Use tools like ChatGPT to make creative teaching ideas (and templates) work for your class -- no matter what you teach.
Imagine it ... you're scrolling through teaching ideas and find one that lots of teachers really like.
You'd LOVE to use it, but you think ... "nahhhhh, that would never work with what I'm teaching."
Instead of dismissing that idea, let's try something else.
What if you asked an AI assistant -- like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Anthropic Claude -- how it could apply to your particular content area, grade level, or specific concept that you're teaching?
Best case scenario: It works, and you can use this great idea!
Worst case scenario: It only took you a minute to see if it could work.
Using AI to make templates work for your class
I regularly create a new Google Slide or PowerPoint template and put it in our free templates library. Then I share it in our free email newsletter for teachers.
I'll get a typical response from certain teachers ...
"That's great, but how could I use it in a (grade) (subject area) class?"
Basically, they're saying ... "I can't see how I can use it in my own particular circumstance." And that's OK. I'll usually reply back to them with the best ideas I can come up with.
Now, I have help. (And you do, too ... and so do those teachers that reply to me!)
I've started asking AI assistants like ChatGPT for ideas to customize these templates ... and they really do a pretty good job!
Let me show you what I mean ...
- Below, I'll share several of my favorite templates from our free templates library. I'll accompany them with a copy/paste prompt you can take to an AI assistant like ChatGPT. Adjust the prompt based on what you want to teach and submit it. You might be surprised at the results!
- I'll also show you how to take bigger ideas -- like YouTube-style unboxing videos -- and connect them to whatever you teaching using an AI assistant like ChatGPT.
Instagram Stories template
Copy/paste this into an AI assistant -- like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Anthropic Claude:
- Customize the parts in [ brackets in bold ] to fit what you teach
I'm looking for creative ways to use an Instagram Stories-style template to help my students demonstrate their understanding of a topic. This template mimics Instagram Stories, a social media feature where users share their day through a sequence of images or videos. Students will create a series of slides that tell a visual story, incorporating images, short captions, and explanations.
This template is especially useful for:
- Anything with a beginning and an end (e.g., historical events, life cycles, novel plots)
- A linear process or sequence of steps (e.g., solving a math problem, scientific processes)
- A transformation over time (e.g., character development, changes in government)
- A behind-the-scenes perspective (e.g., a “day in the life” of a historical figure or book character)
- A creative reimagining of a concept (e.g., an abstract idea explained visually)
Students can:✔ Snap pictures with their phones, find images online, or generate AI images✔ Use short text captions and annotations to explain their learning✔ Present their work as if they are sharing it with an audience on social media
I teach [subject] in [grade level], and I want to use this activity to reinforce [specific concept, skill, or topic]. I’d love [number] creative ideas for how my students could use this format to show what they’ve learned. Please include a fully detailed example that aligns with my subject and topic.Yelp review template
Copy/paste this into an AI assistant -- like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Anthropic Claude:
- Customize the parts in [ brackets in bold ] to fit what you teach
I'm looking for creative ways to use a Yelp-style review template to help my students demonstrate their understanding of a topic from a specific perspective. This template mimics a Yelp review page and includes the following elements:
Place/Service Title (students select a location, event, or concept to review)
Star Rating (students assign a rating based on impact, effectiveness, or importance)
Reviewer Name (students write from a historical figure’s, character’s, or expert’s perspective)
Reviewer Location (students decide where their reviewer is from)
Written Review (students explain their evaluation, providing supporting details)
Star Rating for the Review (students include credibility—how useful or biased is the review?)
Date of Review (students set the time period when the review was written)
Spotify Wrapped template
Copy/paste this into an AI assistant -- like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Anthropic Claude:
- Customize the parts in [ brackets in bold ] to fit what you teach
I'm looking for creative ways to use a Spotify Wrapped-style template to help my students reflect on and demonstrate their understanding of a topic. This template mimics the end-of-year music summary that Spotify generates, but students will apply it to their learning. The template includes the following elements:
A title slide (introducing the theme of their "Wrapped" reflection)
A number slide (in Spotify Wrapped, this is "minutes listened," but in this activity, it could represent an important number related to the topic)
Top 5 list slides (students rank items related to their learning—e.g., top historical figures, top literary themes, top math strategies)
My Top Selection slide (students choose one standout concept, person, or event and explain why it is the most important)
My Evolution slide (students pick and describe key words that represent how their understanding of the topic has changed or grown over time)
Amazon Product Page template
Copy/paste this into an AI assistant -- like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Anthropic Claude:
- Customize the parts in [ brackets in bold ] to fit what you teach
I'm looking for creative ways to use an Amazon-style product page template to help my students demonstrate their understanding of a topic. This template mimics a real Amazon product page and includes the following elements:
- A product title
- A product image (students will either find or create one)
- A product description (students explain its significance)
- A price (students determine a value, real or symbolic)
- A category (students classify it into a subject-related theme)
- A star rating (students evaluate its impact or importance)
- A customer review section (students write a review in the voice of a historical figure, book character, scientist, or other relevant persona)
Amazon Home Page template
Copy/paste this into an AI assistant -- like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Anthropic Claude:
- Customize the parts in [ brackets in bold ] to fit what you teach
I'm looking for creative ways to use an Amazon-style product search page template to help my students demonstrate their understanding of a topic. This template mimics a real Amazon search results page and includes the following elements:
A search term at the top (students decide what the user is looking for)
Four detailed product listings (each includes a title, price, rating, and description)
A customer review for each product (students write from different perspectives)
A user persona (who is doing the searching, and why)
Amazon Product Search template
Copy/paste this into an AI assistant -- like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Anthropic Claude:
- Customize the parts in [ brackets in bold ] to fit what you teach
I'm looking for creative ways to use an Amazon-style product search page template to help my students demonstrate their understanding of a topic. This template mimics a real Amazon search results page and includes the following elements:
A search term at the top (students decide what the user is looking for)
Four detailed product listings (each includes a title, price, star rating, and description)
A customer review for each product (students write from different perspectives, explaining the pros/cons)
A user persona (who is doing the searching, and why they need these items)
I teach [subject] in [grade level], and I want to use this activity to reinforce [specific concept, skill, or topic]. I’d love [number] creative ideas for how my students could use this format to show what they’ve learned. Please include a fully detailed example that aligns with my subject and topic.
Using AI for creative teaching ideas
This doesn't just stop with templates! If you give AI assistants like ChatGPT enough context -- what you're teaching, what concepts to reinforce, what your students are into, what your goal for the lesson is -- they can give you some creative ways to accomplish your goals.
Here are some more examples -- this time using video as the inspiration. In my book, Tech Like a Pirate, I talk about using popular types of videos on YouTube/TikTok/etc. as inspiration for creative activities and teaching.
Below, I share a few ways to make your class feel more like YouTube, TikTok, and other video platforms your students may love.
And remember, if VIDEO isn't your thing, you can use this same type of AI prompting for ANYTHING your students love.
Prompt: General ideas for video inspiration
Copy/paste this into an AI assistant -- like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Anthropic Claude:
- Customize the parts in [ brackets in bold ] to fit what you teach
I'm looking for creative ways to use inspiration from [YouTube / TikTok / Insta / other video platform] to help my students demonstrate their understanding of a topic we’ve been learning.
I teach [subject] in [grade level], and I want to use this activity to reinforce [specific concept, skill, or topic]. Help me identify several types of videos that are popular on that video platform that my students would recognize. Then, help me brainstorm how I can use those as inspiration to create fun learning experiences. I’d love [number] creative ideas for how my students could use this format to show what they’ve learned. Please include a fully detailed example that aligns with my subject and topic.Prompt: A specific type of video
Copy/paste this into an AI assistant -- like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Anthropic Claude:
- Customize the parts in [ brackets in bold ] to fit what you teach
- Types of videos you could use: unboxing videos, product reviews, tutorials, on the street interviews, tour videos/travel vlogs, top 10 list videos, tips and tricks videos, Q&A videos, etc.
I'm looking for creative ways to use inspiration from [specific type of video], the kind that can be found on , to help my students demonstrate their understanding of a topic we’ve been learning.
I teach [subject] in [grade level], and I want to use this activity to reinforce [specific concept, skill, or topic]. Help me identify several creative ways to use [specific type of video] to do this. I’d love [number] creative ideas for how my students could use this format to show what they’ve learned. Please include a fully detailed example that aligns with my subject and topic.
Using this for ANY creative teaching ideas
All of my examples were inspired from my book, Tech Like a Pirate ... but you can use this same concept to get creative teaching ideas about anything that's relevant or interesting to your students.
Just ask yourself: what do my students love? What do they talk about? How do they spend their time?
Then use these AI prompts as a guide to write your own. Try them out and see what you get!
Creative teaching used to be limited only to the creativity that the teacher could dream up.
Now we have a creativity assistant! Use AI to help you do creative brainstorming and open your teaching -- and student interest in your content -- to new levels.
