Helpful Hints for Using AI

What would you like help with?

Improve My Prompting

Learn advanced techniques to get better results from AI

Create Better Content

Write more effective emails, documents, and communications

Enhance My Teaching

Find creative ways to explain concepts and engage students

Boost My Productivity

Save time and organize your work more efficiently

Generate Creative Ideas

Get inspiration for projects, events, and activities

Browse All Hints

Explore our complete collection of AI tips and tricks

What would you like help with?

Add "high resolution" to images

Generate sharper, more professional visuals for slides, posters, or newsletters. Include phrases like: "4K detail", "high resolution", "vector style", or "professional photography style" in your image generation prompts. Example: "Create a high-resolution illustration of the water cycle, 4K detail, suitable for classroom poster printing"

Specify "clean layout" for worksheets

When asking AI to generate worksheets, adding "clean layout, white background, print-friendly" ensures the result is classroom-ready and ink-efficient.

Assign roles to AI

Start with: "Act as a veteran 5th-grade math teacher with 15 years of experience..." or "You are a school counselor specializing in social-emotional learning..." This gets tailored, contextual results for lesson ideas, parent letters, student scripts, and behavior interventions.

Specify tone for content

Use it to revise emails, newsletters, or website blurbs. Try: "Rewrite this in a warm but professional tone for parents."

Request subject analogies

Prompt: "Give me analogies for photosynthesis that a 2nd grader would understand." This makes abstract ideas stick for students across all ages.

Predict project challenges

Try: "Here's a description of my 8th-grade PBL unit—what issues should I prepare for?" AI can help you proactively plan around bottlenecks or student needs.

Request multiple versions

When asking for content like titles, subject lines, or lesson hooks, include: "Give me 3 distinct versions of this idea." It forces variety and helps quickly spark your best direction.

Draft parent communications

Prompt: "Write a warm, informative email to parents about a new drop-off policy, assuming it affects only the Lower School." AI helps maintain clarity, tone, and saves time on common communications.

Summarize meeting transcripts

Upload meeting notes or transcript text and ask: "Summarize this meeting into 5 key action points with names assigned." Great for capturing takeaways without the mental strain.

Improve file organization

Prompt: "What's a clean folder structure for organizing school-wide event planning documents for each division?" AI can suggest better systems for digital organization when your current setup feels chaotic.

Generate agendas with formatting

Prompt: "Create a professional agenda for an upcoming DEI Committee meeting, with sections for updates, discussion, and next steps." Add: "Then write a follow-up summary with action items."

Brainstorm event themes

Prompt: "Give me 10 clever but professional theme names for our all-staff retreat that focus on growth and renewal." Perfect when creative brainpower is low but deadlines are near.

Generate differentiated versions instantly

Prompt: "Create three versions of this assignment: one for students reading below grade level, one at grade level, and one for advanced learners." Perfect for inclusive classrooms and saves hours of manual differentiation work.

Build rubrics in seconds

Try: "Create a 4-point rubric for a 6th-grade science fair project that evaluates research quality, presentation, and scientific method." Customize criteria categories and point scales to match your exact needs.

Translate communications accurately

Prompt: "Translate this parent newsletter into Spanish, maintaining a warm and professional tone appropriate for school communications." Great for reaching multilingual families with consistent messaging across languages.

Create Socratic questions

Prompt: "Generate 10 open-ended Socratic questions about [topic] that encourage critical thinking and don't have single right answers." Perfect for driving class discussions and developing deeper understanding.

Design review games

Try: "Create a Jeopardy-style review game with 5 categories and 5 questions each for our unit on ecosystems, suitable for 4th graders." Make test prep engaging and memorable with game-based learning activities.

Generate personalized feedback faster

Prompt: "Write encouraging, specific feedback for a student who showed improvement in [skill] but still struggles with [concept]. Keep it positive and actionable." Maintain quality feedback while saving time on report cards and assignments.

Add constraints for precision

Include specific parameters: "Limit to 200 words", "Use only 2-syllable words", "Include exactly 5 examples", or "Format as a bulleted list with 3-5 items each." Constraints help AI produce exactly what you need without endless revisions.

Request worked examples

Prompt: "Show me a step-by-step worked example of solving [problem type], explaining the reasoning at each step as if teaching a student." Perfect for creating model solutions and teaching materials that show your thinking process.

Generate attention-grabbing hooks

Try: "Give me 5 creative ways to introduce a lesson on fractions that would surprise and engage 3rd graders in the first 2 minutes." Start lessons strong with unexpected connections, stories, or demonstrations.

Simplify complex language

Prompt: "Rewrite this explanation at a [grade level] reading level while keeping the key concepts accurate." Make content accessible without dumbing it down—perfect for ELL students or simplifying standards.

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