As many of you probably already know, Gemini is Google's powerful AI chatbot that can serve as a helpful assistant for educators. You simply type in your request and Gemini generates your content, including lesson plans, rubrics, DOK leveled questions, and more.
But what if you are not sure what to type in? Creating a prompt that is complete and effective can be a challenge.
Well recently Google released a new collection of resources to help with just that. There is now a new "Gemini" tab in Google Classroom and on that page you will find 27 pre-made AI prompt tools for using Gemini in education.
And you don't even have to be a user of Google Classroom. As long as you have access to Google Classroom page, you can use all of these AI tools.
See below for a tutorial video and written directions on how to access and use these powerful free tools.
▶️ Tutorial Video (19 minutes)
🔗 Accessing the AI Tools
The new AI tools can be accessed right inside of Google Classroom.
- Simply go to Google Classroom as normal at https://classroom.google.com/
- Then click on the "Gemini" link in the navigation menu on the left side of the page.
- This will now bring up the "Google AI Tools for Educators" page.
If you don't use Google Classroom, that is perfectly fine. Even if you use Schoology or Canvas or such, you can still use these AI tools as long as you can access the Google Classroom page. It might be necessary for your school tech department to turn on Google Classroom for teachers, just for this purpose. Again, you do not need to use Google Classroom. You just need to be able to access the Google Classroom page.
🛠️ Types of AI Tools
At the moment there are 27 AI tools in the collection, which are broken into two main groups.
- 13 of the tools have colorful icons in front of them, and I am going to call these "Template" tools.
- The other 14 tools have a blue star instead, and I am going to call these "Gemini Prompt" tools.
These two different types of tools work differently, so let's take a look at each.
📋 "Template" Tools
Let's start with the 13 tools with the colorful icons, that I am calling "Template" tools.
- When you click on one of these tools, Google will provide you with some basic questions to answer such as grade level, topic, standards, and such.
- You will then fill in the boxes or choose from drop-down menus or click buttons or even upload files to provide the needed information.
- And then Gemini will create your content.
- This type of AI tool is very similar to what you would see in tools like Magic School and Teacher Server.
At the moment the 13 "Template" tools include:
- Outline a lesson plan
- Generate a quiz
- Re-level text
- Create a rubric
- Brainstorm project ideas
- Write an informational text
- Generate text-dependent questions
- Build a choice board
- Create a vocabulary list
- Craft a compelling hook
- Tackle common misconceptions
- Write a story
- Translate text
💯 Example - Generate a Quiz
Let's try one out as an example. In this case we will use the "Generate a quiz" tool.
After we click on the tool, we will get three items to fill in:
- Target grade
- Number of questions
- Describe the topic and the knowledge or skills you want students to demonstrate
Next we will click the button to "Generate learning objectives".
- Gemini will create a list of suggested learning objectives for the quiz based on the information you have provided.
- You can edit these learning objectives as needed to align with the quiz you want to generate.
Then we can choose the question types we would like to use in the quiz, including:
- Multiple choice
- True or false
- Short answer
- Long answer
And finally we will click "Generate questions". Gemini will now generate the quiz questions and answers.
If you want to make any changes to the quiz, you have several options:
- You can click on the down arrow at the top to expand the initial criteria you had entered, and then you can edit those details and regenerate the quiz.
- Or at the bottom of the quiz you can click on any of the suggested modifications such as "Include clear student instructions on how to take this quiz" or "Add three more questions to this quiz."
- Or at the bottom of the quiz you can type in your own new prompt to modify the current quiz any way that you want.
When you are happy with the quiz, you now have several options for exporting and using it.
- You can click on the "Copy" button to copy the contents and then paste into any other tool that you want to use.
- Or you can click the "Export" button and then choose:
- Add to class - To send the quiz to one of your Google Classroom classes as an assignment, quiz assignment, question, or material.
- Export to Docs - To create a Google Doc with your quiz questions and answers
- Export to Forms - To create a Google Form with all of your questions and answer key
For a quiz, the option to "Export to Forms" is a super easy way to generate a Google Forms quiz that is ready to use with your students. Of course as with any AI generated content, always take time to review what was generated to make sure it is accurate and appropriate for your students, and make any changes as needed to the questions and answers in the Form.
When you are done, make sure you have exported the generated content if it is something you want to keep and use. The content is not saved in Google Classroom after you leave the page.
Besides the "Generate a Quiz" tool, there are 12 other template tools to choose from, which all behave in a similar way, with you filling in the template and Gemini generating the content.
💬 "Gemini Prompt" Tools
In contrast to those, there are 14 other tools which have blue stars in front of them, which I am calling "Gemini Prompt" tools.
- When you click on one of these tools, it actually opens Gemini in a new tab and automatically fills in a very detailed premade prompt.
- You will now have a back and forth conversation with Gemini as you answer questions and provide information, until Gemini has all the details it needs.
- Then Gemini will generate the content you have requested, tailor made to your needs.
- This is sort of similar to custom Gems in Gemini or custom GPT's in ChatGPT, where the AI chatbot has a preloaded prompt to work from.
At the moment the 14 "Gemini Prompt" tools include:
- Brainstorm real world examples
- Craft engaging discussion prompts
- Create DOK questions on a topic
- Write decodable texts
- Develop a unit plan
- Create a jigsaw activity
- Draft a class syllabus
- Create math story word problems
- Refresh knowledge on a topic
- Craft math spiral review problems
- Brainstorm a science lab experiment
- Draft a class newsletter
- Brainstorm a field trip plan
- Create a professional development plan
🧪 Example - Brainstorm a Science Lab Experiment
Let's try one out as an example. In this case we will use the "Brainstorm a Science Lab Experiment" tool.
After we click on the tool, Gemini will open up in a new tab with a very detailed prompt preloaded. For this particular tool, here is the prompt that Google has created:
Your Role and Task You are an experienced science teacher and master curriculum creator that uses an inquiry and phenomenon-based approach to designing science learning experiences. Your task is to help me create an engaging, grade-appropriate science lab or experiment aligned to a given science concept and grade. I need your help to ensure the lab/experiment is tightly aligned to my desired learning outcomes, feasible based on my resource and time constraints, and developmentally appropriate for my students. I also need really clear lab instructions, and instructions on materials and preparation, as well as my actions and 'teacher moves' throughout. You will guide me through the process by explaining the collaborative approach and immediately asking for the essential details needed to begin crafting the science lab or experiment. [Interaction Rules] Here is the required interaction flow for your first response: Initiate the conversation by clearly stating your purpose and the collaborative nature of the task. Example "Hi! I'm here to help you get started on your science lab or experiment. First, I'll ask you some questions to be sure we tailor the lab to your class, school, and style. This will be a collaborative process, so feel free to give me feedback when I miss the mark! To start, can you tell me a little about your goal with this science lab or experiment?" To create the perfect resource for my classroom, follow these three rules for the rest of our entire conversation: Gather Context First: Ask me one clarifying question at a time until you understand enough about my students, context, and specific goal(s) to generate the first draft. For a lab/experiment, you'll need to know things like: the target content (i.e. standard, learning objective), my students' grade-level, any time or resource constraints I have, students' experience with labs (to tailor the level of independence), my students' prior knowledge and/or misconceptions I want to target through the experiment. Pay attention to each of my responses so you don't ask me questions I've already answered. Before you generate the first draft, ALWAYS ask "Is there anything else I should know to tailor this lab to your class and teaching style?" Explain & Offer Revisions: When you provide your first draft, briefly name the pedagogical approach you used. Then, proactively suggest 1-2 specific ways we could refine it (e.g., "we could add a pre-lab activity" or "we could generate the student-facing observation sheets"). Organize these suggestions in bullets so I don't get overwhelmed. Iterate Until It's Right: This is a collaborative process. After each revision, repeat Rule 2. Your primary goal is to help me refine the output until it meets my exact needs. |
This prompt is designed to engage us in a detailed back-and-forth discussion, so we can provide all the information Gemini needs to create something that meets our specific needs.
In this case here are the questions Gemini asked me as I worked through the process:
- To start, can you tell me a little about your goal with this science lab or experiment?
- To make sure I design a developmentally appropriate experience, what grade level are you teaching?
- Are you working with standard science classroom materials, or should we plan on using more common, everyday items you'd find at home or in a typical classroom?
- How much class time are you planning to use for this experiment? For example, are we aiming for a single 45-minute period, or do you have a longer block or multiple days to work with?
- How much experience do they have with hands-on labs? For example, are they used to following a set of procedures, or are they more comfortable exploring materials in a less structured "station" format?
- Is there anything else I should know to tailor this lab to your class and teaching style before I draft the full experiment for you? For example, any common misconceptions you've heard students express about sound?
After I answered each of those questions, Gemini generated a detailed science lab experiment for me. If you want you can view that experiment here - Google Docs link
And even that was not the end, as Gemini asked if I wanted to do more including:
- We could develop a simple, one-page student lab sheet that includes data tables for them to record their observations and structured questions for each part of the lab.
- We could add a "Make a Prediction" step before each of the three parts to get students to activate their prior knowledge and commit to an idea before they test it.
Of course as always you can export anything created with Gemini to use and modify any way that you need.
Besides the "Brainstorm a Science Lab Experiment" tool, there are 13 other Gemini Prompt tools to choose from, which all behave in a similar way.
- In each case Gemini will engage you in a deep conversation over many questions to really get to understand what you need.
- Rather than just creating a simple, surface level, generic response, you end up with something that is detailed and customized for what you are doing in your classroom.
🏁 Conclusion
My guess is these tools are just the beginning. There are 27 in total at the moment, but we will likely see many more developed and released in the future. For now I would encourage you to try these out.
They are free, easy to use, and create high quality customized content to use in your classroom. I think these are great for users of any experience level, whether you are brand new to AI and you appreciate the step-by-step guidance, or if you are a seasoned pro, but excited to expand your use of AI.
A big thanks to Google for providing these for free to educators! As always please share with me your questions and comments.
Post by Eric Curts
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