60 quick bellringers for the first minutes of class. Students decide, explain, verify, or create something every time, and each opener builds a Student ELE.
No handouts needed: read the prompt aloud or choose Project to show it full-screen, then use the teacher move and look-for on the card. Most need no devices at all.
I asked, "What is your favorite food?" One helper said, "Pizza, because my grandma makes it on Fridays!" The other said, "Many people like pizza." Which one was a robot?
The first one
The second one
Not sure yet
Reveal answer
The second one sounds like a robot. A robot does not eat or have a grandma; it guesses words that often go together.
Teacher move
Read both answers twice, then students hold up one finger for the first helper, two for the second, or a fist for not sure. Ask: "What clue helped you decide?"
Look for
Students name a clue, such as "robots don't eat" or "the first one told a real memory."
Our pretend robot only ever saw red apples. Now it sees a green apple. What will it guess, and why?
Reveal answer
The robot might say "not an apple" because it learned that apples are red. Robots guess from the patterns they have seen, so showing it more kinds of apples helps.
Teacher move
Partners turn knee to knee and each share a guess and a reason. Call on three pairs, then ask: "How could we help the robot guess better next time?"
Look for
Students say the robot learned from what it saw, and suggest showing it more kinds of apples.
Next
Tonight, find something at home that comes in many colors and tell a grown-up why a robot might get confused. Full activity: Robot Guesses
A robot helper said, "Cats have wings and can fly to the moon!" Is that a fact or fake?
Fact
Fake
Reveal answer
Fake. Robot helpers can sound very sure and still be wrong, so we check in two places before we believe them.
Teacher move
Students show thumbs up for fact or thumbs down for fake, then name two places they could check (a book, a grown-up, a trusted website). Optional: you type a simple question into a district-approved chatbot on the projector and the class checks its answer in a book.
Look for
Students name two ways to check, like "look in a cat book" and "ask my teacher."
Next
When a helper tells you something new today, ask yourself, "Where else can I check?" Full activity: Ask Two
A game asks you some questions. Which ones are OK to share, and which ones stay secret?
My favorite color
My home address
My pet's silly trick
My password
My full name and school
Reveal answer
Favorite color and a pet's trick are OK. Address, password, full name, and school stay private, and you tell a trusted grown-up if anything asks for them.
Teacher move
Read each item; students pat their head for "OK to share" or put a finger on their lips for "keep it secret." Ask: "If a game or a talking computer asks for a secret, who do you tell?"
Look for
Students keep address, password, and school private and name a trusted grown-up they would tell.
Tomás sends a message: "Your drawing is SO cool!" Then Pip sends: "Your drawing is ugly." Which one is a kind click?
Thumbs up: kind
Thumbs down: unkind
Teacher move
Read each message separately; students give thumbs up or down. Then pairs turn Pip's message into a kind one, and ask: "What should you do if someone sends you an unkind message?"
Look for
Pairs change Pip's words into something kind, and students say they would tell a trusted grown-up about mean messages.
Picture a puppy with rainbow wings flying over a school. Is it real, pretend on purpose, or changed to look real?
Real
Pretend on purpose
Changed to look real
Reveal answer
Puppies do not have wings, so it is pretend or changed. A cartoon is pretend on purpose; a photo made to look real is changed, and a grown-up can help you tell.
Teacher move
Describe the picture aloud, or show a teacher-made drawing on the projector. Students stand still for real, wiggle for pretend, or freeze like a statue for changed, and then you ask: "What clue did you use, and who could you ask if you weren't sure?"
Look for
Students give a clue, such as "dogs don't have wings," and name a grown-up to ask.
A talking speaker can help with some things. For which ones should you ask a grown-up instead?
Play a song
Set a timer
I got hurt
Is this berry safe to eat?
What is the weather?
Reveal answer
Songs, timers, and weather are fine for a speaker. Getting hurt or eating berries needs a grown-up, because the speaker only guesses and cannot see you.
Teacher move
Read each one; students point to the ceiling for "speaker can help" or to you for "ask a grown-up." Ask: "Why is a grown-up better for some questions?"
Look for
Students say a speaker "can't see you" or "might guess wrong" for the safety questions.
A password is like a toothbrush: it's just for you. Stand up if it's OK to share your password with this person.
My best friend
My grown-up at home
A game character
My teacher at school
A kid in a video
Reveal answer
Only your grown-ups at home and your teacher (for school logins) should know it. Friends, game characters, and people in videos do not get your password.
Teacher move
Call out each one; students stand or stay seated. Ask: "Why is it OK for your grown-up to know it, but not your best friend?"
Look for
Students stay seated for friends and game characters and explain that grown-ups help keep them safe.
A cartoon bunny says, "Crunchy Stars cereal makes you run faster than a car!" Fact or fake?
Fact
Fake
Reveal answer
Fake. It is an ad, and ads try to get you to buy. No cereal makes you run faster than a car.
Teacher move
Students show thumbs up or down, then tell a partner why. Optional: show a teacher-made ad drawing on the projector. Ask: "Is the bunny telling you something or selling you something?"
Look for
Students use the words "ad" or "selling" when explaining their thumb.
Finish these out loud: "Peanut butter and ___." "Once upon a ___." How did your brain know what comes next?
Reveal answer
You guessed from patterns you have heard many times. A chatbot also predicts likely next words from patterns, which is why it can sound right and still be wrong.
Teacher move
The class calls out endings together, then partners explain how they knew. Ask: "If a chatbot guesses the next word the same way, what could go wrong?"
Look for
Students say something like "I've heard it a lot" and connect it to a chatbot guessing, not knowing.
A chatbot says: "Lake Marigold in Pinecrest County is the deepest lake on Earth. Scientists agree." Fact or fake, and how would you check?
Fact
Fake
I need to check
Reveal answer
Fake: Lake Marigold and Pinecrest County are made up for this opener. "I need to check" is the smart reflex; chatbots can state invented facts confidently, so we check a trusted source before we believe or repeat it.
Teacher move
Students hold up 1, 2, or 3 fingers, then write one way to check on a whiteboard. Optional: you ask a district-approved chatbot a question on the projector and the class checks its answer against a trusted source. Ask: "Does sounding sure make something true?"
Look for
Students name a specific check (an atlas, a library database, a trusted website) instead of trusting the confident tone.
Write three instructions for drawing a smiley face. Your partner is a robot who draws exactly what you say, nothing more.
Teacher move
Partners sit back to back; one reads instructions and the other draws only what is said. Swap, then ask: "Which words made the robot's drawing match, and which made it go weird?"
Look for
Students revise a vague step ("draw eyes") into a precise one ("draw two small dots near the top of the circle").
Sort these practice passwords from weakest to strongest. None of these are anyone's real password.
123456
fluffy
Kai2016
PurpleTacoJumpsHigh
Purple-Taco-Jumps-High-7!
Reveal answer
Weakest to strongest: 123456, fluffy, Kai2016, PurpleTacoJumpsHigh, Purple-Taco-Jumps-High-7!. Long, silly passphrases with symbols are strong, and names and birth years are easy to guess. Never share your real one, except with a trusted grown-up.
Teacher move
Write the five on the board; table groups agree on an order and send one person to rearrange them. Ask: "What makes the last one hard to guess but easy for you to remember?"
Look for
Groups explain that length and unexpected words matter more than a single number.
A post shows a fish bigger than a boat, caught at Willow Creek Park: "Real photo, taken yesterday!" Before you share it, what are your steps?
Reveal answer
Stop first, then find better coverage: look for the same story from a trusted source. Photos can be cropped, edited, or made with AI, so staring is not enough.
Teacher move
Describe the photo aloud, or show a teacher-made edited image on the projector. Partners write two steps on a whiteboard, and then you ask: "Why is Stop a better first move than staring really hard?"
Look for
Students list "stop" and "look for other sources" rather than "zoom in to find glitches."
Jada put a drawing by an artist named Lu Chen on her poster. Rafael used an AI tool to brainstorm his poster's title. What should each of them do?
Nothing, it's fine
Say who made it or helped
Say they did it all themselves
Reveal answer
Say who made it or helped. Jada writes "Drawing by Lu Chen," and Rafael adds "I used AI to brainstorm title ideas and chose my own."
Teacher move
Students hold up 1, 2, or 3 fingers. Then pairs write the exact credit line Jada and Rafael could add. Ask: "Why does an honest note matter, even for AI help?"
Look for
Pairs write a specific credit line for both the artist and the AI help.
Your team is making a poster about recycling. Would you rather make slides on devices, or one big chart-paper poster together?
Slides on devices
One chart-paper poster
Teacher move
Students move to one side of the room and each side gives its best reason. Ask: "What does our team need to show, and which tool (or no tool) helps us show it?"
Look for
Students justify the choice by the job to be done, such as "we need to add photos" or "we all need to work at once."
Fact or fake: "A smart speaker only turns on when you say its wake word, and its answers are always right."
Fact
Fake
Partly true
Reveal answer
Partly true. Speakers listen for a wake word but can mishear and turn on by accident, may keep recordings, and answer by guessing, so keep private info away from them and check important answers.
Teacher move
Students vote with thumbs up, down, or sideways for partly. Ask: "What should you never say near a speaker, and why?"
Look for
Students name a private detail to keep away from speakers and say answers can be wrong.
Pretend headline from the future: "Robot Helpers Now in Every Classroom in Maple Hollow." What's one good thing and one tricky thing?
Teacher move
Partners each name one good and one tricky thing, then pair with another pair to compare. Ask: "Did someone notice a problem you missed? What rule would fix it?"
Look for
Students add an idea from a classmate and propose a rule, such as "a teacher checks what the robot says."
Picture this photo, posted during a storm: a shark fin cuts through brown floodwater on Main Street in Cedar Bend, right past a stop sign. The caption says "THIS IS HAPPENING NOW. Share before they delete it!" What do you notice, what do you wonder, and what would you check before you believed it?
Reveal answer
You cannot tell from the image alone. Old photos get reused, edits are easy, and AI can generate a scene like this in seconds. The strongest move is to leave the post and look for the source and for local news coverage of the storm.
Teacher move
Read the description twice, then give 60 seconds of silent think time before partners share one notice and one wonder. Ask: "Would zooming in on the photo settle it, or do you need to check something outside the photo?"
Look for
Students name at least one check outside the image, such as who first posted it or whether local news reported it, instead of only hunting for visual glitches.
A student asked a chatbot for help with a geography project. It answered: "Lake Pembrook is the deepest lake in Texas, at 912 feet. It was formed by a meteor about 10,000 years ago." Fact or fake?
Fact
Fake
Can't tell yet
Reveal answer
Fake. Lake Pembrook is invented for this opener, and so are the depth and the meteor story. A chatbot predicts likely-sounding words, so it can state made-up details with total confidence. "Can't tell yet" is a smart first answer; the fix is to check an atlas or a trusted source before you use it.
Teacher move
Students show one finger for Fact, two for Fake, three for Can't tell yet. Call on one student from each group to explain, then ask: "What would you do next if this showed up in your notes?"
Look for
Students explain that sounding confident or specific is not the same as being true, and they name a source they would check.
Sort these five AI uses into "builds my learning" or "replaces my learning": 1) asking AI to quiz me on vocabulary, 2) pasting in my essay question and turning in the answer, 3) asking AI to explain fractions a different way, 4) having AI write my reading log, 5) asking AI what I might have missed in my science notes.
Builds my learning
Replaces my learning
Depends how I use it
Reveal answer
Uses 1, 3, and 5 keep you doing the thinking, so they usually build learning. Uses 2 and 4 hand the thinking to the tool. Any of them can shift: even a quiz stops helping if you just copy answers, which is why your teacher's rules and your honesty both matter.
Teacher move
Students jot the numbers under two or three headings on a whiteboard, then compare with a partner. Ask: "Pick one that depends. What would make it build learning instead of replace it?"
Look for
Students give a reason tied to who is doing the thinking, not just whether AI was used.
A message pops up in your game chat from "Mod_Zyra": "Congrats! You won 5,000 free gems for being a top player. Log in at gemdrop-rewards.co in the next 10 minutes or they expire." What do you do?
Click and claim it
Ignore and block
Check another way first
Reveal answer
Treat it as a scam. The countdown, the prize you never entered for, and a login link outside the game are the real clues. Perfect spelling proves nothing because AI can polish scam messages. If you want to check, open the game yourself, never through the link, and tell a trusted adult.
Teacher move
Students move to three corners of the room, one for each option. Each corner names the clue that decided it for them. Ask: "If this message had zero spelling mistakes, would that make it safe?"
Look for
Students point to pressure, the unexpected prize, or the outside login link rather than spelling as their reason.
Next
Teams will sort a full stack of texts, emails, and game messages into safe, scam, or check-another-way. Full activity: Phish Tank IRL
Would you rather share your live location with your friends all the time so it is easy to meet up, or keep it off and text people where you are when you need to? Either way, who else might be able to see where you go?
Share with friends all the time
Keep it off and text instead
Reveal answer
There is no single right answer. Sharing is convenient and can help family keep you safe, but a trail of locations can reveal your home, school, and routine to more people than you meant. Many apps let you share with a short list or for a set time.
Teacher move
Students stand on one side of the room or the other, then talk with someone from the opposite side for one minute. Ask: "Is there a middle choice, like sharing only with family or only during a trip?"
Look for
Students name a middle option, such as sharing with fewer people or for a limited time, and say who they would trust with their location.
Headline: "HOMEWORK BANNED IN FERNWOOD SCHOOLS!" First sentence of the article: "A Fernwood district committee will spend the next year studying how much homework students get and may suggest changes." Does the headline match the story?
Matches
Stretches it
Contradicts it
Reveal answer
It stretches it, almost to a contradiction. Nothing is banned; a committee is only studying the question. Dramatic headlines get more clicks and shares, which is why reading past the headline matters.
Teacher move
Students hold up one, two, or three fingers. Partners then rewrite the headline in eight words or fewer so it matches the lede. Ask: "Why would someone write the first headline?"
Look for
Rewritten headlines keep the real news (a committee is studying homework) and drop the claim that anything was banned.
Nico watched one skateboarding video all the way to the end. Now his feed is almost all skateboarding. Draw the rule the app might be following as a flowchart or an "IF ... THEN ..." sentence.
Reveal answer
A simple version: IF a person watches a video to the end, THEN show more videos like it. Real feeds use many signals, but the idea is the same: the app predicts what will keep you watching, which can narrow what you see.
Teacher move
Students sketch on scrap paper or whiteboards for three minutes, then compare with a partner. Ask: "What would Nico have to do to break the pattern, and what might he never see now?"
Look for
Drawings show an input (what Nico did) leading to an output (what the feed shows next), and students suggest at least one way to widen the feed.
Your group is making a two-minute video about a problem at school. One teammate says, "Let's just have AI write the whole script. It'll be done in a minute." Another says that feels like cheating. How should your team decide?
Reveal answer
Strong answers split the job: the team picks the problem and the message, AI might help brainstorm or give feedback if the teacher allows it, and the team checks and rewrites anything it keeps and says how AI helped.
Teacher move
Partners talk for three minutes, then each pair shares one rule their team would agree on. Ask: "Which parts of this project should stay your team's own ideas?"
Look for
Pairs propose a team agreement that names what AI may and may not do and how the team will be honest about it.
Next
Teams will use the design process on a real community problem and keep a record of what AI suggested and what they rejected. Full activity: Community Problem Pitch
A teacher asked an image generator for "a scientist at work" four times. Every picture showed an older man with white hair and a lab coat, standing in a lab. What do you notice? Who is missing?
Reveal answer
Image tools learn from huge piles of existing pictures and captions, so they can repeat old stereotypes. Scientists are all kinds of people doing all kinds of work. A more specific prompt can help, but noticing the pattern is the first step.
Teacher move
Students list who is missing on a whiteboard (for example, women, young scientists, people who work outdoors or with computers), then pairs rewrite the prompt to get a fuller picture. Ask: "Where might the tool have learned this pattern?"
Look for
Students name specific missing groups or kinds of scientific work and write a prompt that includes them.
Next
Students will read six mock AI outputs through different perspectives and rewrite prompts to fix the bias. Full activity: Bias in the Machine
A classmate posts their project slideshow in the class forum. Someone comments: "lol this is so boring, did a 3rd grader make this?" Rewrite the comment so it is honest, kind, and actually helpful.
Reveal answer
A helpful rewrite names something that works, one specific change, and a reason, such as "Your topic is interesting. Maybe add a photo on slide 3 so the example stands out."
Teacher move
Students write for two minutes, then swap with a partner who checks for one specific suggestion. Ask: "What makes feedback useful instead of just nice or just mean?"
Look for
Rewrites include at least one specific, doable suggestion and no insults or sarcasm.
Next
Use the same pattern the next time students give feedback on each other's work, online or on paper.
Think about yesterday. When did a screen help you, and when did it take time you wanted for something else? Write one small, realistic screen goal for this week and how you will know you met it.
Teacher move
Students write privately for three minutes; share only if they choose. Ask volunteers: "What makes a goal realistic instead of too big?"
Look for
Goals are specific and checkable, such as "phone charges outside my room on school nights," not "use screens less."
Next
Students check their goal on Friday with a quick thumbs up, sideways, or down and adjust it for next week.
Stand up if the statement is true for you, then sit back down. 1) I have believed something online that turned out to be false. 2) I have checked a second source before sharing. 3) I have used an AI answer without checking it. 4) I know one habit I want to get better at.
Teacher move
Read each statement and pause for students to stand. No one explains unless they volunteer. Finish by asking students to whisper to a partner the one checking habit they want to practice.
Look for
Students name a specific habit to improve, such as checking a second source or asking where an AI answer came from.
Next
Revisit the same statements in a month and notice what changed.
Here is a weak prompt: "Tell me about volcanoes." With a partner, rewrite it so an AI would help you study for Friday's quiz on how volcanoes form, without just doing the work for you.
Reveal answer
Stronger prompts say who you are, what you need, and how you want help, for example: "I'm in 7th grade. Quiz me with five questions about how volcanoes form and explain any I get wrong." Even a good answer still needs checking against your notes or textbook.
Teacher move
Pairs rewrite the prompt for three minutes and share a few. Then you type the original and one student prompt into a district-approved chatbot on the projector (students do not use their own accounts). Ask: "Which answer helps you learn, and what would you still need to check?"
Look for
Rewritten prompts include the grade level, the specific topic, and a request that keeps the student thinking, such as a quiz or an explanation.
Next
Students try the same prompt pattern the next time the class uses an approved AI tool.
Picture a bar chart titled "TACOS WIN BY A LANDSLIDE!" The taco bar towers over the pizza bar. But look closely at the side: the numbers start at 48, not 0. Tacos got 52 votes and pizza got 49. Is "landslide" fair?
Fair
Misleading
Need more info
Reveal answer
Misleading. The numbers in this mock chart are close (52 to 49), but starting the axis at 48 makes the gap look huge. Always check where the axis starts before you trust how big a difference looks.
Teacher move
Students vote with fingers, then sketch the same chart with the axis starting at 0. Ask: "Why might someone start the axis at 48?"
Look for
Redrawn charts start at 0 and show two bars of nearly the same height.
Sort each remix: 1) using a song you found online as background music in a video you post publicly, 2) using a photo marked with a Creative Commons license and crediting the creator, 3) drawing your own version of a cartoon character for your notebook, 4) posting an AI-made image as if you drew it.
Okay as is
Okay with credit or permission
Not okay
Reveal answer
1 needs permission or music you are allowed to use. 2 is okay because the license allows it and you gave credit. 3 is usually fine for personal practice. 4 is not okay; be honest that AI made it.
Teacher move
Students sort the numbers on a whiteboard and compare in groups of three. Ask: "What changes when you post something publicly instead of keeping it for yourself?"
Look for
Students connect their choice to credit, permission, or honesty about AI, and notice that sharing publicly raises the stakes.
Next
Students will sort more remix decisions and write credit lines that include notes about AI help. Full activity: Remix Rights
An AI research brief says: "Teens who study with music score 40% higher on memory tests (Harlow & Min, 2021, Journal of Adolescent Learning Science, vol. 14)." It looks polished and specific. Fact or fake?
Fact
Fake
Can't tell until I trace it
Reveal answer
Treat it as fake until traced. The authors, journal, and 40% figure were invented for this opener, which is exactly what a hallucinated citation looks like: real-sounding names, a volume number, a neat statistic. Search for the article itself, confirm the journal exists, and read what the study actually found.
Teacher move
Students vote with fingers, then pairs list the exact steps they would take to trace the citation. Ask: "What would count as proof that this study exists and says this?"
Look for
Students describe concrete tracing steps (search the title and authors, find the journal, read the abstract) rather than judging by how professional it looks.
The night before the Riverton mayoral election, a voicemail spreads in group chats. It sounds exactly like candidate Dana Whitfield: "Because of the storm, voting for my supporters has moved to Wednesday." Your cousin asks if they should forward it.
Forward it
Don't forward it
Check first, then decide
Reveal answer
Don't forward it, and check the official election office. A familiar voice is no longer proof, since voices can be cloned from short clips. Election dates don't move for one candidate's supporters, and the timing (the night before) is a classic pressure tactic.
Teacher move
Students go to three corners and each corner explains its reasoning in one sentence. Ask: "Where would you go to confirm when and where voting happens?"
Look for
Students name an official source to check and explain why a convincing voice is not evidence.
Jaylen used an AI chatbot to brainstorm three possible thesis statements for a history essay, picked one, rewrote it, and wrote the whole essay himself. His teacher allows AI for brainstorming if you disclose it. Write the one-sentence disclosure Jaylen should put at the end.
Reveal answer
A strong example: "I used an AI chatbot to brainstorm three possible thesis statements; I chose and revised one, and the research, argument, and writing are my own."
Teacher move
Students write for two minutes, then trade with a partner who checks: does it say what tool type, what it did, and what Jaylen did himself? Ask: "What would make a disclosure feel honest instead of like a loophole?"
Look for
Disclosures name what the AI did and what the student did, specifically enough that a reader could picture the process.
Next
Students will sort academic integrity dilemmas across courses and write process logs they would stand behind. Full activity: Disclose It
Would you rather use StudyNest AI, which is free but reads every document in your cloud drive to "personalize your help," or QuietNotes, which costs a few dollars a month and says it deletes your files after each session?
StudyNest AI (free, reads everything)
QuietNotes (paid, deletes files)
Reveal answer
Both are fictional, and both claims need checking. Free tools often pay for themselves with your data, while a paid tool's promise is only as good as its privacy policy. Good questions: what is collected, who it is shared with, how long it is kept, and whether you can turn it off or delete it.
Teacher move
Students move to one side of the room, then talk across the line with someone who chose differently. Ask: "What would you need to read or change before trusting either one?"
Look for
Students name at least one thing they would look for in a privacy policy or settings, not just price.
Next
Teams will read a mock AI study app's privacy policy like investigators and map where their data could go. Full activity: Data Trail Audit
Picture an online store called SoleVault Outlet: limited sneakers at 80% off, a timer counting down from 9:59, hundreds of five-star reviews all posted the same week, and a checkout page that only accepts gift cards or a payment app transfer. What do you notice, and what would you check, in order?
Reveal answer
The biggest clue is the payment method: gift cards and direct transfers are hard or impossible to reverse. The countdown creates pressure, the too-good price is a lure, and a burst of same-week reviews can be fake or AI-written. A careful order: look up the store's name plus "scam" or "reviews," check its contact and return info, and pay only with a method that offers protection.
Teacher move
Pairs list the red flags, then put their checks in the order they would do them. Ask: "Which single clue would make you walk away, even if everything else looked fine?"
Look for
Students put checks in a logical sequence and single out the payment method as the deciding clue.
Pick one feature of a social app: infinite scroll, autoplay, streaks, or like counts. With a partner, explain what it is designed to make you do, then redesign it so it serves people instead of engagement.
Reveal answer
Examples: scroll that pauses with a "you're caught up" message, autoplay that is off by default, streaks that can be paused without penalty, like counts only the poster sees. The tension is that these redesigns may reduce time on the app, which is what many apps are built to increase.
Teacher move
Pairs choose one feature, talk for four minutes, and sketch the redesign in one sentence or a quick drawing. Share three. Ask: "Would the company that makes the app want your version? Why or why not?"
Look for
Redesigns name the behavior the original feature encourages and change the feature to support a different goal.
Priya typed a detailed prompt into an image generator, picked the best of 30 results, edited the colors, and won the Lakeview art contest. Who deserves the most credit for the image?
Priya
The company that made the tool
The artists whose work trained it
No one fully
Reveal answer
This is an open question; courts, contests, and schools are still working it out. Strong answers weigh Priya's choices, the tool's role, and the artists whose work trained the model, and they notice that the contest's own rules and honest disclosure matter a lot.
Teacher move
Students go to four corners, then each corner sends one speaker to make its best case in 30 seconds. Ask: "Did anyone hear an argument from another corner that made them want to move?"
Look for
Students restate another corner's argument fairly before responding, and some students change corners.
Big chemistry test tomorrow. Would you rather use an AI that gives you correct answers to the practice problems instantly, or one that only asks you questions and hints until you solve them yourself?
Instant answers
Questions and hints only
Reveal answer
Instant answers feel faster, but the test asks you to solve problems without help, so practicing the solving is what transfers. Hints can be slower and more frustrating, which is often a sign your brain is doing the work. A mix can work: try first, then check.
Teacher move
Students show a thumb up for instant answers, thumb down for hints, then write one line: which would actually help them on the test, and why. Ask: "What does your choice say about how you learn best?"
Look for
Students connect their choice to what the test will actually require and to their own learning habits.
Your school board asks students for one sentence to include in the new AI-use policy. With a partner, draft that sentence, then ask: who might be left out or hurt by it?
Teacher move
Pairs draft for three minutes, then join another pair to test each sentence against "who might be left out?" Collect the best sentences on the board. Ask: "What evidence would convince adults your rule works?"
Look for
Draft rules are specific and enforceable, and pairs name a group who might be affected, such as students without home internet or students who use assistive tools.
Next
Student teams will research, draft, and pitch a full AI and technology-use policy to a mock board. Full activity: Policy Makers
A fitness influencer, Coach Rhys, posts: "FocusFuel gummies boost your memory 300% before exams. Doctors don't want you to know this. Link in bio for 20% off!" Fact or fake?
Fact
Fake
Can't tell yet
Reveal answer
Treat it as fake. FocusFuel, Coach Rhys, and the 300% figure are invented for this opener, and the post shows classic warning signs: a huge number with no source, a "doctors don't want you to know" hook, and a discount link that pays the poster. Reading laterally means leaving the post to see what independent, qualified sources say, and asking a trusted adult or clinician before taking any supplement.
Teacher move
Students vote with fingers, then pairs list what they would search to read laterally about Coach Rhys and FocusFuel. Ask: "Who makes money if you believe this?"
Look for
Students name the sales motive and describe leaving the post to check independent sources instead of reading the influencer's own page.
Your team of three is making a short documentary, and AI is your "fourth teammate." Sort these jobs: brainstorm interview questions, choose whose story to tell, write captions for accessibility, decide the film's main message, suggest music, fact-check a statistic.
AI can help
Humans only
Team decides together
Reveal answer
Choosing whose story to tell and the main message are human judgment calls. AI can help brainstorm questions or draft captions that people then check. Fact-checking can't be handed to AI alone because it can be wrong too; it can point you to where to look, but a person confirms with a source.
Teacher move
Groups sort the jobs on a whiteboard in three columns, then compare with another group. Ask: "Which job did you disagree about, and what would settle it?"
Look for
Groups justify placing judgment and fact-checking with humans and explain how they would check anything AI contributes.
Imagine a scholarship committee or a future boss searches your name. They find a joke you posted in ninth grade that made fun of someone. Write what you would want them to understand, and one thing you would do now to shape what people find.
Teacher move
Students write privately for three minutes; volunteers share only the second part. Ask: "Is deleting enough? Where else might that post still exist?"
Look for
Students name concrete actions, such as reviewing old posts, adjusting privacy settings, apologizing, or building a positive record, and recognize screenshots and reposts can outlast deletion.
Stand if it's true for you, then sit. 1) I have opened an app just to keep a streak alive. 2) I have lost track of time on autoplay. 3) I have turned off a notification on purpose. 4) I have a time of day that's screen-free. Then set one small goal for this week.
Teacher move
Read each statement and pause; nobody explains unless they volunteer. Close with a 60-second private write: one goal and how you'll know you met it. Ask: "Which of these was designed by the app, and which was your choice?"
Look for
Goals are specific and measurable, such as turning off one app's notifications or keeping phones out of the bedroom on school nights.
Next
Check goals at the end of the week and adjust; students who want to go deeper can audit a notification setting at home.
From a fictional 1911 letter: "The mill fire began after dark. Mr. Okafor and the Ruiz family carried water until dawn. Some say a lantern tipped, but no one saw it." An AI summary: "The mill fire started at 6 p.m. when a lantern tipped over. The mayor led the rescue." Which change matters most?
The added time
The rumor turned into fact
The helpers who disappeared
All of them
Reveal answer
All of them. The summary invents a specific time, turns an unconfirmed rumor into a cause, and replaces the neighbors who helped with a mayor who is not in the letter. AI summaries can save time, but you still have to compare them with the original.
Teacher move
Students vote with fingers, then partners defend their pick. Ask: "If you only read the summary, what would you get wrong on a test or in a paper?"
Look for
Students cite the exact words in the letter that the summary changed or erased.
On a device and account you already use, find the ad settings or "why am I seeing this ad" page. Look at the interests it has guessed about you. How accurate is the profile?
Creepy accurate
Mostly right
Way off
Couldn't find it
Teacher move
Give students four minutes to look; anyone without an account or device pairs up or watches you walk through a school demo account on the projector. Students vote with fingers and share one surprising guess only if they want to. Ask: "What did you do online that might have led to that guess, and will you change any setting?"
Look for
Students connect a specific guessed interest to something they did online and decide whether to change a setting.
