Why the prompt determines everything
Vague prompt, generic lesson.
Specific prompt, usable lesson.
A vague prompt — ‘write a lesson on photosynthesis for Year 9’ — produces a competent, generic lesson. A specific prompt that includes the student profile, prior knowledge, the specific misconceptions to address, and the assessment format produces something a teacher can use with minimal editing. The additional time to write the specific prompt is 3–5 minutes. The reduction in editing time is 40–60 minutes per lesson.
💡The single most impactful addition to any lesson prompt
Specifying the misconception to address. ‘Explain osmosis, addressing the misconception that the concentrated solution actively pulls water across the membrane’ produces a lesson that preemptively counters the most damaging error rather than accidentally reinforcing it.
The lesson planning prompt templates
Four prompts for four stages
of lesson production.
🤖The standard lesson prompt — copy and fill
‘Generate a complete lesson plan for a [duration] lesson on [specific topic] for [year group] studying [curriculum standard]. Prior knowledge: students already know [list]. The learning objective: students will be able to [specific ability — use a verb: explain, apply, evaluate, construct]. Include: (1) Opening hook (5 min). (2) Instruction phase with 2 worked examples. (3) Guided practice. (4) Independent practice. (5) Formative check — one application question using a novel context not in the lesson. Address the misconception that [specific misconception].’
🤖The differentiation prompt — three levels from one lesson
‘Take this lesson plan: [paste lesson]. Generate three versions: Foundation (sentence frames, partially worked examples, additional scaffolding), Core (as written), Extension (novel context, combined concepts, minimal scaffolding). All three should lead to the same formative check: [paste formative check].’
🤖The lesson sequence prompt — three linked lessons in one pass
‘Generate a 3-lesson sequence on [topic unit] for [year group]. This unit follows [previous unit] and precedes [next unit]. For each lesson include: objective (student ability), instruction phase, one activity, one formative check. Each lesson's formative check should inform the next lesson's opening — include what to do if the majority of students struggle.’
🤖The assessment generation prompt
‘Generate an assessment for [unit title]. Include: one recall question, two understanding questions, and two application questions (novel contexts not used in lessons). Completable in [duration]. Include a mark scheme with model answers and the most common wrong answers for each question, with a note on what misconception each wrong answer reveals.’
The five-minute editing pass
AI generates the structure.
You make it yours.
Five checks: (1) Is the learning objective measurable? (2) Is the formative check a genuine application question, or recall in disguise? (3) Are the examples appropriate for your students' context? (4) Does the instruction phase address the specific misconception your class holds? (5) Is the difficulty level calibrated to where your class actually is?