AI Artie - AI for kids
An Adaptable and Accessible AI Literacy Framework for Primary Classrooms
AI is shaping how information is created and shared, from chatbots to image generators. While students are already encountering AI, they need to understand what it is, how it influences the content they see, and how to use it critically and responsibly.
This five-lesson framework is designed to make AI literacy accessible and adaptable for Grades 3-5. Instead of focusing on technical explanations, it provides a simple, engaging, and flexible approach that can be used in a variety of classroom settings.
At its core, this framework is meant to be usable for different types of classrooms, schools, and teachers.
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It can be adapted in multiple ways:
✔ Outcome-based flexibility – The lessons can lead to different final projects depending on teacher preference.
✔ Presentation & resources – Whether using a full slideshow, worksheets, or hands-on discussions, teachers can adjust the materials based on what works best.
✔ Time & age adaptability – The lessons are structured but can be expanded or condensed to fit different schedules and student levels.
✔ Technology access – While laptops for students make activities more hands-on, this framework is designed with classrooms that only have a shared smartboard in mind, ensuring that all activities work in both individual and whole-class formats.
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Guided by AI Artie
At the heart of this framework is AI Artie, a friendly AI guide who leads students through each lesson in a way that makes AI concepts easy to understand. Artie breaks down complex ideas into engaging, real-world applications, helping students develop critical thinking skills as they navigate AI-generated content.
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What’s Included?
✔ Step-by-step lesson plans with clear teacher guidance
✔ Pre-selected AI tools for each lesson
✔ No preparation required – Ready to use immediately!
✔ A student book for reflection and at-home exploration
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A Starter Project: A Story About a Famous Woman in History
This framework includes a starter project about Marie Curie, where students use AI to generate a story, fact-check information, and create visuals, all while evaluating AI’s role in storytelling. However, the lessons are fully adaptable to any topic, making it easy to integrate into different subjects and themes.
AI literacy doesn’t have to be complex or overwhelming. With AI Artie as a guide, this framework provides an easy-to-use, adaptable approach that fits any classroom—helping students engage with the technology shaping their world in a meaningful way.
The slides are text-heavy to support teachers in delivering the lesson confidently, especially if they are new to AI. However, all text is optional and can be shortened, adapted, or removed depending on the teaching style or class needs.
Overview
Lesson 1
- What is AI?
​Students explore what AI is, where they encounter it daily, and how it learns from humans, leading into a storybook project on an animal or a historical figure.
Lesson 2
– ChatBots & Fact-Checking
​Students explore what a chatbot is, learn not to rely fully on AI information, practice fact-checking answers, and try out a kid-friendly AI chatbot.
Lesson 3
– AI & Storytelling
​Students explore how AI generates stories, including the bias in AI-generated content, helping them recognize its limitations. They compare AI and human storytelling and try creating a story themselves.
Lesson 4– AI & Image Generation
​Students explore whether AI is truly creative, learn about how AI generates pictures, identify common mistakes in AI images, play a guessing game to spot AI-generated visuals, and create their own images using an AI tool.
Lesson 5 – Final Reflection & AI Ethics
Students read their AI-generated story, reflect on the process, and discuss the ethics of using AI. They explore final questions, share concerns and excitement, and talk about the positives and negatives of AI in their lives.
Optional Mini Lesson 6 – AI & Music Generation
​Students explore how AI creates music and sounds, generating songs and sound effects for their story while discussing AI’s role in the music industry.
Optional Mini Lesson 7 – AI Water Usage
​Students learn that AI uses a surprising amount of water, play interactive guessing games, and reflect on when it’s helpful or wasteful to use AI in everyday life.
Our design Principles
​Simplicity and
Accessibility
​AI can seem complex, but this project keeps it clear, structured, and easy to teach. Lessons focus on what AI is and how to think about it rather than technical details. Designed for whiteboard-led instruction, it requires no extra preparation or advanced tech skills, making AI literacy accessible to all teachers.
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​Critical Thinking Over Technical Understanding
​Rather than explaining how AI works, this project helps students recognize AI, question its accuracy, and identify biases. Through simple activities, they learn to think critically about AI-generated content and understand where human judgment is essential.
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​Flexibility and Adaptability
​This framework is adaptable to different time constraints and grade levels. The lessons can be taught in sequence or spread across a semester, allowing teachers to fit AI literacy into their curriculum without a rigid weekly structure. With minor adjustments, the activities can also be adapted for younger or older students, ensuring that AI literacy remains engaging and age-appropriate.
About me
Hi! I’m Aimee, a primary school teacher-in-training with a passion for making AI education accessible for both young learners and their teachers.
For my Bachelor’s thesis, I set out to create an AI literacy framework that is practical, simple, and ready to use in the classroom. I know firsthand how overwhelming new technology can feel in education, so my goal is to make AI approachable, engaging, and easy to implement, without requiring extra preparation or tech expertise.
I hope this resource helps you feel confident and excited about bringing AI into your classroom.
Let’s make AI literacy simple, meaningful, and accessible.