From AI Tools
to AI Literacy
Back-to-school staff session · Prompting + AI Assessment Scale
Why this focus now?
Tools change. Prompting, judgment, and clear expectations transfer.
The pattern we are seeing:
AI tools
appear quickly
Many disappear or become paywalled
Students still need help using AI well
So the goal is not “What app should I use?”
The goal is “How do I ask, evaluate, revise, and set boundaries?”
BTS Back-to-School AI PD
Today’s roadmap
A fast, practical hour staff can reuse with students.
0–5
Why prompting, not just tools
5–15
Unplugged: Prompt the Human
15–25
AI terms without the fog
25–40
PARTS prompting practice
40–55
BTS AI Guidance + AIAS
55–60
1st Quarter Challenge
Leave with one usable student-facing routine: label assignments with AIAS and coach students to prompt with PARTS.
BTS Back-to-School AI PD
Unplugged opener: “Prompt the Human”
A no-device way to feel why prompting matters.
Pair up.
A
Describer sees the image
B
Drawer cannot see it
C
Round 1: Vague Prompt
D
Round 2: Better Prompt
The drawer should have their back to the screen. The ‘prompter’ will soon receive instructions.
BTS Back-to-School AI PD
BTS Back-to-School AI PD
Round 1: Vague on Purpose
Your partner draws exactly what your words communicate, nothing more.
The rules
1
Maximum 8 words.
2
No adjectives.
No examples or comparisons.
No clarifying questions.
No gestures or pointing.
6
No feedback.
60 seconds • Drawer cannot see the image
Pick one image
The describer sees it. The drawer does not.
A
Image
B
Image
C
Image
D
Image
Goal: notice how much the drawer has to guess.
3
4
5
BTS Back-to-School AI PD
Round 2: Coach the Human
Use the same image. This time, communicate like you actually want a good result.
Now you can…
1
Describe what you want: the main elements.
2
Describe where things go: position and layout.
3
Add useful details: size, count, shape, color, style.
4
Say what matters most.
5
Answer clarifying questions.
6
Give feedback and revise.
Same image.
Better conversation.
A
B
C
D
90 seconds • Clarify • Revise
The goal isn’t the longest prompt — it’s the most useful prompt.
Two rounds. Same task. Better instructions.
Round 1: Vague
“Draw a school scene.”
No clarifying questions.
60 seconds.
Round 2: Coached
“Place the sun in the upper right, a bus along the bottom, and a school with three windows in the center.”
Clarify. Revise.
90 seconds.
BTS Back-to-School AI PD
Journal: What changed between Round 1 and Round 2?
Debrief: the “AI” was not magic
It responded to the quality of the prompt.
What changed between Round 1 and Round 2?
More context
Clearer constraints
Audience/purpose
Chance to revise
Prompting is communication.
It is not a secret tech trick.
BTS Back-to-School AI PD
Terms students and staff need
Use simple analogies before technical definitions.
AI
The Brain
making computers “smart”
LLM
The Library
the tech that lets AI talk
Generative
The Artist
creates new content
Prompt
The Request
your instructions
Hallucination
The Dream
confidently wrong
BTS Back-to-School AI PD
LLM mindset: assistant, not expert
The human is still responsible for the final product.
1
Review output
2
Give context
3
Ask for revision
A strong prompt often starts a conversation, not a one-time answer.
BTS Back-to-School AI PD
The PARTS Framework
A repeatable way to teach better prompts.
P
Persona
Who should the
AI act as?
A
Act
What is the
specific task?
R
Recipient
Who is this for?
T
Theme
What tone or style?
S
Structure
How should it look?
PARTS turns “Write a lesson plan” into a usable set of directions.
BTS Back-to-School AI PD
Prompt makeover
From vague request to reusable classroom prompt.
Before
“Make a lesson about ecosystems.”
After with PARTS
[Persona] Act as a 7th-grade science teacher.
[Act] Create a 45-minute intro lesson on ecosystems.
[Recipient] Mixed reading levels.
[Theme] Hands-on and curious.
[Structure] Include hook, activity, discussion question, and exit ticket.
BTS Back-to-School AI PD
Practice: build one prompt you could use tomorrow
Pick one task. Add PARTS. Compare with a neighbor.
Feedback
Student participates well but misses written work
Planning
Brainstorm hands-on ideas for a local ecosystems unit
Revision
Make a parent email warmer but still clear
Questions
Push a lesson toward deeper thinking
Share-out question: What did you add that made the prompt stronger?
BTS Back-to-School AI PD
Want to learn more about prompting?
Visit cowen.rocks
Find and click The “I Know Nothing About AI” Workshop link.
Want additional prompt training? Email support@kingsford.org
What students need from us
They need language, modeling, and boundaries.
Language
Prompting vocabulary
AI terms
Revision phrases
Modeling
Think aloud
Show weak vs strong prompts
Verify output
Boundaries
When AI is allowed
How much is allowed
What must be cited or shown
This is where the BTS AI Guidance Document comes in.
BTS Back-to-School AI PD
BTS AI Guidance Document
A shared way to communicate expectations and encourage thoughtful use.
Two goals
1
Shared, standard language
Clear expectations across classes, buildings, and assignments.
2
Thoughtful AI use in instruction
A way to decide when AI fits and when it does not.
Not an all-or-nothing policy. An assignment-by-assignment decision.
BTS Back-to-School AI PD
AI Assessment Scale (AIAS)
A common language for “how much AI is allowed here?”
Use this as a label, not a lecture.
BTS Back-to-School AI PD
The five levels, in classroom language
Students should hear the level before the work begins.
1
No AI
Show your own knowledge.
2
AI Planning
Brainstorm, outline, or research early.
3
AI Collaboration
Draft, get feedback, refine, then evaluate.
4
Full AI
Use AI extensively as part of the task.
5
AI Exploration
Co-design creative solutions with AI.
No label? Students should assume Level 1: No AI.
BTS Back-to-School AI PD
Mini-practice: label the assignment
Choose a level before students begin.
Vocabulary quiz
Level ___
What skill are you measuring?
Brainstorm essay topics
Level ___
Can AI help without replacing thinking?
Draft of a lab report
Level ___
What must the student verify?
Open-ended AI research project
Level ___
Is directing AI part of the skill?
Share with a partner: Where would you put the label?
BTS Back-to-School AI PD
Quick start for BTS classrooms
Three moves that make expectations visible.
1
Introduce
Spend 5–10 minutes showing the five levels.
2
Label
Put the level on assignments, rubrics, or Google Classroom.
3
Treat it as instruction
If students exceed the level, handle it like any instruction-following issue.
Teacher’s job: communicate the level clearly. Student’s job: follow it.
BTS Back-to-School AI PD
This quarter’s challenge
Pick one assignment and add an AIAS label.
Then model one PARTS prompt connected to that assignment.
Questions: support@kingsford.org
Want to learn more about the BTS AI Guidance Assistant?
Visit https://flivver.info/aiguide