MINNESOTA

How a Third-Grade Teacher Builds Better Lessons with Help from Gemini

An interview with Monica H., a third-grade teacher in Minnesota who recently completed Google’s Generative AI for Educators course.

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2 min read

As a third-grade teacher with 32 years in the classroom, I've always been driven by the desire to help kids learn and reach their full potential. At this grade level, when kids can read, I love seeing how they continue processing information and develop critical thinking skills.

I’ve been dabbling in some new skills, too. While I’ve always been intrigued with technology, my two sons—one, a computer science major and the other, an IT specialist—introduced me to AI. They showed me some incredible things they could do, which surprised and amazed me, so I had it in the back of my mind as something to explore. Then, when I took Google's Generative AI for Educators course as part of our school’s staff development, I had these concrete, practical examples of what I could be doing as an educator.

One of the first revelations was how effortlessly Gemini could adjust the reading level of a text. I could simply paste in content and, with a quick prompt, transform it to a third-grade or fifth-grade level.

Monica H., third-grade teacher

Translating what I learned in the course to my everyday tasks was shockingly seamless. On the same day I took the course, I was drafting a newsletter for parents for the upcoming school year. On a whim, I asked Gemini to make it "more exciting." The result was a vibrant, inviting newsletter that was even accessible for the kids to read.

A key takeaway from the course was the importance of creating specific prompts to get better results—even including the format you want them in. For example, for our class reading series, I’ll copy and paste the short stories into Gemini to generate comprehension questions. If I specify "comprehension questions based on sequence," Gemini delivers exactly what I need to meet my learning objectives.

Monica H., a third-grade teacher

This summer, I’m creating lesson plans for our third-grade Minnesota standard on investigating ancient cultures. In the past, it was a challenge finding anything that fit my needs. Now, with help from Gemini, I can use the Minnesota standard to create a unit plan or even specific handouts about life in ancient China or Egypt. I can further refine the results by asking Gemini to include specific keywords like "pyramids" or "calligraphy." This capability has saved me countless hours and will dramatically reduce my stress as I prepare for the fall knowing I’ll be able to focus my energy on my students.

Gemini has also been invaluable in teaching students to differentiate between informational and literary writing. I used it to generate several short paragraphs, some informational and others literary. We then did a gallery walk around the room, where students analyzed the texts and discussed their characteristics as a class. I've even used Gemini to help create custom images for new vocabulary cards when I can’t find the perfect visual.

Ultimately, by gathering information we might not have at our fingertips and enabling us to quickly create these wonderful activities, Gemini empowers us to provide resources that resonate with students and help them make deeper connections. It’s truly unlocking the potential for more personalized and impactful learning.