8. Activity Ideas Prompt – Prompt Library

This prompt is for generating ideas for learning activities that you can integrate into lessons. When copy and pasting the advanced prompt below, you should edit the items in orange to suit your context. Remember you should always review AI outputs for accuracy. AI outputs should always be adapted to best suit your needs and the needs of your learners.

Basic prompt:

‘Generate some activity ideas for my [[ STAGE OR SUBJECT ]] class on [[ TOPIC ]].’

This prompt does not give enough contextual detail and may yield low quality, generic results.

Use the advanced prompt in place of a basic prompt to get better results from the AI model.

Advanced prompt:

You are an expert [[ STAGE OR SUBJECT ]] teacher in the Scottish education system. You are highly skilled at designing engaging, purposeful and varied classroom activities that support deep learning. Your task is to generate a list of [[ NUMBER ]] high-quality [[ ACTIVE LEARNING / CREATIVE / COLLABORATIVE LEARNING / CHALLENGE BASED LEARNING / EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING / INTERDISCIPLINARY LEARNING / INQUIRY BASED LEARNING / REFLECTIVE / DIGITAL / SELF DIRECTED LEARNING ]] activity ideas to use in a unit on [[TOPIC]]. These activities should be suitable for [[AGE OR STAGE]] learners in Scotland, and should align with the Curriculum for Excellence. Where relevant, activities should support active learning, skills development, or collaborative learning. At least some activities should be designed to include digital elements, using [[1:1 or SHARED iPADS]] as appropriate. For each activity include: the Es and Os or benchmark(s) it links to; a brief description of the activity, including how it could be delivered; the materials or tech needed, including any suggested digital tools or apps; any interdisciplinary links or skills development opportunities; notes on how the activity can be adapted for support or challenge. Design the activities so they can either stand alone or be integrated into a wider unit or lesson plan.

This prompt has a clearly defined goal, gives details of the context, specifies expectations of the output and gives a clear indication of the constraints such as limitations or boundaries that the AI model needs to take into account when preparing and output. You should edit the items in orange to suit your context.

Example:

Below is an example of the advanced prompt in action using Google Gemini. You will see the prompt input followed by Google Gemini’s corresponding output for this prompt.

Prompt (what we input to Google Gemini):

You are an expert Primary 3 teacher in the Scottish education system. You are highly skilled at designing engaging, purposeful and varied classroom activities that support deep learning. Your task is to generate a list of six high-quality creative or collaborative learning activity ideas to use in a unit on the rainforest. These activities should be suitable for Primary 3 learners in Scotland, and should align with the Curriculum for Excellence. Where relevant, activities should support active learning, skills development, or collaborative learning. At least some activities should be designed to include digital elements, using shared iPads as appropriate. For each activity include: the Es and Os or benchmark(s) it links to; a brief description of the activity, including how it could be delivered; the materials or tech needed, including any suggested digital tools or apps; any interdisciplinary links or skills development opportunities; notes on how the activity can be adapted for support or challenge. Design the activities so they can either stand alone or be integrated into a wider unit or lesson plan.

Gemini Output (what Google Gemini responded with):

Here are six high-quality, creative, and collaborative learning activity ideas for a Primary 3 rainforest unit, designed for the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence:

Activity 1: Rainforest Layers Diorama Challenge

Es and Os/Benchmark(s):
- SCN 1-01a: I can identify and name a range of living things and recognise that they have particular characteristics that enable them to survive in particular environments.
- TCH 1-01a: I can explore and experiment with materials and tools to create a product.
- Literacy and English: LIT 1-04a: I can share my thoughts and feelings about texts.
Description: Working in small groups (3-4 children), each group will create a 3D diorama depicting one specific layer of the rainforest (e.g., emergent, canopy, understory, forest floor). They will research the animals and plants that live in their assigned layer using provided resources (books, fact cards, or pre-selected websites on shared iPads). Groups will then design and construct their diorama using a shoebox or similar container, incorporating various materials to represent the environment and its inhabitants. Finally, each group will present their diorama to the class, explaining their chosen layer and the adaptations of the creatures and plants within it.
Materials/Tech Needed: Shoeboxes, various craft materials (cardboard, paper, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, fabric scraps, natural materials like twigs/leaves), glue, scissors, art supplies (paints, crayons, markers). Shared iPads with access to pre-vetted websites (e.g., National Geographic Kids, San Diego Zoo Kids) or educational apps like Pic Collage (for initial visual planning/mood board).
Interdisciplinary Links/Skills Development: Science (biology, ecosystems), Art & Design (3D construction, material exploration), Literacy (research, presentation skills, vocabulary development), Social Studies (understanding different environments), Collaboration, Problem-solving, Creativity.
Adaptations:
- Support: Provide pre-cut animal/plant shapes for children to decorate, offer sentence stems for presentations, pre-assign roles within groups, provide simpler research materials.
- Challenge: Encourage children to include facts about the importance of their layer, research specific adaptations of animals, create a short written explanation to accompany their diorama, or even record a short narration using an app like SeeSaw to go with their diorama.

Activity 2: Digital Rainforest Animal Adaptations Poster

Es and Os/Benchmark(s):
- SCN 1-01a: I can identify and name a range of living things and recognise that they have particular characteristics that enable them to survive in particular environments.
- TCH 1-04a: I can use digital technologies to research, organise and present information in a clear and organised way.
- Literacy and English: LIT 1-09a: I can present my ideas and information in different ways to suit my audience and purpose.
Description: In pairs, children will choose a specific rainforest animal to research. Using shared iPads, they will find information about its habitat, diet, and unique adaptations that help it survive in the rainforest environment. They will then create a digital poster using an app like Pic Collage or Keynote/Pages, incorporating images, text, and potentially short audio recordings of interesting facts. The posters will be shared with the class on the interactive whiteboard, with each pair briefly explaining their chosen animal.
Materials/Tech Needed: Shared iPads with internet access, Pic Collage (or similar collage/poster app), Keynote/Pages (for more structured poster creation), access to royalty-free image libraries (e.g., Pixabay for Kids, Google Images with safe search enabled).
Interdisciplinary Links/Skills Development: Science (animal adaptations, biodiversity), Digital Technologies (research, information organisation, digital creativity), Literacy (information retrieval, summarising, presenting), Collaboration, Critical thinking (evaluating information).
Adaptations:
- Support: Provide pre-selected lists of animals with key facts, offer sentence starters for writing, demonstrate how to use the chosen app step-by-step, provide image banks to choose from.
- Challenge: Encourage children to include a “Did You Know?” fact, research a threat to their animal, create a short quiz for their classmates based on their poster, or use a more advanced presentation app to include animations or transitions.

Activity 3: Rainforest Soundscape Story

Es and Os/Benchmark(s):
- EXA 1-02a: I have experienced the energy and excitement of creating and performing music, and can share my experiences with others.
- LIT 1-01a: I enjoy exploring and talking about words, sounds and images.
- HWB 1-19a: I know that my actions and decisions have consequences for myself and for others.
Description: The class will collectively create a “rainforest soundscape.” Start by discussing the different sounds one might hear in the rainforest (animals, rain, wind, rustling leaves). Children will work in small groups to brainstorm and then create different sound effects using their voices, body percussion, and classroom instruments. Once practiced, the whole class will layer these sounds to create a continuous rainforest soundscape. To extend, groups can then use a simple digital recording app (like Voice Memos or GarageBand on iPads) to record short segments of their soundscape, which can then be played during quiet reading time or as background for other rainforest activities.
Materials/Tech Needed: Classroom percussion instruments (shakers, drums, woodblocks), found sounds (crumpled paper for rustling, spray bottle for rain), shared iPads with Voice Memos or GarageBand (if available and familiar).
Interdisciplinary Links/Skills Development: Expressive Arts (music, drama), Literacy (descriptive language, storytelling), Science (understanding ecosystems and their sounds), Collaboration, Listening skills, Creativity, Imagination.
Adaptations:
- Support: Provide examples of rainforest sounds, guide children in making specific sounds, assign specific instruments or sound types to groups, provide a simple story prompt to inspire the soundscape.
- Challenge: Encourage children to create a short narrative that their soundscape accompanies, incorporate more complex rhythms, explore pitch and dynamics, or use sound editing features in a more advanced app (e.g., trimming, fading).

Activity 4: Collaborative Rainforest Story Writing

Es and Os/Benchmark(s):
- LIT 1-20a: I can work with others to create a story or poem.
- LIT 1-26a: I can make notes and organise them to help me remember and retrieve information.
- TCH 1-04a: I can use digital technologies to research, organise and present information in a clear and organised way.
Description: The class will collaboratively write a story set in the rainforest. This can be done in stages. Begin with a class brainstorm of characters, settings, and potential plot points, perhaps recording ideas on a shared whiteboard or a collaborative document on the interactive whiteboard. Then, divide the class into small groups (3-4 children). Each group will be responsible for writing a specific chapter or section of the story. They can use a collaborative word processing app like Google Docs (if accessible) on shared iPads, allowing them to see each other’s contributions in real-time, or simply write on large paper and then transcribe/type up. The completed sections will then be put together to form the complete story, which can be read aloud by the class or even published as a simple class e-book.
Materials/Tech Needed: Large paper and pens for initial drafting, shared iPads with Google Docs (if available), or a word processing app like Pages/Docs for transcribing. Interactive whiteboard for brainstorming.
Interdisciplinary Links/Skills Development: Literacy (creative writing, storytelling, plot development, character creation, vocabulary), Digital Technologies (collaborative document creation, typing skills), Collaboration, Communication, Imagination.
Adaptations:
- Support: Provide story prompts or a clear story structure, offer sentence starters, pre-assign roles within groups (e.g., transcriber, idea generator), provide image prompts to inspire writing.
- Challenge: Encourage groups to incorporate specific rainforest facts or vocabulary into their chapters, develop more complex characters or sub-plots, design illustrations for their chapter, or create a glossary of rainforest terms to accompany the story.

Activity 5: Rainforest “Who Am I?” Digital Quiz

Es and Os/Benchmark(s):
- SCN 1-01a: I can identify and name a range of living things and recognise that they have particular characteristics that enable them to survive in particular environments.
- TCH 1-04a: I can use digital technologies to research, organise and present information in a clear and organised way.
- MTH 1-13a: I can interpret and present data using a range of methods.
Description: In small teams (2-3 children), each team will research a rainforest animal and create a “Who Am I?” quiz question about it. They will write three clues about their animal’s characteristics, diet, and habitat, without revealing its name. They will then use an app like Nearpod, Kahoot!, or even a simple Google Forms quiz on shared iPads to create their question. Once all questions are created, the class will play the quiz, with teams taking turns to answer each other’s questions. This activity promotes active recall and reinforces learning about animal adaptations.
Materials/Tech Needed: Shared iPads with internet access, Nearpod, Kahoot! (teacher account needed to set up, but students can join on iPads), Google Forms (if available), access to research websites/books.
Interdisciplinary Links/Skills Development: Science (animal characteristics, adaptations), Digital Technologies (quiz creation, interactive learning), Literacy (clue writing, descriptive language), Numeracy (if incorporating simple data analysis of correct/incorrect answers), Collaboration, Problem-solving, Critical thinking.
Adaptations:
- Support: Provide a template for clues, offer a list of rainforest animals to choose from, help with typing into the digital quiz platform, allow children to draw their animal clue.
- Challenge: Encourage children to include a “red herring” clue, research a lesser-known rainforest animal, create a multiple-choice question with plausible distractors, or include an image that gradually reveals the animal.

Activity 6: “Save the Rainforest” Persuasive Posters/Adverts

Es and Os/Benchmark(s):
- SOC 1-08a: I can describe the ways in which a local area has changed and can identify some of the reasons for change. (Link to global issues affecting rainforests)
- LIT 1-24a: I can share my opinion and explain my reasons to persuade others.
- EXA 1-05a: I can express my ideas and feelings, using a range of materials and techniques.
Description: After learning about the importance of rainforests and the threats they face (deforestation, climate change), children will work in small groups to design persuasive posters or short digital adverts to encourage people to protect the rainforest. They can either create physical posters using art materials or use a design app like Canva for Education (if available) or Keynote/Pages on shared iPads to create digital adverts incorporating images, text, and impactful slogans. The focus is on conveying a clear message and inspiring action. They can then present their posters/adverts to the class, explaining their chosen message and design.
Materials/Tech Needed: Large paper, art supplies (paints, markers, crayons), recycled materials for collage, or shared iPads with Canva for Education (if available), Keynote/Pages, or even a simple drawing app. Access to images of rainforests/deforestation (age-appropriate).
Interdisciplinary Links/Skills Development: Social Studies (environmental issues, global citizenship), Literacy (persuasive writing, slogan creation, presenting), Art & Design (visual communication, graphic design), Digital Technologies (digital poster/advert creation), Collaboration, Critical thinking, Empathy, Problem-solving.
Adaptations:
- Support: Provide pre-written slogans, offer a limited choice of images, guide children in structuring their persuasive message, provide a template for their poster.
- Challenge: Encourage children to research specific solutions to rainforest destruction, create a short persuasive speech to accompany their poster, design a logo for their “Save the Rainforest” campaign, or even film a short video advert using the iPad camera.