DCTS Teacher Tools

AI Prompts

Prompt Engineering Tricks & Tips
  • Use as a Starting Point: AI can do a great job in writing lessons, quizzes, worksheets, etc. Make sure you only use what AI provides as a starting point and to make the necessary changes to fit the needs of your students.
  • Be Clear and Concise: Avoid overly complex or ambiguous language. Use simple sentences to increase the likelihood of getting the desired output.
  • Provide Context: Include relevant background information or specific details to guide the AI.
  • Iterate and Refine: Don’t be afraid to ask the AI to make adjustments if the initial output isn’t quite right.
  • Combine Prompts for Complex Tasks: Break down complex requests into smaller, manageable tasks.
  • Have AI Ask You Questions: End your prompt with “Before your complete the task, ask me questions.”
  • Do NOT Use PII: Some AI software utilizes “memory” and this is a violation of FERPA.
Prompt Engineering Language
  • “Must” – Ensures that the AI includes certain elements.
    Example: “The lesson plan must include group activities.”
  • “Should” – Suggests but doesn’t require certain content.
    Example: “The quiz should cover chapters 3 and 4.”
  • “Needs to” – Similar to “must,” but with a focus on requirements.
    Example: “The project description needs to include examples.”
  • “Can” – Opens up possibilities for the AI to add creative elements.
    Example: “The presentation can include visual aids.”
  • “Do not” – Helps you exclude certain things.
    Example: “The essay should not exceed 500 words.”
  • “Try to” – Encourages the AI to attempt a specific task or style but doesn’t demand it.
    Example: “Try to make the introduction engaging and attention-grabbing.”
  • “Avoid” – Directs the AI to steer clear of certain elements or topics.
    Example: “Avoid using overly technical jargon.”
  • “Consider” – Suggests that the AI take certain aspects into account.
    Example: “Consider including diverse examples in the case studies.”
  • “Limit” – Sets boundaries for the AI on specific aspects.
    Example: “Limit the word count to 300 words per section.”
  • “Prioritize” – Guides the AI to focus on specific elements first.
    Example: “Prioritize clarity over length in the summary.”

Lesson Plan (DCTS Format)

Write a lesson plan for a high school “[INSERT YOUR CLASS]” class. This lesson plan needs to include about 15-20 minutes of lecture followed by hands on activities. The topic/materials needing to be covered in this lesson plan include the following:

• [INSERT TOPICS/MATERIALS]

The lesson plan needs to utilize the following format provided below. Do NOT reorder anything.

------

Lesson Title:
Lesson Duration:
State Standards: [INSERT STATE STANDARDS]
Lesson Essential Question:
Materials and Resources:
Activating Strategies:
Key Vocabulary:
Teaching Strategies (Body):
Summarizing Strategies:
Extending Activities:

Week at a Glance

[COPY/PASTE ENTIRE LESSON PLAN HERE]

-----

For the above lesson plan I need you to write me a week at a glance snapshot of the above lesson. The week at a glance snapshot needs to be very short and simple. Follow the format provided below.

• Unit and Lesson Title (ie: Marketing - Lesson 1 Intro to Marketing)
• Essential Question:
• Do Now/Bell Ringer:
• Ticket Out the Door:
• Student Work:

Test/Quiz Creation

Write a test/quiz for a high school “[INSERT YOUR CLASS]” class. The test/quiz may include any of the following question types; multiple choice, true/false, matching, fill in the blank, short answer. The test/quiz should take students up to [INSERT NUMBER OF MINUTES] minutes to complete. The test/quiz should be written on the following topic(s):
• TOPIC
• TOPIC
Also include the following:
• Answer key
• Comprehensive Study Guide for Students
• Links to Additional Study Materials

Project/Assignment Creation

Write a prompt for a project/assignment for a high school “[INSERT YOUR CLASS]” class. The project/assignment needs to include the following:
• [INSERT PROJECT DETAILS]
The assignment needs to utilize the following format provided below.
Assignment Prompt Format
• Objective:
• Requirements:
• Additional Challenges: (include 3-4 additional challenges for students who complete the project ahead of schedule so they have something to do to continue learning more advanced topics)
• Additional Info/Notes/Resources:
• Submission Requirements:
     - Submit the file(s) to Schoology by the published due date utilizing the standard naming convention ("GRADYEAR-LASTAME_Assignment"). Late work will NOT be accepted.
• Grading Rubric with 5 Criteria: (Only have 5 criteria items and include a short description for each criteria listed)
     1. 
     2. 
     3. 
     4. 
     5.

Slideshow Creation

Create slideshow for a high school [INSERT CLASS HERE] class. You must provide me with a ".pptx" file that I will be able to download. The slideshow needs to include information on the following:

•
• 

The slideshow must be ## slides long.

Blooket Multiple Choice Questions in CSV Format

• [INSERT TOPIC(S)/INFORMATION]

-----

Write me [INSERT NUMBER OF QUESTIONS WANTED] multiple choice questions based on the above information and topics. Each multiple choice question needs to have 4 possible answers. The answers for the questions must be similar in the length of the characters used for each answer (for example, if Answer A is 30 characters in length, Answer B must be close to 30 characters in length). These questions need to be tailored towards a high school [INSERT YOUR CLASS] class at a Career Technical Education school. When providing the multiple choice questions put them into a ".csv" format that I can download, I will use this ".csv" to import into "Blooket" (an online quiz game software). You must follow the format that the example is provided is in below. The answer for all of the questions must be choice "A". Do not change the "20" or the "1" that is listed in the examples.

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"Blooket
Import Template",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Question #,Question Text,Answer 1,Answer 2,"Answer 3
(Optional)","Answer 4
(Optional)","Time Limit (sec)
(Max: 300 seconds)","Correct Answer(s)
(Only include Answer #)",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
1,What color is the sky?,Blue,Red,Green,Yellow,20,"1",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
2,What color is the grass?,Green,Red,Blue,Purple,20,"1",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Lesson Plan (Penn State Format)

Write a lesson plan for a high school “[INSERT YOUR CLASS]” class. This lesson plan needs to include about 15-20 minutes of lecture followed by hands on activities. The topic/materials needing to be covered in this lesson plan include the following:

• [INSERT TOPICS/MATERIALS]

The lesson plan needs to utilize the following format provided below. Do NOT reorder anything.

-----

Lesson Plan Format
Name of Instructor: [INSERT YOUR NAME]
Program Title: [INSERT YOUR PROGRAM TITLE]
Course Title: [INSERT YOUR COURSE TITLE]
Unit Title: [INSERT YOUR UNIT TITLE]
Lesson Title:
Lesson Performance Objective:
Time (length of lesson): 
Equipment & Materials Needed:
   • Laptop with Internet Access
   • Smartboard
   • 
Standards:
   • Technical Standard(s) Number and Title: [LEAVE THIS BLANK]
   • POS Task List Number and Title: [LEAVE THIS BLANK]
   • Academic Standard(s) Number and Title: [LEAVE THIS BLANK]
Lesson:
   • Introduction:
   • Body:
   • Summary:
Student Assessment:
   • Formative Assessment(s):
   • Summative Assessment:
Universal Design for Learning:
   • Multiple Means of Engagement:
   • Multiple Means of Representation:
   • Multiple Means of Expression:

Schoology Test Question Creation

The following prompt is to be used in conjunction with the Blackboard Test Question generator found at the link below. Copy/paste results into the test generator and export as a zip file. In Schoology under a created test select the “Import” from the add questions and upload the entire zip file.

Blackboard Test Question Generation
I need you to write me 10 questions on [INSERT TOPIC].

I may ask for additional questions beyond the first 10 questions. If I do so, please start the numbering at where you are at. So for example, if I ask after this initial prompt, you will begin your numbering of the questions at #11.

The questions you will write for me must be in multiple choice format.

When writing these questions put them into a code block so I can copy/paste easily.

The possible answers for the questions must be similar in character length. The correct answer should not be the longest character length answer for all of the questions. There should be incorrect potential answers that are longer in character length than the correct answer. I basically need the correct answer NOT to stick out because it is that much longer in character length than the incorrect answers.

Ensure the correct answer is not always in the same position. The correct answer should be randomly placed in different positions throughout the test (randomly placed between A, B, C, D).

Incorrect answer choices should be realistic but clearly incorrect, avoiding answers that are too absurd or too similar to the correct choice. Each question must have only one correct answer. Ensure incorrect answer choices are plausible but clearly incorrect.

The questions that you are creating are for a high school level classroom.

You must write the questions in the below format. DO NOT rearrange this formatting at all. The correct answer will have a * in front of it. Do not include the ---- in your answer to me. I just put them below so you would be aware of where the formatting starts.

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QUESTION FORMAT

1. What color is the sky?
*a) Blue
b) Green
c) Purple
d) Yellow

2. What color is the grass?
a) Blue
b) Purple
*c) Green
d) Black

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Schoology Data Manipulation

This prompt cleans and simplifies raw assessment data from Schoology into a teacher-friendly format. To download the data from Schoology, follow the instructions below:

  1. Navigate to the Schoology assignment.
  2. Click on the ⚙️ icon and select “Export Stats”.
  3. “Select All” students, click “Next”.
  4. Check off “Question Data” and click “Export”.
  5. Navigate to your “Transfer History” and download the exported data. This is the data you will upload to AI with the following prompt.
From the attached dataset, extract a single row per unique question (one per “Question ID”). Include only: 

- Question Number (sequential 1, 2, 3… in the order questions appear)
- Question (full text)
- Correct Answer
- Correctly Answered (as a percent of students who answered correctly)

Export the result as a downloadable Excel file.