using it safely and exploring it with adult guidance it would make them aware of these issues. It would hopefully lead them to be more responsible.
I also found that when you are open with them about being online they will share information with you that can be a great opener for further discussion and a way to enforce and bolster the online safety tips you are trying to teach.
The name of the demo world I chose was the Coordinate System Tutorial. I chose this one as it is something I will use myself this year with my 2nd class.
Overview- This world will help the player become familiarised with the 3D coordinate system used in Minecraft Education Edition.
Summary of the lesson plan, learning objectives and associated resources-
Learning objectives
This world will help the player become familiarized with the 3D coordinate system used in Minecraft Education Edition.
Guiding ideas
Big Idea: How can we navigate to specific positions in Minecraft?What is a 3d coordinate system?
What are coordinates?
What does the x coordinate tell you?
What does the y coordinate tell you?
What does the z coordinate tell you?
How do you use a map?
How do you navigating to coordinates using a Map?
How do compasses work?
How can you fine your current position (coordinates)?
How do find north?
How do you teleport?Student activities
This world & lesson is set up into 3 sections or activities. 1. Explore and learn about the 3d coordinate system in MC. 2. Practice finding coordinates with the Navigating Challenge Activity. 3. Practice teleporting with the Teleporting Scavenger Hunt Activity.Performance expectations
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the coordinate system by successfully completing the activities (Challenge and Scavenger Hunt).Irish curriculum link or Focus of Learning- I would use this in Maths for Shape and Space strand (Spatial Awareness) after initially introducing it in class. Once the children were comfortable with how to read coordinates I would challenge them to complete the scavenger hunt using Minecraft. I would also link this to mapping in SESE, Art where they could design their own map and Outdoor and Adventure strand in PE.
I feel this lesson is perfect as it is although as I have mentioned above I feel I would need to do a lot of prep beforehand to ensure they could work independently or with some support.Hi Linda. I love the idea of an older class teaching a younger class how to code. I always feel this also helps them to learn as it provides great motivation when they know that they have to teach someone else. The younger classes would also enjoy this as you mentioned. I think starting with something simple is the best way to familiarise them with the features and help them gain confidence so the flashing heart tutorial is perfect. You could include the challenge of making smaller hearts afterwards.
On completion of the tutorial the older students could provide exit tickets for the students and write down their responses to see how they felt about the lesson and also what they learned.
Hi Linda. I like your thinking here of finding opportunities to use computational thinking across the subjects we teach. I find I am great at including it in subjects like Maths, Science, History and Geography for example but would like to use it for subjects like Gaeilge and English more this year. I think allowing the children the space to work collaboratively is so important. You mentioned you would like to use this for SESE and one way I have found to do this is to allow them to do research for group projects collaboratively. They love this but it is also something that takes practice and guidance. Assigning roles and jobs so the research is done correctly and also they need to know how to best present their findings which provides us the teachers with a great opportunity to improve their skills.
I created a simple MakeCode Arcade game called ¨Star Stage¨.
Here is the game link: https://makecode.com/_ey5Wqvhms6M3
Game type: Timed catch/collect
Curriculum Area and Learning Objective
Curriculum Area: Mathematics (Counting)Learning Objective:
The player will improve their counting skills by collecting falling stars and increasing their score. They could also count their scores and collect data on their scores by keeping a tally. Then use their tally to create a bar chart.Simple Storyboard
Location:
A stage with a character standing at the bottom while stars fall from the top of the screen.Player:
The player controls the character by moving left and right to catch the falling stars.Relevant Game Elements:
- Player character
Falling stars
Score counter
Background stage
Game Over message
How to Play:
The player moves the character left and right to catch as many falling stars as possible. Each star caught adds 1 point to the score. The player should try to collect as many as possible before the game ends.
Winning:
The player wins by reaching the target score (for example, 20 points) before the game ends.Losing:
The player loses if they miss too many stars or if the time runs out before reaching the target score.Computational Thinking
Computational Thinking Process: DebuggingExplanation:
I used debugging while creating my game by testing it to make sure the stars fell correctly, the character moved properly, and the score increased each time a star was caught. When something didn’t work as expected, I fixed the code and tested it again until the game worked correctly.Love your idea of linking the game to story telling. This would really engage the children and interest them in improving their own narrative writing. It would also help teach them the basics of a good narrative story i.e setting, characters, problem and a solution. You could also add in players, music and change the background/setting to add more detail to their stories.
I completed the makecode microbit tutorial ´Dice´. The code shows numbers 1-6 like a traditional dice would. When you press the shake button or move your cursor/mouse across the microbit simulator one of these numbers will randomly appear.
This is the link to my project- https://makecode.microbit.org/_LrAa1V6KLe5q
I would use this in the classroom for STEM activities by doing the following:
Science: Students test the microbit by shaking it and observing how motion triggers the program. Design their own device that could shake the dice using some simple materials e.g. paper cups, toilet rolls, plastic bottles etc.
Technology: Use makecode to improve their dice.
Engineering: They improve the design, for example by adding sound, timing etc.
Maths: Students collect results from multiple rolls and make a tally chart to compare frequency and discuss randomness. Show their results using a pictogram or bar chart.The digital learning framework focus I have chosen is where pupils reflect on their progress as learners and develop a sense of ownership of their learning. I feel this is one of the most important things to develop in our classrooms as we want our students to feel self motivated and want to put their all in to their own work.
In my current practice, a strength is that I already use digital tools for pupils to show understanding in different ways, such as short videos, slides, or quizzes. One example of something simple that I use is Classroom Screen which we use every day. One of the many great features is the ¨Class Poll¨ element where students can vote on things in the classroom. It is possible to hide the responses which is what I do in order for children to feel they can answer honestly. We use this to vote on everything from our favourite season to the next brain break we will do. This supports engagement and gives me visible evidence of learning.
An area I would like to develop is giving pupils more structured opportunities to reflect on their progress and set their own digital learning goals. This is something I need to allow more time for as I feel it would also help children take ownership of their learning.
My three actions would be:
Introduce a simple digital reflection template for pupils once a fortnight.
Use more exit tickets or mini self-assessments after one lesson each week. My students love exit tickets so I need to incorporate these at least once a week.
Review pupil reflections and their feedback at the end of each month to identify one common next step for teaching. - Player character