Top 5 Ways AI Can Help You Plan Better Lessons

We’ve heard plenty about the promise of AI in education. We’ve also seen the complications. There are valid questions about student misuse, but there is one place where AI can help teachers almost immediately, with very little controversy: lesson planning.

Think of AI as another set of eyes at the planning table. It can suggest ideas, challenge your thinking, offer alternatives, and help improve something you have already created. You decide what works, what doesn’t, and what fits your students. And you can get started with any free AI chatbot (Gemini, ChatGPT, Copilot, etc.).

Here are five ways to put it to work.

Questions to Ask AI

• What are five engaging ways to introduce this topic?
• Which approach would work best for my grade level?
• How could I improve the activity I already use?

Try This Prompt

Act as an experienced [grade level] teacher. I’m teaching [topic] with the goal that students will [learning objective]. Give me five different ways to introduce the lesson, including a question, story, real-world problem, or simple activity that could hook students. Then recommend the strongest option and explain why.

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Questions to Ask AI

• How could I connect this topic to students’ everyday lives?
• What current or real-world examples would make this concept easier to understand?
• How could I connect this lesson to interests such as sports, music, gaming, or social media?

Try This Prompt

I’m teaching [topic] to [grade level] students. Give me five real-world connections that could make this topic feel more relevant to students. Include examples connected to everyday life, popular interests, and situations students are likely to recognize. Keep the examples age-appropriate and directly connected to the learning objective: [objective].

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Questions to Ask AI

• How can I add support without changing the learning goal?
• How could I make this more challenging for students who are ready to go further?
• What vocabulary, sentence starters, examples, or visual supports might help?

Try This Prompt

Here is an activity I plan to use with my [grade level] students: [Paste activity] The learning goal is [learning objective]. Adapt this same activity into three versions.: one with additional scaffolding and support, one at the current level, and one that provides greater challenge or extension. Keep the same core learning goal for all three.

Use non-identifying terms, and don’t include student names or personal details.

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Questions to Ask AI

• What is the best way for students to demonstrate this learning?
• What short assessment would match my learning objective?
• What rubric or success criteria should I use to evaluate student work?

Try This Prompt

I’m teaching [topic] to [grade level] students, and my learning objective is [objective]. Create three different ways I could assess whether students achieved that objective. Include one quick check, one more traditional assessment, and one application or performance task. Recommend the best option for this lesson and create the questions, directions, or rubric I would need to use it. Use non-identifying terms, and don’t include student names or personal details.

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Questions to Ask AI

• Based on what you know about my class, where will this lesson work well and where might it struggle?
• What have I overlooked?
• What would you change before I teach this tomorrow?

Try This Prompt

Review this lesson as my teaching assistant. Consider what you already know about my [grade/class], including their interests, strengths, challenges, and activities that have worked well in previous lessons.
[Paste lesson plan]
Tell me what is likely to work especially well, where students may struggle or disengage, and anything important I may have missed. Then recommend the three changes, if any, that would most improve the lesson. Don’t rewrite it. Give me feedback I can use to make the final decisions.
Use non-identifying terms, and don’t include student names or personal details.

Just getting started with AI? Check out Top 5 Ways AI Can Help Teachers Who Haven’t Tried It Yet.

Final Thoughts

Remember: AI doesn’t have to write the lesson to make it better. And unlike the bigger questions around AI in schools, this is something you can try tomorrow.

Reader Question

What part of lesson planning would you most like AI to help you with?

Want more prompts like these? Get 55 AI Prompts That Can Save You 55 Hours.

Like this post?  You can also check out Top 5https://engaiged.ai/top-5s/top-5-ways-to-build-your-own-ai-teaching-assistant/ Ways to Build Your Own AI Teaching Assistant.