Student Engagement and Interactive Activities
Create games, discussions, projects, and interactive activities that make learning stick—all with AI assistance.
Beyond Worksheets
Let’s be honest: worksheets are sometimes the right tool. But when every lesson ends with “complete the worksheet,” engagement drops, and learning becomes mechanical.
The challenge isn’t knowing that students need variety, interaction, and creative expression. The challenge is having time to create those activities. A well-designed Socratic seminar, a project-based learning unit, or a review game takes hours to prepare.
AI compresses that preparation time dramatically. And because you can iterate quickly, you can try more creative approaches without the fear of wasting an entire evening on an activity that doesn’t work.
Review Games and Activities
Jeopardy-Style Review
Create a Jeopardy review game for:
SUBJECT: [Subject]
GRADE: [Grade level]
TOPICS TO REVIEW: [List of units/topics]
Create 5 categories with 5 questions each (25 total):
- Categories should cover different topic areas
- Questions in each category increase in difficulty (100-500 points)
- Include answers for all questions
- 100-point questions: recall level
- 300-point questions: application level
- 500-point questions: analysis/evaluation level
Also create 2 "Daily Double" questions that require
multi-step thinking.
Escape Room Activities
Design a classroom escape room activity:
SUBJECT: [Subject]
GRADE: [Grade level]
STANDARDS: [Standards being reviewed]
DURATION: [30-45 minutes typically]
GROUP SIZE: [3-4 students]
Create 4-5 "locks" (puzzles) that students solve sequentially:
- Each puzzle requires applying a concept from the unit
- Include a mix of formats (decode, solve, match, analyze)
- Provide clue cards with hints for groups that get stuck
- Include a narrative/story thread connecting the puzzles
- Provide answer key and facilitation notes
Quiz Shows and Competitions
Create a team quiz competition for:
TOPIC: [Topic]
GRADE: [Grade level]
NUMBER OF ROUNDS: 4
Round 1: Speed Round (10 quick recall questions)
Round 2: Challenge Round (5 application questions, teams collaborate)
Round 3: Steal Round (miss = other team can steal, analysis questions)
Round 4: Final Round (1 multi-part evaluation question, wager points)
Include scoring system, rules, and tiebreaker question.
Quick check: When was the last time your students were genuinely excited about a review activity? If it’s been a while, these formats can reignite that energy.
Discussion Protocols
Moving beyond basic “raise your hand” discussions:
Socratic Seminar Preparation
Prepare a Socratic seminar on:
TEXT/TOPIC: [What students will discuss]
GRADE: [Grade level]
Provide:
1. 8-10 discussion questions organized by depth:
- Opening questions (accessible, connect to experience)
- Core questions (analyze the text/topic deeply)
- Closing questions (synthesize, connect to broader themes)
2. Student preparation guide (what to do before the seminar)
3. Discussion norms poster language
4. Participation rubric (inner and outer circle roles)
5. Reflection prompt for after the seminar
Philosophical Chairs (Debate)
Set up a Philosophical Chairs debate:
TOPIC: [Debatable question connected to your unit]
GRADE: [Grade level]
Provide:
- The debatable statement (must have legitimate sides)
- 3-4 evidence sources for each position
- Rules and norms for movement (agree/disagree/undecided)
- Sentence starters for respectful disagreement
- Reflection writing prompt
- Assessment rubric for participation quality
Think-Pair-Share Plus
Create an enhanced think-pair-share activity:
TOPIC: [Today's key concept]
GRADE: [Grade level]
Phase 1 - THINK (2 min):
- Provide a thought-provoking prompt
- Include a quick-write template
Phase 2 - PAIR (3 min):
- Discussion prompt that builds on the think phase
- Sentence frames for sharing
- A specific task to complete together
Phase 3 - SHARE (5 min):
- Report-out structure
- Follow-up questions for the class
- Connection prompt to the lesson ahead
Project-Based Learning
PBL is powerful but planning-intensive. AI handles the production:
PBL Unit Design
Design a project-based learning unit:
SUBJECT: [Subject]
GRADE: [Grade level]
DURATION: [Number of weeks]
STANDARDS: [Standards addressed]
Include:
1. DRIVING QUESTION: An authentic, open-ended question
students will investigate
2. ENTRY EVENT: A hook that launches the project
(video, guest speaker, real-world problem)
3. MILESTONES: Weekly benchmarks with deliverables
4. SCAFFOLDS: Mini-lessons and resources for each milestone
5. COLLABORATION STRUCTURE: Group roles and accountability
6. RUBRIC: Assessment of both process and product
7. PUBLIC AUDIENCE: Who students will present to
8. REFLECTION: End-of-project reflection prompts
Example: Water Quality PBL (7th Grade Science)
Driving question: "Is our local water safe to drink,
and what can we do about it?"
Design the full unit:
- Duration: 3 weeks
- Standards: MS-ESS3 (Earth and Human Activity)
- Final product: Presentation to local water board
- Skills: Data collection, analysis, persuasive communication
AI generates the complete unit structure. You review it, adjust for your community context, and you have a multi-week project ready to go.
Creative Expression Activities
Write-Around Stories
Create a collaborative write-around activity:
TOPIC: [Connected to current unit]
GRADE: [Grade level]
Design:
- Story starter that incorporates unit vocabulary/concepts
- Rotation rules (how long at each station)
- Quality criteria (what must be included at each turn)
- Examples of strong vs. weak continuations
- Sharing/presentation protocol for finished stories
Gallery Walks
Design a gallery walk activity:
TOPIC: [Topic]
GRADE: [Grade level]
Include:
- What each station displays (student work, prompts, or teacher-created)
- Discussion questions or tasks at each station
- Recording sheet for students to complete as they walk
- Debrief discussion questions
- Time allocation per station
Creative Assessment Options
Generate creative assessment alternatives for:
STANDARD: [Standard being assessed]
GRADE: [Grade level]
INSTEAD OF: [Traditional assessment it replaces]
Create 5 creative options:
1. A visual/artistic expression
2. A performance-based demonstration
3. A technology-based creation
4. A written creative piece
5. A teaching/presentation activity
For each:
- Description
- How it assesses the standard
- Rubric criteria
- Materials/time needed
Warm-Ups and Bell Ringers
Short activities that start class focused:
Generate 5 days of bell ringers for:
TOPIC: [This week's topic]
GRADE: [Grade level]
TIME: 5 minutes each
Mix formats:
- Monday: Quick write prompt
- Tuesday: Image analysis or puzzle
- Wednesday: Think-pair-share question
- Thursday: Error analysis (find the mistake)
- Friday: Connection to real world or current events
Each should activate prior knowledge or preview
the day's learning.
Making Activities Work in Your Classroom
The Reality Check
Before using any AI-generated activity, run it through this filter:
- Learning aligned? Does this actually teach what students need to learn?
- Time realistic? Can I pull this off in my class period?
- Materials available? Do I have what I need?
- Behavior proofed? Can my students handle this format? What could go wrong?
- Inclusive? Can all students participate meaningfully?
- Worth it? Is this more effective than a simpler approach?
Not every lesson needs to be a game or project. Sometimes direct instruction with a good discussion is exactly right.
Exercise: Plan an Engagement Week
For one class next week:
- Generate a review game for content you’ve already taught
- Create a discussion protocol for an upcoming text or topic
- Design a creative assessment option students can choose
- Generate 5 bell ringers that connect to your weekly theme
- Pick the TWO activities you’ll actually use and prepare them fully
Start with two. See how students respond. Then expand.
Key Takeaways
- Every engaging activity must tie directly to a learning objective—engagement without learning is entertainment
- AI makes it feasible to try new activity formats because prep time drops dramatically
- Review games, discussion protocols, and PBL units all benefit enormously from AI-assisted planning
- Always reality-check activities: time, materials, behavior management, inclusivity
- Start with 1-2 new activities per week, not a complete overhaul
- Student engagement increases when there’s variety in how they learn and demonstrate understanding
Next: your capstone project—designing a complete teaching unit using AI throughout.
Up next: In the next lesson, we’ll dive into Design a Complete Teaching Unit.
Knowledge Check
Complete the quiz above first
Lesson completed!