Lesson Plan — Communicating and Owning AI Policy

Grade Level

9th Grade

Duration

1 class period (45–60 minutes)

Objectives

  • Students will understand the classroom policy on generative AI.
  • Students will articulate personal positions and practices related to AI use.
  • Students will reflect on the cognitive demands of using AI responsibly.
  • Students will observe and discuss real practices for managing AI volume.

Materials

  • Printed or digital copies of the “Student AI Policy”
  • Slides or board with key quotes (from “Poster Text Snippets”)
  • Teacher file system example (folder structure, annotated screenshots, or live demo)
  • Optional: anonymous student survey or response cards

Do Now (5 min)

Prompt: “Have you ever used an AI tool to write something? What was the result?”
Students write a brief private response.

Mini-Lecture (10–15 min)

Use direct instruction to walk through the AI policy. Emphasize:

  • The unchanged foundations of cognition, learning, and literacy
  • The exponential rise in the burden of discernment
  • That AI output is not neutral—bad AI text is a pollutant
  • That short prompts = dead output, and readers can feel it

“An educated person feels contempt welling up from their soul when they read dead AI text.”

Frame the idea that responsible use of AI involves a lot of input (prompting), and even more critical reading.

Demo + Share (10 min)

Show your file system or tagging method for handling AI volume:

  • Separate folders for draft, raw output, annotated feedback
  • Examples of long prompts and multi-step prompting sessions
  • Explain how much output is never used—and why

Connect this to the principle: if you’re going to use AI to generate text, you’d better be ready to sift and discard 90% of it.

Student Reflection + Share Out (15–20 min)

Prompt: “How do you think AI could be helpful in this class—if it’s used well?”

  • Think-pair-share
  • Invite a few students to share with the full group

Facilitate discussion around:

  • What good prompting looks like
  • The difference between asking a question and offloading the work
  • What kind of AI use would actually help you grow judgment

Optional: collect student thoughts anonymously for follow-up.

Exit Ticket (5 min)

Prompt: “What’s one thing you’re willing to try—or change—about your use of AI this semester?”

Assessment

Informal: observation of student engagement, discussion clarity, exit ticket content. Formal: incorporation of AI policy language and expectations into upcoming assignments.

Notes

  • Keep tone candid and direct—don’t oversell AI or over-police it.
  • Model the level of clarity and effort you expect from them.
  • Return to this lesson when you see sloppy AI work show up. Refer to the principle of digital pollution.

Follow-Up

  • Add oral defense checkpoints in assignments
  • Ask students to reflect on their prompt quality before turning in AI-assisted work
  • Use folder/tag protocols to build AI process literacy over time