Skip this intro if you already follow me:
A little about me and the purpose of this blog. I am a licensed high school teacher (Language Arts 6 - 12) in the state of Tennessee going on 13 years now. I have 7 children and drive a school bus. Love me or hate me, none of my students will tell you that I am a typical school teacher. I, like many, believe that education is woefully equipped to keep pace with technology. As a technology enthusiast and educator publishing on a crypto website, I am trying to do my small part to bridge this gap for as many people as I can. Recently, the development of AI has created an accelerated urgency for education to take its head out of the sand and teach relevant skills in the classroom. The resources, lessons, and philosophy I publish here, I use in my own classroom, and anyone (especially homeschoolers) can use this blog as a resource to supplement their own instruction. If you are new to my blog, I suggest starting at the beginning as I will be structuring my lessons here the same way I would for my classroom. Tips are appreciated. Questions and feedback in the comments are welcome. So if you are a teacher, student, or homeschooler that is motivated to learn about, teach, or utilize all available technology in education (or know someone who is), I encourage you to give me a follow: https://x.com/TheRealMrE09
And to view my entire blog: //https://www.publish0x.com/education-and-ai-resources-and-instruction
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The Millionaire’s Project: Day 1
Since this entire project is intended to be done with the student’s using AI, I will give a brief lesson that I will probably repeat a lot in the future. I like to contrast all of this space-age tech stuff with very important concepts from the caveman days.
In order to teach students to use AI effectively, they must master a concept from the very beginning of Western Civilization: Questioning. The teachings of Socrates are the very foundation of all learning. Some students do this naturally, and others need to be taught. Effective AI use only comes with asking the right questions and using the right words. Stupid questions will literally get you a stupid answer, especially with Grok. Asking vague questions will give vague answers. Asking irrelevant questions will get you useless information, and asking no questions won’t teach you anything. AI is like an informational rocket ship, allowing students access to all of human knowledge, but that rocket ship cannot steer itself; it is only as good as the pilot. And how to be a good pilot? Ask the right questions!
There are six types of questions that Socrates asked his students. They are as follows:
- Clarification Questions: makes sure you grasp the basics
- “What do you mean by that? Can you give an example?”
- Assumption Questions: challenge previous knowledge or what’s taken for granted
- “Why do you think that’s true? What if that’s wrong?”
- Evidence Questions: seeks support for claims or statements
- “How do you know that? Can you prove it? Where’s the evidence?”
- Perspective Questions: explores other viewpoints or options
- “How would someone else see this? Is there another way?”
- Implication Questions: consider consequences, cause and effect
- “What would happen if …” or “What are the implications of this?”
- Questions about the questions: reflect on the process, metacognition
- “Why is this question important? What should we ask? What else don’t we know?”
With time and repetition, students who are not naturally curious will automatically begin to ask many of these questions. Hopefully, during the intro many of the students will have enough interest to have already started asking the AI questions, but here it is actually a main part of the assessment for this project.
Here is where I introduce my three assessment methods for anything that is AI assisted: “Grade the Chat,” “5 things,” and “5 questions”:
Grade the Chat: You need access to the student’s AI conversation. There are several ways to do this. If you are using a school provided resource such as Magic School then you will have access by default. If not, you can simply ask the students to see their screens or have them copy and paste the entire conversation onto a Google or Word Doc. Grade the amount and types of questions that they ask. Deduct points for frivolous or irrelevant questions. I also deduct points for failing to ask a question that they should have, which ties in to the next type of assessment. This can get as in depth as you want it to be. For very in depth assignments you can create a rubric to help you grade the conversation the same way you would use a rubric to grade an essay. For this very informal assignment, I just look to see that they have asked at least 4 or 5 questions that are socratic in nature (and yes, repeating types is fine). I actually love to see a student ask clarification questions over and over again, especially if their reading level is lower than normal.
5 Things: Again, in my class a 900 word passage in 12 minutes is the gold standard. I never make them read more than this on any one topic at a time. And even if we are not answering ACT style comprehension questions, I do expect the average 16 year old to be able to comprehend at least 5 of the main ideas of a nonfiction passage. So, in this form of very informal assessment, I have the students do one of two things. Either I call them up to my desk with nothing but their brain and have them verbally describe 5 things from the passage, or I will have them remove all electronics, number 1 to 5 on paper, and have them write two to three sentences describing 5 things from the passage in detail. (20 points per “thing”)
5 Questions: Again, done on pencil and paper with all electronics removed (20 points each). When I am in a good mood. I simply ask them about the five most simple basic ideas from the passage that they have just read and they write down the answers. When I’m in a bad mood, I do the exact same thing just with a tyrannical degree of specificity and complexity. For example:
Question when I’m in a good mood: “What is one important thing that you learned about money from the passage that you did not previously know?” (they could write down ANYTHING from the passage and it would be correct)
Question when I’m in a bad mood: “What is the financial term for the amount of funds that a person is able to squander, invest, or save as capital for a future venture after all expenses, debts, and liabilities have been satisfied?” (if they don’t use the words ‘disposable income,’ it’s wrong!)
Also, all of my students know that my mood is directly affected by the degree to which they convince me they are putting in an honest effort to understand the material generated by the AI. Oftentimes, if their Grade the Chat and 5 Things go well enough, I won’t even get to the 5 Questions.
Now it's time to generate a text and modify it however you see fit. Here is a prompt that will produce something very similar to the text that I use:
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Prompt:
Write a 900-word nonfiction text at a 12th-grade reading level that serves as an introduction to financial literacy for high school students. The text should be engaging, clear, and relatable, using examples that resonate with teenagers. Structure the text as follows, ensuring each section includes the specified concepts and examples:
- What is Money? (First Paragraph)
Begin by answering the question "What is money?" in simple terms. Explain that money is a representation of the value of a person's time and that everyone has the same amount of time, but some choose to make their time more valuable through skills and effort. Use the example of a farmer and a teacher to illustrate how people exchange the value of their time: the farmer spends time growing food so the teacher can spend time educating the farmer's children, and money facilitates this exchange at a fair value. Additionally, briefly mention that money serves as a medium of exchange, a unit of account, and a store of value. - The Relationship Between Time, Ability, Purchasing Power, and Money
Discuss how time, ability (skills and knowledge), and purchasing power are interconnected with money. Explain that time is a finite resource that can be used to build wealth, ability determines earning potential, and purchasing power is affected by inflation. Use relatable examples, such as comparing the earning potential of a barista versus a trained plumber, and how $100 today won’t buy as much in the future. - Key Financial Terms: Income, Expenses, Capital, and Debt
Define and explain the following terms with clear, teenager-friendly examples:- Income: Money earned from jobs or investments (e.g., wages from a summer job).
- Expenses: Money spent on necessities and wants (e.g., rent, groceries, streaming subscriptions).
- Capital: Wealth that can grow over time (e.g., savings, stocks, a paid-off car).
- Debt: Money owed (e.g., student loans, credit card balances).
Emphasize how income and expenses are like a flowing river, while capital and debt represent financial depth.
- Disposable Income and the Importance of Controlling Expenses
Explain the concept of disposable income as the money left after taxes and essential expenses, which can be saved, invested, or spent on non-essentials. Highlight why controlling expenses is crucial for increasing disposable income. Provide examples showing how someone earning $25 an hour ($52,000/year) with modest expenses might have more disposable income than high earners like doctors or lawyers who have higher expenses (e.g., mortgages, student loans, lifestyle costs). Use specific numbers to illustrate this comparison. - The Importance of Time for an 18-Year-Old
Emphasize why time is a critical asset for an 18-year-old, using the concept of compound interest to show how starting to save and invest early can lead to significant wealth growth. Provide a simple calculation (e.g., saving $100 a month at 7% interest). Warn about the dangers of debt, especially high-interest debt like credit cards, and stress the importance of controlling spending to avoid it. Use examples like skipping daily small purchases (e.g., sodas) to save money. - Achieving the $25-an-Hour Goal
Connect the concepts to the goal of earning $25 an hour ($52,000/year). Explain that while a high school diploma might lead to lower wages, investing in education or training (e.g., trade programs, college degrees) can help reach this income level. Highlight how starting early with education or training can lead to higher earnings and better financial stability. - Conclusion
Wrap up by reinforcing that financial literacy is about controlling money as a tool. Encourage students to use their time wisely to build capital, avoid debt, and pursue education or training for better income. Include a motivational quote about the value of time in wealth-building (e.g., from Warren Buffett or Charlie Munger).
Ensure the text is approximately 900 words and maintains a tone that is engaging and accessible for 12th graders. Use vivid, relatable language and examples throughout.
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In the classroom, I like to give them a paper copy of the text and have them read and be assessed on their initial understanding of it (with 5 things or 5 questions). Then, I give them access to a digital copy that they can copy and paste into the AI. After doing so, they will be able to check for their own understanding by asking questions like “Summarize this for me” or “What are the 5 main ideas in this text?” This will also let the AI know what they know (or what they should know). Now is the best time to assign a Grade the Chat assignment by having them question the AI about the material using the Socratic Method.
One additional reflection question that is very helpful with this part of the project is as follows: “How does career choice affect lifestyle?” I encourage them to ask the AI for different scenarios such as “What happens if I only make 12 dollars an hour?” “What happens if I make 100,000 a year and use the same percentage of spending and investing?” “What happens if I only save half of the amount recommended?”
Now just pick your preferred assessment method/s and plug in the prompt to get your first text for the project.
As a side note, I use this for a low stress project at the end of the year, but there is nothing stopping you from creating an ACT style reading comprehension test if you so choose. Just use the prompts from my article about the ACT Reading Test:
