There’s a big difference between using AI to make a worksheet and using it to build a whole 5E model unit. Anybody can ask for a worksheet. Building a coherent unit where every lesson connects, the hook sets up the lab, the lab sets up the notes, and it all lands on an assessment that actually tests the standard that’s the part that used to take me hours I didn’t have.
That is, until I started using AI. After 27 years of teaching, I have more than my fair share of activities for students to do. In fact, I have enough force activities that I could probably spend a full semester just on Newton’s laws instead of the allotted 3 weeks I have with my pacing guide. So I have AI help me decide which are the best to use each year with the students I have and the time frame I have.
Quick refresher: why 5E
The 5E model runs in five phases: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate. The reason it works is the order. Students explore a phenomenon and build some understanding before you formalize the vocabulary, instead of the other way around. So when I use AI to build a unit, I make sure to let it know not only which activities I have but also the basic purpose of the activity. That way it knows where to put it.
Here’s how I do it
1. Start a project, not just a chat
I do this in Claude. I pay for the plan, but I’ll show you it works on the free plan too. The trick that keeps it from timing out is to work inside a project instead of a regular chat. I have one set up called “unit creation.” A project lets you give it standing instructions and keep all your files in one place, so you’re not re-uploading everything every time.
2. Give it your instructions once
In the project instructions, I tell it to look at my files before it makes any decisions, to always ask me about two clarifying questions before it builds, and to create the unit in a document. Then I give it my ground rules: roughly how long I want each phase to run, and how long my class periods are. I also let it know when in the calendar I plan on teaching it and if there are any days with special schedules like assemblies or hearing and eye testing.
3. Upload what you already have (in the right format)
This is the part that makes it your unit instead of a generic one. I upload last year’s lessons and the daily presentations I run in class, the ones with the warm-up and everything built in. Two format things matter. AI reads Markdown best, so I download my Google Docs as Markdown files. Think of it like the HTML behind a website; it’s just the format AI reads most cleanly. I find that it reads PDFs and images better than PPT so I usually convert the PPT to PDFs.
4. Tell it what’s changing this year
The more it knows about the why behind each activity, the better it places it. I let it know a little about how I teach and ways I like to teach. For example, using science stations with different investigations for the explore phase and science stations with different learning modalities for the explain phase. A little context like that changes where everything goes.
5. Let it ask before it builds
Because I told it to ask first, it comes back with real questions instead of guessing. This is an important step. Having it ask clarifying questions before it builds leads to a better result. It’s not guessing; it’s using your information. Every answer I give shapes the unit.
6. Tell it how the unit breaks up
For some units, I might have two or three separate topic ideas that help teach the overarching standard. When that happens, I let it know to have one engage and one evaluate, but rotate with an explore, explain, elaborate phase for each subtopic. Once it has all of the instructions and information, I let it run.
7. Read the draft. You still make every call
It hands me back a Google Doc with the standard, a unit overview, every lesson and phase, how long each piece takes, and a suggested day for everything. Once I have everything, I can modify and tweak it so that it better meets my needs. It is important to go through the draft it gives you, as AI does make mistakes and will make things up based on what it is given, which isn’t always correct or what is best for you and your students’ needs.
The shortcut if you’re on the free plan
Uploading every document takes time to process, and on the free plan, that can run into two sessions because there is a lot to read through. If you’d rather save the time and the bandwidth, don’t upload everything. Definitely give it the standard, and give it your time frame; even a photo of last year’s calendar works. Then just describe your activities right in the prompt. Something like, “I have an Explore Learning Gizmo on phase changes, an interactive card sort, and a gas laws activity through our chemistry site.” A quick line on each is enough. And wherever you’ve got a hole, tell it, “I don’t have anything for this part; can you give me some suggestions?” It’ll fill the gap and actually save you time.
Try it out with one unit this way this fall.
Don’t try to rebuild your whole curriculum at once. Pick one unit you’re teaching this fall and build it this way. What would you hand the AI first, your standard, or that pile of activities you’ve never had time to organize? I’d love to hear how it goes for you.
And if you want to watch me do the whole thing on screen, the walkthrough video is right here in this post.
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