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ARKAI Readiness Kollective
AI Aware · Grades K-5Module 3

Facilitator guide: Being a Smart AI User

52 minutesReview status: Being checked
Open the lessonsSlide deck (Google Drive)

Materials

  • Bread, a plastic knife, and a jar of jam for the robot sandwich, or paper for a draw-what-I-say version.
  • Paper and crayons for Step 3.
  • One children's book you can use to check an answer.

Lesson steps

  1. 1. The robot sandwich (Explainer, 5 min)
  2. 2. Good prompts have details (Explainer, 7 min)
  3. 3. Prompt and check (Activity, 10 min)
  4. 4. Ask AI or ask a person? (Scenario, 6 min)
  5. 5. Quick check (Quick check, 4 min)
  6. 6. One for AI, one for a person (Reflect, 5 min)
  7. 7. Recap (Recap, 3 min)

Timing for a 45-60 minute session

Minutes What happens Format
0-3 Pre-check, read aloud Whole group
3-10 Step 1: the robot sandwich Whole group
10-19 Step 2 and the clear-or-fuzzy sort Pairs
19-29 Step 3 Play it: Prompt and check Whole group
29-36 Step 4: Maya’s three questions Whole group
36-40 Step 5 quick check Whole group
40-47 Step 6: What ARK thinks, then reflect Individual, then pairs
47-52 Step 7 recap and post-check Whole group

Before you start

  • Learners do not use AI tools themselves. If you show one, you type, and you check its age rules first.
  • Check food allergies before the sandwich activity, or use the paper version.
  • The Level up study was with high school students. Say so, and keep it simple.
  • “What ARK thinks” is an opinion. Say so out loud, and let kids disagree.

Discussion prompts

Use the two in Step 6.

Answer notes

Quick check: 1 B, 2 B, 3 B. Pre/post: 1 A, 2 B, 3 B. In Step 4, B and C both go to a person first. A is fine to look up.

Words to know

prompt
The words you give an AI to tell it what you want.
instruction
A step that tells someone, or something, what to do.
source
Where information comes from, like a book or a teacher.
tool
Something that helps you do a job.

Workshop quick checks

Learners can answer these on their own phones with no account. Answers count toward ARK's anonymous totals.