AI Tools for Teachers: Planning, Creating, and Engaging Students

The rise of AI-powered tools is transforming education, enabling teachers to plan lessons, generate instructional materials, and personalize learning more efficiently than ever. Whether it’s crafting engaging lesson plans, creating visuals, enhancing student inquiry, or automating feedback, AI tools provide teachers with powerful resources to elevate instruction across all grade levels. Below is a curated list of AI tools and their practical applications in the classroom.

ChatGPT (OpenAI)

What it is: A conversational AI that can generate text, answer questions, and assist with lesson planning.

How teachers can use it:

• K-2: Generate age-appropriate read-aloud stories with interactive questions.

• Grades 3-5: Help students brainstorm and refine writing ideas.

• Grades 6-8: Create differentiated reading passages based on a specific topic.

• Grades 9-12: Develop Socratic seminar questions or debate prompts on complex topics.

Gemini (Google)

What it is: A versatile AI model by Google, capable of multimodal tasks including text, images, and data analysis.

How teachers can use it:

• K-2: Generate engaging science experiment explanations with visual aids.

• Grades 3-5: Summarize current events at different reading levels.

• Grades 6-8: Provide research assistance by summarizing sources.

• Grades 9-12: Analyze complex data for AP-level coursework.

3. Claude (Anthropic)

What it is: A conversational AI optimized for safe and informative interactions.

How teachers can use it:

• K-2: Generate simple, structured phonics practice worksheets.

• Grades 3-5: Provide examples of figurative language for literature study.

• Grades 6-8: Rewrite historical texts in student-friendly language.

• Grades 9-12: Offer AI-assisted essay feedback based on rubric criteria.

4. Perplexity

What it is: An AI search engine that provides sourced answers with citations.

How teachers can use it:

• K-2: Find simple explanations of science topics.

• Grades 3-5: Help students research facts for a class project.

• Grades 6-8: Curate accurate sources for a research-based assignment.

• Grades 9-12: Teach students how to evaluate sources and cross-check information.

5. DeepSeek

What it is: An AI-powered search engine that provides deep-dive explanations on various topics.

How teachers can use it:

• K-2: Generate Q&A sessions about animals and nature.

• Grades 3-5: Provide background information on history topics.

• Grades 6-8: Help students learn STEM concepts through step-by-step explanations.

• Grades 9-12: Guide students through advanced problem-solving in calculus or physics.

6. Midjourney

What it is: An AI image generation tool that creates high-quality artwork from text descriptions.

How teachers can use it:

• K-2: Create vibrant, custom illustrations for classroom books.

• Grades 3-5: Generate historical settings for social studies projects.

• Grades 6-8: Design concept art for creative writing assignments.

• Grades 9-12: Develop detailed infographics for science or history presentations.

7. DALL·E (OpenAI)

What it is: A generative AI tool that creates images from text descriptions.

How teachers can use it:

• K-2: Generate visuals to aid storytelling in literacy lessons.

• Grades 3-5: Create visual prompts for writing assignments.

• Grades 6-8: Illustrate abstract concepts like “the water cycle” or “democracy.”

• Grades 9-12: Generate custom historical or scientific diagrams.

8. Suno

What it is: An AI tool for generating music and audio.

How teachers can use it:

• K-2: Create simple, catchy songs to help students memorize phonics.

• Grades 3-5: Generate background music for classroom plays.

• Grades 6-8: Allow students to compose AI-generated soundtracks for storytelling projects.

• Grades 9-12: Use AI to explore the relationship between music and emotions in film studies.

9. Sora (OpenAI)

What it is: A text-to-video AI model that generates realistic videos from prompts.

How teachers can use it:

• K-2: Create short animated videos for storytelling.

• Grades 3-5: Illustrate science concepts (e.g., how plants grow).

• Grades 6-8: Show visual representations of historical events.

• Grades 9-12: Produce AI-generated explainer videos for flipped classroom content.

These AI tools offer an incredible opportunity for teachers to streamline lesson planning, engage students with creative content, and personalize learning in meaningful ways. Whether crafting an engaging slideshow, designing visuals, or providing research support, AI can enhance instruction and free up valuable time for teachers to focus on student learning.

Student-Facing AI Tools to Enhance Learning

Technology is revolutionizing how students learn by providing personalized instruction, real-time feedback, and interactive learning experiences. The following tools help students engage with content, practice skills, and develop deeper understanding across subjects and grade levels.

1. Brisk Teaching

How it uses AI: Brisk uses AI to analyze student writing, providing instant feedback on structure, grammar, and content while helping teachers generate instructional materials.

How students can use it:

• K-2: Get structured writing prompts and sentence starters.

• Grades 3-5: Receive AI-assisted feedback on writing mechanics and structure.

• Grades 6-8: Use Brisk to revise argumentative essays with AI-generated suggestions.

• Grades 9-12: Enhance research papers with AI-sourced evidence and citations.

2. Schoology

How it uses AI: Schoology integrates AI-powered analytics to track student progress, personalize learning pathways, and provide smart recommendations for assignments.

How students can use it:

• K-2: Access interactive lessons with embedded multimedia.

• Grades 3-5: Submit digital assignments and participate in discussion boards.

• Grades 6-8: Take quizzes with instant feedback and track progress.

• Grades 9-12: Collaborate on projects and access blended learning resources.

3. Magic School

How it uses AI: Magic School provides AI-generated content like personalized reading passages, writing prompts, and study materials based on student needs.

How students can use it:

• K-2: Generate personalized spelling practice lists.

• Grades 3-5: Get AI-generated reading comprehension questions for stories.

• Grades 6-8: Create step-by-step explanations of math problems.

• Grades 9-12: Receive AI-generated summaries of complex texts.

4. SchoolAI

How it uses AI: SchoolAI functions as a smart tutor, using AI to provide real-time explanations, scaffolded learning, and instant feedback to students.

How students can use it:

• K-2: Get AI-generated story prompts for creative writing.

• Grades 3-5: Use AI to summarize science articles in student-friendly language.

• Grades 6-8: Practice personalized math problems with AI hints.

• Grades 9-12: Engage in AI-assisted study sessions for test preparation.

5. Seesaw

How it uses AI: Seesaw leverages AI to generate voice-to-text captions, auto-categorize student work, and suggest feedback based on student responses.

How students can use it:

• K-2: Record videos explaining their thinking in math.

• Grades 3-5: Create multimedia reflections on learning experiences.

• Grades 6-8: Share digital book reviews with voice recordings.

• Grades 9-12: Compile research projects with annotated images and notes.

6. Khanmigo (Khan Academy AI)

How it uses AI: Khanmigo is an AI tutor that provides adaptive, step-by-step guidance for math, reading, and science, responding dynamically to student input.

How students can use it:

• K-2: Practice basic addition and subtraction with interactive guidance.

• Grades 3-5: Get step-by-step explanations for multi-step word problems.

• Grades 6-8: Use AI coaching for pre-algebra and algebra concepts.

• Grades 9-12: Receive real-time hints and explanations for AP-level math and science.

7. Snorkl

How it uses AI: Snorkl provides AI-driven math tutoring, analyzing student work in real time to offer targeted hints and explanations for problem-solving.

How students can use it:

• K-2: Get instant feedback on counting and early number sense.

• Grades 3-5: Receive hints when solving multi-digit multiplication problems.

• Grades 6-8: Get AI-powered feedback on algebraic expressions.

• Grades 9-12: Analyze step-by-step solutions for calculus and physics problems.

8. Canva for Education

How it uses AI: Canva’s AI-powered tools include automatic design suggestions, text-to-image generation, and smart editing features for student projects.

How students can use it:

• K-2: Create simple posters with images and labels.

• Grades 3-5: Design storyboards for a writing project.

• Grades 6-8: Make interactive infographics for science concepts.

• Grades 9-12: Produce professional-quality digital portfolios and presentations.

9. Nearpod

How it uses AI: Nearpod uses AI to generate interactive lessons, quizzes, and VR experiences while analyzing student responses for real-time formative assessment.

How students can use it:

• K-2: Engage in interactive read-alouds with embedded questions.

• Grades 3-5: Participate in virtual field trips with immersive 360° images.

• Grades 6-8: Take self-paced quizzes with instant feedback.

• Grades 9-12: Engage in student-driven discussions using collaborative boards.

These AI-driven tools provide powerful ways to personalize student learning, offer instant feedback, and enhance engagement. To use these tools with students, please contact Joe Robinson at jjrobinson@barrington220.org for approval and guidance.