Table of Contents

Purpose of This Guide

Our Values and Philosophy

Project-Based Learning (PBL)
Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP)

Sample Projects
Which self-care strategy might be effective for you?
What pet would be best for your lifestyle?
Which after school activity should you try?
Which anime should you watch next?

Module Overview
Module 1: Define the problem (6 lessons)
Module 2: Assemble your squad (5 lessons)
Module 3: Research your pitch (4 lessons)
Module 4: Pitch-a-palooza! (4 lessons)
Module 5: Collect your data (4 lessons)
Module 6: Train your model (6 lessons)
Module 7: Kickoff! (4 lessons)
Module 8: Explore your future (3 lessons)

Assessment
Formative Assessment
Summative Assessment

Adaptive Timing Recommendations

One Lesson Per Period (45 - 60 Minute Periods)
45 Minute Periods
50, 55, and 60 Minute Periods
Two Lessons Per Block (80 - 100 Minute Blocks)
80 Minute Blocks
90 Minute Blocks
100 Minute Blocks

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Tech Tools

Teacher Indicators

Teaching Strategies Reference

Grouping Students
Calling on Students
Helping Struggling Students During Independent Work
Opening a Lesson
Running Student Presentations

Teacher Guide starts

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 PURPOSE OF THIS GUIDE

This guide is designed to provide additional support for implementing aiEDU’s Introduction to
Artificial Intelligence curriculum. Our aim is to make it easier for you to plan for the curriculum
and provide evidence of strong instructional practice.

The sections of this guide are organized as follows:

Planning for the Curriculum

Module Overview
Adaptive Timing Recommendations
Tech Tools
Assessment

Implementing Strong Instructional Practices

Teacher Indicators Guide

Teaching Strategies Reference
 OUR VALUES AND PHILOSOPHY

Project-Based Learning (PBL)

In Intro to AI, students engage in a real-world and personally meaningful project,

building up the skills necessary for completing it over the course of the unit. The project is
the unit, with students developing deep content knowledge in order to investigate a
self-generated question, eventually resulting in students creating a public product: a
hosted web app that uses AI. PBL contrasts with a skill-first approach, which emphasizes
learning all content knowledge before applying it.

Each module of the curriculum is structured in two sections: Explore and Apply. In the
Explore section, students experience concepts hands-on through games and activities,
building up their understanding of core content objectives. Students build vocabulary and
content knowledge by interacting with examples and developing shared language
around AI. In the Apply section, students build out features of their choice project,
developing career readiness skills and deepening their content knowledge.

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP)

At aiEDU, we imbue CRP into the curriculum by engaging students with rigorous tasks that
are relevant, motivating, and translate to the real world. Students should see
themselves and their communities reflected in the curriculum and have opportunities to
learn about other communities as well. Our learning experiences allow students to
question how the world works and position themselves as changemakers in their
communities.

Each module of the curriculum includes cognitively demanding tasks, industry-standard

vocabulary, and nationally recognized career readiness skills. Students generate their
own personally relevant problem statement and are encouraged to position themselves
as AI entrepreneurs within their community. Students encounter examples that reflect
their own experiences (“mirrors”) and examples that broaden their understanding of
the world (“windows”). Students develop collaboration, presentation, and research skills
that ground real-world change across disciplines.
 SAMPLE PROJECTS

Which self-care strategy might be effective for you?

What pet would be best for your lifestyle?

Which after school activity should you try?

Which anime should you watch next?

 MODULE OVERVIEW

Module 1: Define the problem (6 lessons)

In Module 1, students get hands-on with AI applications and learn how data
powers AI. Students explore how AI affects their everyday lives, then narrow
down a topic of interest and develop an AI-solvable problem statement that will
undergird their project.

Content Objectives Skill Objectives

Define AI and recognize there is no Identify real-world problems that

consensus on its definition can be solved computationally
List examples of AI in their everyday Break down complex real-world
lives problems into smaller subproblems
Define data and give examples of
data in their everyday lives
Identify beneficial uses of AI
Identify the human motivation
behind AI-powered solutions
Develop a problem statement that
can be addressed using AI

Module 2: Assemble your squad (5 lessons)

In Module 2, students dive deeper into the complicated ethics of AI, identifying
common benefits and risks of the technology as well as potential impacts of AI
on employment. Students then assemble a project team, drawing on their
personal strengths to designate collaborative team roles and begin imagining
who their project will affect.

Content Objectives Skill Objectives

Explain common benefits and risks Cultivate working relationships with

of AI
Identify potential impacts of AI on
employment and/or identity and
articulate proposed solutions to
these impacts
Reason about how data might be
used by AI applications
Develop the perspective that AI is a
tool built by and for humans
individuals possessing diverse
perspectives, skills, and personalities
Solicit and incorporate feedback
from, and provide constructive
feedback to, team members and
other stakeholders
 MODULE OVERVIEW

Module 3: Research your pitch (4 lessons)

In Module 3, students explore the four main components of machine learning,
including data, algorithm, model, and prediction. They expand their
understanding of AI ethics through an investigation of algorithmic bias. Students
then conduct research into their problem statement, positioning it within the AI
landscape and preparing to pitch a unique solution.

Content Objectives Skill Objectives

Identify the components of Employ valid and reliable research

machine learning, including data, strategies
algorithm, model, and prediction Exercise strong decision-making
Identify algorithmic bias and skills, analyze issues effectively and
articulate common anti-bias tactics think creatively to overcome
Reason about how data might be problems
used by AI applications Draw and document conclusions
Position a new project idea within
the AI landscape
Advocate for the usefulness of an AI
technology in addressing a self-
generated problem statement

Module 4: Pitch-a-palooza! (4 lessons)

In Module 4, students learn techniques for evaluating the benefits and risks of
individual AI applications. Students apply these techniques when critiquing
classmates’ pitch presentations. Following presentations, students implement
an iterative design methodology to improve their projects.

Content Objectives Skill Objectives

Critique the benefits and risks of a Articulate thoughts and ideas

specific AI technology clearly and effectively in written and
Advocate for the usefulness of an AI oral forms
technology in addressing a self- Demonstrate iterative thinking by
generated problem statement maintaining and updating a project
Articulate the benefits of using
iterative methodologies to develop
an AI application
 MODULE OVERVIEW

Module 5: Collect your data (4 lessons)

In Module 5, students confront issues surrounding data privacy and develop a
robust data pipeline for their projects that uphold standards of privacy and
ethics. Students write and execute a data collection plan that draws on
individual students’ strengths and networks to bring AI to their community.

Content Objectives Skill Objectives

Reason about how data might be
used by AI applications
Identify privacy issues that can
affect AI applications and explain the
tools used to counteract them
Select, organize, and interpret large
data sets from multiple sources to
support a claim

Module 6: Train your model (6 lessons)

In Module 6, students model the flow of data through the components of an AI
application, expanding their understanding of algorithms. They train an AI
model using the data they collected, resulting in an interactive, publicly hosted
AI application they can share with their family and friends.

Content Objectives Skill Objectives

Define algorithm and its relationship Leverage emerging technology to

to AI
Model the flow of data through
components of an AI product,
including algorithm, model, and
prediction
Communicate the most important
characteristics of a novel AI
application for an audience of its
users
solve problems, complete tasks and
accomplish goals
Exercise strong decision-making
skills, analyze issues effectively and
think creatively to overcome
problems
 MODULE OVERVIEW

Module 7: Kickoff! (4 lessons)

In Module 7, students adopt a variety of perspectives to critically evaluate an AI
application. After students present their working AI application to their
classmates, they apply their critical lens by testing classmates’ applications and
making recommendations for iteration.

Content Objectives Skill Objectives

Advocate for the accuracy and Articulate thoughts and ideas

ethical responsibility of an AI
technology in addressing a self-
generated problem statement
Critically evaluate an AI application
from a variety of perspectives
clearly and effectively in written and
oral forms
Solicit and incorporate feedback
from, and provide constructive
feedback to, team members and
other stakeholders

Module 8: Explore your future (3 lessons)

In Module 8, students reflect on their progress since the beginning of the
curriculum, contextualizing their new skills with an understanding of the future
of work (changes in the nature of work that will likely result from advances in
AI). Students sketch out a professional portfolio that includes their AI application
using a provided template and explore careers that are impacted by AI.

Content Objectives Skill Objectives

Propose reasonable improvements Develop an asset-based mindset

for an AI application that reflect when considering future careers
ethical and logistical fundamentals Demonstrate iterative thinking by
Identify the features of a career maintaining and updating a project
which make it resistant or vulnerable
to automation
Incorporate an AI application into a
portfolio that tells their personal and
professional story
 ASSESSMENT

The aiEDU Intro to AI curriculum contains structured opportunities for formal assessment, both
formative and summative, embedded within each module. Grading is simple and low lift:
formatives are short reflection questions that can be used to assess students’ understanding of
The Point! of each lesson, while summatives are student presentations that can be graded
while students share their work.

To support assessment, aiEDU provides:

A built-in reflection question for each lesson
2 summative assessment rubrics

Formative Assessment

Each lesson in the Intro to AI curriculum includes a reflection that follows the Investigation
section. This five-minute reflection can be used as a formative assessment to assess
students’ understanding of the topic of the lesson. The reflection question can be used in
multiple ways depending on your context:

Post the reflection question as a discussion prompt in your Learning Management

System and have students respond to the prompt, then respond to each other.
Have students write their answers as an exit ticket which they hand to you on their way
out of class.
Have students think-pair-share to discuss the answer with a classmate.

You may choose to grade the provided formative assessments or use them simply to guide
instruction.

Summative Assessment

The Intro to AI curriculum includes two summative assessments: the pitch in Module 4
and the app presentation in Module 7. Both assessments are student presentations and
can therefore be graded synchronously using the provided rubrics. Each summative is
designed to test students’ content knowledge about AI as well as their application of cross-
disciplinary skills, such as defining a problem and working with a team.

If your school requires additional summative assessments during the course of curriculum,
you may consider grading project steps from the AI Project Framework section of students’
workbooks.
 ADAPTIVE TIMING RECOMMENDATIONS

This curriculum was designed for 36 class periods, each one running 45 minutes. We provide
recommendations for adapting these 45-minute lessons to your school’s schedule. These
recommendations are purely suggestions; always feel free to modify the curriculum based on
your professional expertise and understanding of your students’ needs. The aiEDU Curriculum
Team is available to discuss any further timing modifications you may need!

One Lesson Per Period (45 - 60 Minute Periods)

45 Minute Periods Rest easy! Each lesson plan was designed for 45 minutes and should
fit perfectly within your schedule.

50, 55, and 60 You may find that longer periods give you more breathing room to
Minute Periods transition between lesson moments, explore relevant discussions,
and solicit student ideas. Lessons may naturally expand to fill these
time constraints depending on the needs of your students. However,
you may find value in explicitly planning out extra time to keep
lessons on pace.

Options for adapting lesson timings:

Expand the Investigation portion of the lesson (recommended: 5, 10, or 15 minutes)
Encourage more student discussion
Ask for extra share outs from students
Expect students to complete one extra choice option when choices are provided
Brainstorm extra questions for students to complete
Expand the Closing portion of the lesson (recommended: 5 minutes)
Ask students to complete a daily reflection, such as triangle-circle-square (three things
you learned, one thing still circling around in your mind, one thing that squared with
your thinking)
Establish a routine for team member shoutouts at the end of each lesson

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Two Lessons Per Block (80 - 100 Minute Blocks)

80 Minute Blocks If your school uses 80 minute blocks, the curriculum will require
some modifications to teach. While you will be teaching two lessons
per block, you will need to cut about 10 minutes of material from
each pair of lessons while also being mindful of extra transition time
between the lessons. As you plan, you should examine the specific
timing for each lesson, as Opening and Closing sections vary in
length by a few minutes. Sometimes an opening section may involve
passing out materials, which may still need to be completed even if
the opening discussion is cut.

Options for adapting lesson timings:

Shorten the Opening portion of the lesson
Have students answer only one opening question, if multiple questions are provided
Have students answer the opening question aloud or with a thought partner instead of
writing it down
Only go over The Point! slide with students, then move into the Investigation section
Shorten the Closing portion of the lesson
Have students answer the closing question aloud or with a thought partner instead of
writing it down
Removing the Opening portion of the lesson
Make sure to pass out any required materials to students
Briefly go over The Point! slide as you transition to the new lesson
Removing the Closing portion of the lesson
Avoid removing the Closing portion if it involves voting on a future activity

90 Minute Blocks Two lessons fit perfectly into a 90 minute block. You may find that
fitting multiple lessons into a block introduces extra transition time.
It can be valuable to plan for this transition time and communicate
your expectations clearly to your students. Without advance
planning, the first lesson of the day may inadvertently run long,
decreasing the time available for the second lesson and increasing
stress for both you and your students.

Tips for planning transition time between lessons:

Communicate to your students that you will be completing two lessons per block
Clearly mark the transition to each new lesson at the end of the Closing section of the
previous lesson
Develop a consistent transition phrase, such as “We just made a lot of progress. Now,
we’ll expand our thinking by diving into the next lesson.”
Set clear expectations with your students so that they are aware they will not receive extra
work time
100 Minute Blocks This time slot can accommodate two lessons and 10 extra minutes
that you can allocate based on your students’ needs. You may find
that longer periods give you more breathing room to transition
between lesson moments, explore relevant discussions, and solicit
student ideas. Without advance planning, however, the first lesson of
the day may inadvertently run long, decreasing the time available for
the second lesson and increasing stress for both you and your
students.

Options for purposeful time extensions:

Expand the Investigation portion of the lesson (recommended: 5 or 10 minutes)
Encourage more student discussion
Ask for extra share outs from students
Expect students to complete one extra choice option when choices are provided
Brainstorm extra questions for students to complete
Expand the Closing portion of the lesson (recommended: 5 minutes)
Ask students to complete a daily reflection, such as triangle-circle-square (three things
you learned, one thing still circle around in your mind, one thing that squared with your
thinking)
Establish a routine for team member shoutouts at the end of each lesson
 TECH TOOLS

This curriculum is designed for an in-person class with internet access. We employ several tech
tools to centralize document storage and provide access to a free, easy-to-use artificial
intelligence hosting platform for student projects. Check out our summary of tools below:

Tool How It's Used

A free online file storage system that stores word processing

and presentation files. Teachers can create copies of the
provided documents and edit them if desired. Students can
store and edit their Student Workbook and Pitch Deck, which
contain all of the work leading up to and following the
Google Drive, Docs, technical project hosted on Hugging Face.
and Slides
→ Requires individual student and teacher signup.

A platform that allows students to host a working AI

application permanently and for free without the need for
coding.

Hugging Face → Requires individual student signup OR a shared class

account.
 TEACHER INDICATORS

aiEDU understands how important it is to document your professional practice. To that end, we
provide support for aligning the teaching strategies and mindsets present in the curriculum
with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards five core propositions. The
core propositions outline the National Board’s perspective on what every teacher should know
and be able to do. You can read more about the core propositions in the National Board’s
ebook.

Throughout the provided lesson plans, you will encounter Teacher Indicator alert!s aligning
activities and mindsets with the National Board core propositions and explaining how they
provide evidence for that proposition. Our hope is that these indicator alerts will reduce the
time and stress required to document the effectiveness of your professional practice.

The core propositions are represented by icons as follows:

Teachers are committed to students and their learning.

Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to
students.

Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning.

Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience.

Teachers are members of learning communities.

 TEACHER INDICATORS

Look for Teacher Indicator Alerts

throughout the provided lesson plans:

Example Teacher Indicator Alerts:

Teacher gives students options for Teacher allows students to integrate

exploring examples of bias in AI and discrete components of knowledge
developing solutions to counter the within their habits of thinking by
bias. completing a metacognitive
reflection.
 TEACHER STRATEGIES REFERENCE

The teaching strategies included in this guide are designed to provide actionable suggestions
for many of the tasks required in the curriculum. You may feel you’re already an expert at most
or all of them! Feel free to take (or leave) what you need.

Grouping Students

Introducing Grouping students requires an established routine. The first time

grouping you group students using a particular strategy, explicitly teach that
strategy and set your expectations for how students will work
together.

Establishing group Make expectations clear and actionable. If possible, have a visual in
work expectations your classroom, such as a poster or handout that you can refer to
when students need to be redirected. Common expectations might
include:
Allow everyone to speak
Divide work evenly
Do your part

Suggested Neighbors. Direct students to work with the student next to

strategies for them, directly behind them, directly in front of them, etc.
pairing students Stand up/hand up/pair up. Direct students to stand up and
raise their hands, then mix & mingle until they have found a
partner. When they find a partner, students should put their
hands down and sit together, then tackle their task.
Group cards. Create a set of group cards, each with an everyday
term on it. Direct students to choose a card out of a basket, then
find others with related cards to form a group. Example cards for
pairs: “salt” and “pepper”, “peanut butter” and “jelly”, “slugs” and
“snails”.
Leveled teacher-selected groups. Based on achievement data,
determine the amount of academic support needed for each
student: minimal support, some support, or maximum support.
Group students of similar support levels together so that you can
give targeted support based on student needs. Display the
groups, then allow time for group members to find each other
and sit together.
Random team generator. Use a random team generator such
as randomlists.com to group students. Display the groups, then
allow time for group members to find each other and sit
together.
Choosing a strategy It can be difficult and sometimes overwhelming to choose which
grouping strategy to use for a given activity. Early in the school year,
it can be beneficial to use strategies that group students randomly
so that they can get to know their classmates. Later on, you may
want to give students more freedom to form their own groups, such
as by allowing them to group with stand up/hand up/pair up.
Strategies like group cards allow you to introduce humor, for
example by adding weird pairings like “french fries” and “vinegar”. It
can be beneficial to vary groupwork strategies to introduce
excitement to the class or to ask for student input on how they
would like to be grouped.

Calling on Students

Why structure your Soliciting student input is a commonly used active learning strategy,
requests for and gets students invested in their learning. It’s also useful for
student input? activating prior knowledge. However, if it is left unstructured, you will
likely be calling on the same handful of highly motivated, confident
students. Choosing a structured strategy allows you to get all
learners engaged.

Suggested Hot potato. If you’re comfortable with projectiles, toss a

strategies for designated “sharing” object, such as a stress ball or stuffed
calling on students animal, around the room. Start by saying the name of the
student you want to answer a question. Then, toss the object to
them. If you want to ensure equity in who is invited to answer,
you can call out the next person instead of having the student
choose who answers.
Cold calling. If cold calling is built into your classroom routine, it
can be a highly effective tool for maintaining student
engagement. Cold calling is best used when students are aware
of its impending use and know why it is used. For example, you
may consider cold calling at the start of every class for the
previous day’s vocabulary, explaining that everyone is
responsible for keeping their vocabulary definitions organized.
Cold calling should not be used as a punishment or “gotcha”, but
rather as an invitation to learning.
Whiteboards. Whiteboards allow you to “gamify” in-class
responses. It holds students accountable for their learning
because it makes learning visible. After presenting the question,
students write their answers on the board. Then, use a cue
phrase such as “3, 2, 1, boards up!” to signify that boards should
be raised. Whiteboards are best used for a series of short
responses, such as vocabulary review, “this or that” questions, or
a warmup.
Suggested Celebrate responses. After a student shares, encourage other
strategies for students to snap, clap, or cheer for them, based on what you are
supporting student comfortable with.
buy-in Start with low buy-in questions. Build up student confidence
by starting with easier questions at first.
Circulate, looking for students who have thoughtful
answers. If a student who does not usually share out has a
thoughtful response, call on them to share.
Everybody writes. Give students a timed period (such as one or
two minutes) to write down their thoughts about the topic. This
allows all students to think and gives them something to refer
back to as they share.
No opt-out. Don’t allow students to say “I don’t know” or “I don’t
want to share”. Students often say “I don’t know” as a defense
mechanism when they are not sure how to engage with the
question or when they’re not sure if they are right. Respond with
reassurance (e.g. “It’s okay to not have all the answers. Let’s
phone a friend.”) , say you will come back to the student, and call
on another student. Once you get the correct answer, return to
the student and have them repeat the answer. No opt-out can be
tricky to implement, as it can slow the pace of a lesson. It’s best
to strictly enforce it only for highly important discussions.

Helping Struggling Students During Independent Work

Identifying While some students may recognize when they need help and ask
students who are for it, many students either struggle to recognize their needs or do
struggling not feel comfortable asking for support. Struggling students
naturally develop defense mechanisms to help them avoid tasks that
they feel they are not capable of completing. Recognizing these
work-avoidant strategies can help you identify when a student may
need help. Some examples of work-avoidant strategies include:
Sitting silently without starting the task.
Discussing something off-task with another student.
Using a phone.
Pretending to work or hiding an assignment from view.
Getting up and walking around the classroom.
Asking to leave the classroom.
Not all students exhibiting these behaviors are attempting to avoid
work that they feel they are not capable of completing. However, you
may find it easier to target your help effectively if you use these
behaviors as cues that a student may be struggling.
Approaching Approach work-avoidant students with a positive attitude and/or a
students who need sense of humor, which can help disarm students who perceive help
help as embarrassing or vulnerable. You can use some of the following
strategies to help students who are stuck:
Assess the situation. Ask them open-ended questions, such as
where they’re at or what’s on their mind. Try to figure out if they
have started the assignment.
Break the task down. Explain the steps needed to complete the
task, then ask the student to write down or repeat the steps and
get started on the first one.
Connect the topic to everyday life. Ask the student if they have
experienced the situation being discussed, or if they recognize
some of the ideas in the task.
Get peer input. Ask a nearby student to explain how they
approached the topic.
Hover. Wait until a student has actually started the task before
moving on to the next student. Your proximity is socially
motivating to students.
If a student says they don’t know what to do, guide them to
the directions. Equip students with the tools to find the task
rather than telling them what it is, which can cultivate
dependency. You can frame your response with “proactive
students …”, such as “proactive students check the board first for
instructions.”

Opening a Lesson

Establishing a start- Students enjoy variety, but often benefit from a structure that
of-class routine supports how class activities progress. Establishing a routine for
when students first enter class creates an environment of high
expectations for students. Your teaching style can guide the level of
structure you prefer. Your class routine may include:
Collecting materials from a specific location
Sitting in an assigned seat
Answering or discussing a question on the board
Opening the Student Workbook on a computer
Supporting your Students will need practice and praise to firmly establish a start-of-
routine class routine. Here are some strategies that can help you reinforce
your expectations:
Use audio cues such as a certain song or genre of music to
delineate when the routine should be executed
Remind students of the routine as they enter the classroom
Keep a visual start-of-class checklist in your classroom
Praise individuals or the class if they execute the routine well
Give specific reminders when certain parts of the routine were
not completed

Running Student Presentations

Preparing for Feeling fully prepared for student presentations is truly blissful. If
presentations students have their tech ready, know how to transition between
presentations, and feel prepared to present, you can simply enjoy
their ideas while completing all your presentation grading during
class. Before both presentation lessons (18 and 30), you may want to
complete a preflight checklist:
Plan for groups to display their presentation. You may have
students cast their display to a smart TV or simply share a
document with you so that they can present it on the projector.
Check in with groups to avoid surprises. In the days leading up
to presentations, visit and work with groups who may be behind.
Keep a tally of groups who may not be ready to present.
Get students excited about presenting. Presenting can be
nerve-racking for students. A bit of humor or excitement before
presentations may help students get control of their nerves. Low
lights, hype music, clapping or snapping after presentations, and
even rewards for students who present can make presentation
days something to look forward to instead of dread.

Preparing for tech Tech issues can be a major distraction during presentations. To
issues avoid tech issues, plan ahead for how students will present. Identify
a backup plan if a group cannot access their presentation
documents. You may even want to designate one student as your
“tech support” in case of an issue.
Making exceptions While presentations are a fact of life, they can feel exceedingly
uncomfortable for high school students, a demographic acutely
sensitive to peer judgment. Students may ask for an exception from
presenting or may otherwise indicate that they are not willing to
participate. Except in the case of an IEP or 504 plan accommodation,
it can be a tough judgment call when deciding whether a student
should receive an exception. If at all possible, encourage the student
to present. Some strategies for helping a student overcome their
anxiety about presenting may include:
Asking the student to suggest when their group could present
Offering to practice with the student
Developing a new plan with the student’s group members for the
sections or length of time the student will present
Debriefing with the student after the presentation about their
experience
If the student is truly unable to present, you can offer some
alternatives:
As a one-time exception, have the student present to you outside
of class
As a one-time exception, have the student turn in a presentation
script of what they would say