| Section | What to do | Time |
|---|---|---|
| The Big Idea | Open with the framing question. Let students respond out loud before you introduce anything. Surface their existing beliefs first — don't explain, just listen. | 4–5 min |
| The AI Meter | Project the page. Call out a specific situation from your class — something they've actually done this week — and adjust the sliders together. Have students vote on where sliders should go before you move them. | 5–6 min |
| Do's & Don'ts | Don't read every card. Pick 2–3 that are most relevant to your current unit. Ask: "Which of these feels most relevant to assignments in our class right now?" | 3–4 min |
| Scenarios | Work through 2–3 scenarios maximum. Give students 60 seconds to choose silently, then discuss before revealing. The gray-area scenario (#3) is especially good for discussion — it doesn't have one right answer. | 8–10 min |
| Reflection | Give 5 minutes of quiet writing time. Assign one specific prompt. Students don't have to share — this can be a low-stakes journal entry or collected as an exit ticket. | 5 min |
| Close | Return to the framing question from the opening. Ask if anyone's thinking shifted. Don't pressure anyone to share — just hold the space. | 2 min |
What to avoid saying — and why it matters
Avoid framing AI as "cheating." Students who feel accused shut down. The more effective frame is: "AI is a tool. Like any tool, there's a right time to use it and a wrong time. We're here to figure out the difference."
Avoid treating this as a policy lecture. Students already know the rules. What they need is help developing the internal question — "who is doing the thinking?" — so they can navigate on their own. Your job is to create the space for that question to land, not to enforce compliance.
The goal of this session isn't that students use AI less. It's that they use it better.
Start with their existing beliefs
Ask: "When you've used AI for school, how did you decide when it was okay?" Don't react to what they say. Write a few answers on the board. This surfaces the prior beliefs you're working with — and shows students you're interested in their thinking, not just delivering a message.
Use a real situation from your class
The meter works best when it's grounded in something specific. Before class, identify one recent assignment where AI could plausibly have been used — and bring that to the sliders. "Let's say someone in our class asked AI for help on last week's paragraph assignment..." makes it concrete.
Let students react, not just read
After showing a few cards, ask: "Which of these feels hardest to follow in practice? Which feels easiest?" Students know the rules. What's valuable is the conversation about why the harder ones are hard — what pressure or temptation is underneath the shortcut.
Don't rush to the reveal
The discussion before the reveal is where the learning happens. After students choose individually, ask for a show of hands on each option before clicking. Normalize disagreement — especially on the gray-area scenarios. If everyone agrees immediately, probe: "Who almost chose differently? What made you hesitate?"
Protect the quiet writing time
Five uninterrupted minutes of writing is harder than it sounds in a middle or high school class. Settle the room before you start the timer. If students finish early, prompt them to go deeper: "Can you think of a specific example? What would you do differently next time?"
Your uncertainty is an asset
You don't need to have a definitive answer for every scenario. Saying "I'm not sure about this one — what do you think?" or "This is genuinely complicated" models the kind of honest thinking this resource is trying to build. Students trust teachers who think out loud with them.
- To open: "Think about a time you used AI this week. How did you decide to use it — and did it actually help you learn, or just help you finish?"
- After the scenarios: "Were there any choices where you knew the 'right' answer but would honestly make the other choice at 11 PM the night before it's due? What would make the better choice feel more realistic?"
- To connect to your class: "What does 'brain only' look like in our subject? What's the kind of thinking in our class that AI absolutely cannot do for you?"
- For deeper discussion: "Is there such a thing as 'too much' AI help even when it's allowed? Where does support end and replacement begin?"
- To close: "What's one thing you'll actually do differently after today — not because of the rules, but because of something you thought about?"
Have students write their own AI policy
After this lesson, students write a 1-page personal AI policy for their schoolwork — defining when they will and won't use it, and what "good use" looks like for them personally. Revisit it at the end of the semester and ask what changed.
Assign AI-used vs. AI-free versions of the same task
Assign a short piece of writing or problem set twice — once without AI, once where AI use is explicitly allowed and expected. Have students reflect on what was different about the experience and the result. The comparison is more instructive than either version alone.
Make one reflection question a weekly exit ticket
Pick one question from the Reflect page and use it as a standing exit ticket every Friday for a month. Track whether students' answers change over time. The longitudinal view is where you'll see real shifts in thinking.
Co-create class AI norms for a specific assignment
On an upcoming assignment, rather than telling students what AI use is allowed, ask them to decide as a class. What should count? What would compromise the learning goal? The conversation is often more valuable than the norms they produce.
For more resources — including the assignment-level AI guidance framework, prompt guides, and professional development materials — visit the full Jefferson Academy AI Resource Hub for teachers.
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