I’m excited to be starting a new semester this week, like millions of other teachers. As a resource for my fellow educators, I’m updating a piece I wrote for The 74, the nonprofit education news site.
The average K-12 teacher works 49 hours a week. About a quarter of that time is uncompensated. In higher ed, adjuncts make up about 40% of the faculty workforce. At many institutions, time spent on course prep and administrative tasks is unpaid. Most teachers I know didn’t become educators to spend evenings generating quiz questions, rewriting instructions, or filling out administrative paperwork.
AI assistants like Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini won’t change these realities. But when you’re overwhelmed, they can help streamline tedious tasks. They can free up energy for what only a human teacher can do. When used thoughtfully, these tools can actually push us to be more creative. They can help us overcome teaching ruts, nudging us to revitalize how we show up in the classroom.
A 60-second guide to prompting
The first step to making the most of AI is understanding how to use prompts. A prompt is a natural-language instruction to an AI assistant. It doesn’t have to include technical or formal language. You don’t even have to use full sentences.
Prompts work with any AI assistant. Use free private AI chatbots, like Proton’s Lumo or Duck AI. Or download AI apps that run on your laptop without touching the Internet, like Jan, which I tested and recommend. Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT also work well. Whatever you have access to will work.
As the teacher, you guide an AI assistant with relevant context. Prompts work best when they include specifics. Generic prompts yield generic responses.
It helps to iterate on AI output with follow-up prompts. Ask for more specificity or detail. Adapt the response for your students. Don’t use it as is. Part of retaining your agency in the process is making sure you build on whatever outputs an assistant generates. You’re the director. It’s much like adopting an open educational resource. The advantage, though, is that this material will be more tailored to your students and teaching approach.
Knowing how to use prompts effectively can mean the difference between AI that’s actually helpful and AI that’s gimmicky. The prompts below offer a creative boost. Each illustrates a practical way to use AI in support of thoughtful, pedagogically sound teaching. You don’t need any special technical skills. You don’t need paid AI subscriptions. Customize them to suit your subject matter and your approach to teaching.
Try my new free Teaching Prompt Assistant. Give it your goal and it’ll guide you quickly to a draft prompt.
Start with a project
If you want to use prompts more efficiently, first create a project in Claude or ChatGPT, or a Gemini Notebook. Think of this as a folder where you provide context about your class that an AI assistant can reference when you ask for support. You can upload past materials, syllabi, lesson plans, curriculum guidelines, Common Core State Standards, or whatever else is relevant for your teaching.
You can also add detailed instructions to the project explaining how you’d like the AI to assist you. You’re teaching it your preferences. Once you set up a project, you won’t have to repeatedly type in the same context.
The Prompt Collection
1. The Bell Ringer
Start class with a spark
The first five minutes of class set the tone for everything that follows. A short, well-designed opening activity can draw students in. Engaging openers are especially valuable on Mondays, after vacations, or when you’re pivoting to a new topic. The challenge is coming up with fresh ones regularly.
Goal: Generate five quick options for activities you can use at the start of a class session, adapted for your subject and your students.
Prompt: “I teach [subject x] to students in [grade level x]. We’re studying [specific topic xyz]. Generate five activities I can adapt to start a [xx] minute class. Each should take no more than [x] minutes, require no materials, and either activate prior knowledge or help students reflect on what they’ve just learned. Include one that’s discussion-based, one that’s written and one that’s a game or visual/creative task. [Or adapt these examples to reflect your subject matter. For example, one of the options could be a logic puzzle or an artistic challenge].”
Tip: Be as detailed as possible about your preferences. Include a sentence about your teaching style and context about your students. No need to make it formal.
See an example of a Bell Ringer Prompt
2. The Real-World Hook
Answer “Why does this matter?” before students even ask
When you’re overwhelmed by administrative meetings, multiple preps, and paperwork, it can be hard to give extra attention to helping students relate to a new unit. This prompt helps you brainstorm connections to contemporary music, art, film, TV, cultural trends or other subjects of interest to students.
Goal: Generate five ways to show your students how the topic you’re teaching is relevant to their lives, each with a two-sentence hook you can use to open discussion.
Prompt: “I’m about to begin a unit on [x topic] with [grade level x] students. [Provide a sentence of additional context and a few additional details about your students’ interests]. Generate five ways to connect this material to something students are likely to relate to. This can include sports, the arts, social media trends, pop culture, music or other contemporary issues. For each connection, suggest a two-sentence hook I can adapt to help jumpstart a class discussion.”
See an example of a Real-World Hook Prompt
3. The Bad Example Generator
Turn common mistakes into learning opportunities
Showing students examples of mistakes can help them avoid those pitfalls. But you can’t embarrass students by showing examples of their weakest work. Fortunately, AI assistants are excellent example generators. They can come up with nearly any kind of error you specify. No need to spend hours creating intentionally bad work.
Adapt this prompt to include any kind of error you want your students to avoid. These can include experimental design mishaps in science or mangled math formulas. If you’re teaching essay writing, showcase logical fallacies or ad hominem arguments.
Here’s an example of a table of common writing traps I generated.
Goal: Produce five realistic examples of a specific error type, unlabeled, so students can identify, discuss and learn from the flaws.
Prompt: “I’m teaching [x subject/topic] to [grade level x] students. [Provide an additional sentence of specific context about your class, the learning goals you’re focusing on, and/or the lesson you’re preparing.] Generate five examples of paragraphs with [ad hominem arguments / circular reasoning / weak thesis statements / misleading use of statistics / or pick any other weakness] related to [x topic]. Make sure each example is realistic. These should be the kinds of errors students at this grade level might actually make. Don’t label what’s wrong. I’ll use these for a class activity where students identify and explain the flaws themselves.”
Tip: You can also task the AI with annotating or explaining these errors to help you walk students methodically through these common flaws.
See how a specific teacher might use the Bad Example Generator
Try my free “Wrong On Purpose” tool to generate examples of what to avoid that you can tailor for your class. (Requires a free Claude account)
4. The Scaffolding Prompt
Make instructions clear for every student
Complex instructions often trip up students. Simplifying language can help, along with breaking guidance into smaller steps. This prompt helps you clarify instructions for an existing assignment, handout, or any other activity. It’s particularly useful if you have students with learning differences or if your class has a wide range of readiness levels.
Goal: Reframe a handout or assignment so it’s clearer and more accessible, especially for students who need extra support.
Prompt: “Here is a [handout / assignment / resource] I give students: [paste or upload it]. Help me reframe this for students who face [specific challenges or context]. I particularly want this to be more accessible for students who need extra support. Break the instructions into smaller, numbered steps. Replace any abstract language with concrete directions. Point out any parts I should clarify. Suggest a brief example for each major step and any illustrations or images that might help me make this more visually engaging. Maintain the academic expectations I have for the work.”
See an example of a Scaffolding Prompt
5. The Review Game Generator
Develop review questions efficiently
Coming up with a long list of review questions can take hours. And designing plausible wrong answers can be exhausting. An AI assistant can help, quickly turning existing handouts, lesson plans, or fact sheets into engaging questions, customized for your subject and student level. Tip: Add questions you’ve used in the past to the prompt as a model for the AI assistant to learn from.
Goal: Generate 15 multiple-choice review questions, tiered by difficulty, formatted for whatever learning game you prefer.
Prompt: “I’m finishing a unit on [x topic] with my [grade level x] students. For an upcoming review session, I’m preparing material to help students practice [a particular skill or area of knowledge]. Generate 15 questions based on the following key concepts: [list concepts or paste notes or upload a handout]. For the multiple-choice ones, include a correct answer and three plausible wrong answers. Vary the difficulty: five easy, five medium, five challenging. Flag the correct answer for each. Also suggest some true/false, fill-in-the-blank, and open-ended questions for variety.”
See an example of a Review Game Prompt
6. The Fresh Angle Search
Bring new life to familiar content
Some topics get stale, especially when you’ve taught them the same way for years. To liven up an old lesson, it can be helpful to gather new sources, examples, statistics, case studies or unexpected angles.
Use Perplexity, a free, AI-powered search engine that provides citations alongside its results. Its links ensure you have an evidence trail to verify its responses and explore the original sources. Digging into Perplexity’s concise search summary is more efficient than sorting through hundreds of Google links.
Goal: Find five recent or unexpected real-world examples of a concept you’re teaching, including perspectives from outside the U.S. and connections to students’ current interests.
Prompt: “I teach [x topic] to [grade level x] students. [Provide additional context here about the topic or learning outcomes you’re focused on]. I’m looking for interesting material [or whatever other description you prefer] to make this subject more engaging for students. [Include any additional context about your students’ interests]. Find me several recent, unexpected or counterintuitive real-world examples of [x concept] that might surprise or intrigue students. Include real-world details to help add nuance for students who think they already understand the concept. And suggest multiple new analogies I can use for students who don’t yet understand this concept. Include international examples, and at least one that has an element of humor.”
See an example of a Fresh Angle Search
7. The Skeptical Student Prompt
Prepare for the hardest questions before class starts
You never know what odd questions might arise when you teach a new topic. AI assistants can help by generating all sorts of potential questions. That prep can help you avoid unpleasant surprises in class, so you’re ready for nearly anything students might toss at you.
Goal: Generate 10 challenging questions a skeptical student might ask me about this lesson.
Prompt: “Here is a [lesson plan / reading / concept] I’m teaching: [paste or upload material, mentioning the grade level and any other relevant context]. Give me a list of potential student questions about the relevance of this new topic and about real-world applications. Also note any doubts students might have. If these students [at grade level x] are skeptical that this material is relevant, what might they wonder, and what aspects in particular might they question? Generate 10 challenging questions curious students might ask. Include ones that challenge the relevance of the topic, the reliability of my sources, and the assumptions behind my explanations.”
See an example of a Skeptical Student Prompt
8. The Blind Spot Audit
Find your own blind spots before students do
During a typical week, we don’t always have time to trade peer feedback on lesson plans or syllabi. But we can still benefit from getting input on our materials. AI assistants can critically evaluate your materials for clarity, accessibility, inclusivity, or blind spots. You always have the option of ignoring the observations. I usually like at least a couple of the proposed adjustments.
Goal: Identify specific places in my lesson plan or syllabus where I might have an unconscious bias, where my instructions may be unclear, or where my examples may not reflect the diversity of my students. Point out any unnecessary jargon and highlight assessment criteria that might be confusing.
Prompt: “Here is my [lesson plan / syllabus / unit overview]: [paste or upload document]. Take the perspective of a critic with expertise in inclusive pedagogy and student-centered design. Identify parts of my plan that may not work for students with vision, hearing, or mobility impairments. Also point out places where an unconscious bias might be influencing the way I’m presenting this topic. Point out places where examples or explanations I’ve included might not make sense to my diverse students. Show me places where my assessment criteria could be clearer. Note any other sections of the material that might not be inclusive, accessible or relatable for students. Be direct. Include the location of each issue so I can explore potential fixes. I want specific critique, not general praise. Explain each observation in detail.”
See an example of a Blind Spot Audit
9. The Differentiation Prompt
Adapt an assignment for distinct levels
In many classrooms, students arrive at varying levels of readiness. But consistently creating multiple versions of the same material can turn 40-hour weeks into 49-hour marathons. An AI assistant’s suggested adaptations can help.
Tip: make sure your differentiated materials remain anchored in your own ideas and teaching goals. There’s a risk of cognitive offloading, where you start letting the AI make decisions for you. Avoid that by treating any response you get as a preliminary thought that you shape yourself.
Goal: Produce alternative versions of an existing assignment: one with additional scaffolding, and one with stretch challenges for advanced students.
Prompt: “Here is an [assignment / assessment] I give students: [paste or upload material]. Generate two versions of this: one for students who need additional scaffolding and more explicit guidance, and one that adds stretch challenges for advanced students. Preserve the core learning objectives. Summarize the suggested changes and explain their rationale, so I can decide how to adapt these alternatives for my students.”
See an example of a Differentiation Prompt
10. The Rubric Builder
Help students understand how you’ll assess them
A well-designed rubric does two things: it clarifies your expectations before students start working, and it gives them a roadmap for revising. Developing rubrics from scratch is tedious. It requires formatting small batches of text into boxes in complex tables. This prompt generates a structured first draft in table format. You can then refine it before sharing it with students. To start, specify the elements of the student work you’ll be evaluating, and describe your criteria.
You don’t have to use full sentences or formal language. Just describe what constitutes excellence for this assignment, what satisfactory work looks like, and what evidence signals to you that a student may need more practice. Crafting these rubrics with AI assistance is an iterative process. Revise initial outputs by adding your own details and refinements.
Goal: Generate a rubric written in clear, concrete language that helps students understand how they’re going to be evaluated.
Prompt: “I’m assigning [assignment description] to [grade level x] students. [Here’s a bit of relevant context]. Generate a rubric with three performance levels: Excellent, Proficient, and Developing. (Or Superb, Good, and Needs Improvement). Include five criteria relevant to this assignment: [list criteria, e.g., use of evidence, originality, thoughtfulness, structure, and mechanics]. For each criterion and each level, write two specific sentences describing what that performance actually looks like. Avoid vague language like ‘good use of sources.’ Put this rubric into a table, then wait for my edits.”
See an example of a Rubric Builder
11. The Case Study Collaborator
Generate fictional scenarios to spice up discussions
Case studies help spark lively discussions. They’re useful whether you’re introducing students to ethical questions or trying to help students relate to a historical situation. They can also bring a business decision or scientific discovery to life. Creating cases from scratch can be grueling. So this prompt helps you build fictional but realistic scenarios customized to your subject matter and student context.
Goal: Create a fictional case study to illustrate a tension relevant to your subject, set in a context students can relate to, ending with three discussion questions.
Prompt: “I teach [x subject] to [grade level x] students. [Provide an additional sentence of context or specifics to ensure the case studies are relevant and useful.] We’re exploring [x concept or issue. Include as much detail as possible about what and how you’re approaching the topic and your learning goals]. Create a fictional but realistic case study I can use in class next week that is timely and involves [a relevant character, institution, or situation] that illustrates the tension between [value A] and [value B]. Set it in [context relevant to your students: a school, a local community, a specific industry]. Make sure the scenario is complex enough that reasonable people could disagree about what response makes the most sense. End with three discussion questions that I can adapt to push students to apply the concepts we’ve been studying.”
See an example of a Case Study Collaborator
A final thought
AI assistants have arrived at a time when teachers need support to do their best work. In a national survey by the RAND Corporation, just 24% of teachers reported being satisfied with their total weekly hours worked, and 66% said their base salary was inadequate. AI tools won’t make up for unfair compensation. But they can help us strengthen how we serve our students while we make time for the rest of our lives.
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Thanks for the prompt ideas. I'm a retired school social worker who's about to embark on substitute teaching. Very helpful, especially when I'm thrown into a situation where I don't know the students or the class history.
Prompts that catch blind spots beat prompts that just write faster. The same split shows up outside teaching: tools that leave you a list after a meeting are table stakes. The useful ones come back with the lesson plan, rubric, or brief already drafted so a person can approve before anything goes live. I especially like keeping the named human checks it step explicit in the toolkit rather than treating AI output as done.