At the beginning of the school year as a classroom teacher, I often sought out activities to spark curiosity, get kids talking, and help them feel part of something special, without spending a great deal of time prepping.

Last week I had the opportunity to share some EduProtocols (check out eduprotocols.com if you are not yet familiar) with teachers, combined with artificial intelligence tools. The activities work across grade levels and content areas, require almost no prep, and deliver big results in the 4 Cs (Creativity, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Communication). And on top of that, they open the door to something your students need more than ever: conversations about AI literacy, ethics, and its role in learning.

Thin Slides with an AI Twist

How it works: Give students a one-slide template. Prompt them to answer something accessible, such as “Something that made me smile this summer”. Students add one image and one word.

AI connection: Students generate their image using an AI tool embedded in a platform they already use (and is approved for student use by your school) such as Padlet, Canva, or Adobe Express.

Why it works:

• Creativity: Students make intentional choices about visual representation.
• Communication: Students share in front of the entire class in a few seconds. (These micro-presentations are great reps to prepare for full length presentations that may be assigned later in the year)
• Critical Thinking: Students evaluate how well the AI-generated image reflect real-life experience and consider what details needed to be added to their prompt to generate an image that met their needs.
• Collaboration: Students can discuss similarities, differences, and surprises with peers.

AI conversation gateway: This activity leads naturally into questions like: Did the AI image get it right? Where might AI misunderstand? Where does AI gets its information? How will we use AI in our class this year? What might be unethical uses of AI that we need to avoid in and outside our classroom?

The Great AI Race

How it works: Adapt the classic “Great American Race” EduProtocol. Students get a vocabulary word or concept from your content area and create 4 clues that go from challenging to easy for peers to guess.

AI connection: Students can use AI to brainstorm synonyms, find facts, or generate related images. Students, not AI, are in the driver seat. They decide what to keep, adapt, or discard.

Why it works:

• Critical Thinking: Students craft clues that are challenging but fair.
• Creativity: Students design engaging visuals.
• Collaboration: Students can work in pairs to refine the set.
• Communication: Students present clues clearly.

AI conversation gateway: This activity provides a perfect moment to talk about accuracy, bias, and how to fact-check AI results before sharing them as truth.

Random Emoji Paragraph Remix

How it works: Students receive 3–4 random emojis and must create a paragraph or short story that includes them all.

AI connection: A rubric can be automatically created or added to a platform such as Class Companion or another tool that provides AI generated feedback to students shortly after they submit their paragraph on the platform.

Why it works:

• Creativity: Students experience divergent thinking as they connect seemingly unrelated symbols into a cohesive story.
• Critical Thinking: Students create logical or imaginative connections.
• Communication: Students can share stories aloud or in small groups.
• Collaboration: Students can build upon each other’s plot twists.

AI conversation gateway: It is vital that we are transparent about our use of AI, so that students know they can have conversations with us regarding ethical AI use. Engage students in a discussion about how the AI feedback supported their learning, and how to ensure that the teacher (not AI) is the one providing final grades and determining next steps for students.

Beyond Engagement

These Eduprotocols remixes are more than fun first-week games. They can act as catalysts to vital conversations with students about AI. Consider discussing how AI can and cannot be used in the classroom, guardrails in place, ethical guidelines at the school and in your classroom, and ethical implications inside and outside the classroom.

By starting the year with hands-on, low-risk AI activities, we normalize curiosity and skepticism. Students learn early that AI isn’t just a magic tool—it’s something to question, understand, and engage with only when done responsibly.