Lesson 1
Does it guess?
Some machines do the same thing every time. Some make guesses, and those use AI.
Curriculum map
All 36 lessons at a glance
Six lessons per year, planned as a half-term unit. Cross-strand links: DC Digital Citizenship, DL Digital Literacy, CS Computer Science.
The road map
Click any lesson on the road map to open it, or download the A3 poster for your classroom wall.
Year 1, Lesson 1: Does it guess?Year 1, Lesson 2: Teaching BleepYear 1, Lesson 3: The Mystery RuleYear 1, Lesson 4: Why did it show me that?Year 1, Lesson 5: Picture thisYear 1, Lesson 6: Boss of the BotYear 2, Lesson 1: Check it!Year 2, Lesson 2: Missing examplesYear 2, Lesson 3: Try it firstYear 2, Lesson 4: Keep it to yourselfYear 2, Lesson 5: AI Helpers Hall of FameYear 2, Lesson 6: Bleep's Big Day OutYear 3, Lesson 1: What's in your feed?Year 3, Lesson 2: Is it always listening?Year 3, Lesson 3: AI that helps everyoneYear 3, Lesson 4: Hint, not answerYear 3, Lesson 5: Who made it?Year 3, Lesson 6: The Helpful FeedYear 4, Lesson 1: What comes next?Year 4, Lesson 2: Is a chatbot a friend?Year 4, Lesson 3: Sure isn't rightYear 4, Lesson 4: Ask it betterYear 4, Lesson 5: How sure is it?Year 4, Lesson 6: Chatty's RulebookYear 5, Lesson 1: Rules or examples?Year 5, Lesson 2: Train the sorterYear 5, Lesson 3: Whose is it anyway?Year 5, Lesson 4: The Welcome BotYear 5, Lesson 5: Climb the STAIRYear 5, Lesson 6: Train a class modelYear 6, Lesson 1: Real or generated?Year 6, Lesson 2: Who's missing from the picture?Year 6, Lesson 3: AI at workYear 6, Lesson 4: Is it worth it?Year 6, Lesson 5: Who's responsible?Year 6, Lesson 6: AI for Good Design StudioThe AI LoopThe IDEAL habits grow with the childrenEvery lessonYear 1: Machines That GuessYear 2: Using AI WiselyYear 3: AI in Everyday LifeYear 4: Machines That TalkYear 5: Data, Training and FairnessYear 6: AI, Society and the FutureIDEAL: how we use AI well
Every lesson
YearIDEAL
Year 1: Machines That Guess
Big question: Can a machine make a guess?
Lesson 2
Teaching Bleep
AI learns from lots of examples.
Lesson 3
The Mystery Rule
AI spots patterns, then guesses. Meet the AI Loop.
Lesson 4
Why did it show me that?
Some AI chooses what we see next.
Lesson 5
Picture this
AI can make pictures from our words, but people choose the words.
Lesson 6IDEAL Challenge
Boss of the Bot
People make AI and people are in charge.
Year 2: Using AI Wisely
Big question: How do we stay in charge of AI?
Lesson 1
Check it!
AI guesses can be wrong, so people check.
Lesson 2
Missing examples
When examples are missing, AI gets things wrong for some people and things.
Lesson 3
Try it first
My brain grows when I do the hard thinking.
Lesson 4
Keep it to yourself
Some things we never tell a machine.
Lesson 5
AI Helpers Hall of Fame
AI helps people in homes, hospitals, farms and streets.
Lesson 6IDEAL Challenge
Bleep's Big Day Out
Using everything we know.
Year 3: AI in Everyday Life
Big question: Where is AI in my life, and is it helping?
Lesson 1
What's in your feed?
Apps learn from what we do, then choose what we see.
Lesson 2
Is it always listening?
Voice assistants collect information about us.
Lesson 3
AI that helps everyone
AI can open doors for people who see, hear or speak differently.
Lesson 4
Hint, not answer
The best help makes you think.
Lesson 5
Who made it?
Being honest about when AI has helped.
Lesson 6IDEAL Challenge
The Helpful Feed
Designing technology that is good for children.
Year 4: Machines That Talk
Big question: Do chatbots know what they are saying?
Lesson 1
What comes next?
Chatbots build answers by predicting the next word.
Lesson 2
Is a chatbot a friend?
Chatbots can sound friendly but do not know or care about you.
Lesson 3
Sure isn't right
Chatbots can sound certain and still be wrong.
Lesson 4
Ask it better
What you ask shapes what you get.
Lesson 5
How sure is it?
AI does not know things; it works out what is most likely.
Lesson 6IDEAL Challenge
Chatty's Rulebook
What would a good chatbot for children do?
Year 5: Data, Training and Fairness
Big question: Where does AI learn from, and is it fair?
Lesson 1
Rules or examples?
Some programs follow rules we write; AI learns from examples.
Lesson 2
Train the sorter
AI is trained on one set of data and tested on another.
Lesson 3
Whose is it anyway?
Training data comes from people's work and lives, so permission matters.
Lesson 4
The Welcome Bot
Unbalanced data leads to unfair results.
Lesson 5
Climb the STAIR
Using AI to help you learn, not to learn for you.
Lesson 6IDEAL Challenge
Train a class model
Building, testing and improving a real AI model.
Year 6: AI, Society and the Future
Big question: Who decides how AI is used?
Lesson 1
Real or generated?
AI can fake images, voices and video, so we need a checking routine and firm rules about real people.
Lesson 2
Who's missing from the picture?
AI can repeat and magnify the patterns, and the unfairness, in its data.
Lesson 3
AI at work
AI is changing jobs, and some things stay human.
Lesson 4
Is it worth it?
AI uses energy, water and materials, and can also help the planet.
Lesson 5
Who's responsible?
When AI makes a decision, people must be able to explain it and answer for it.
Lesson 6IDEAL Challenge
AI for Good Design Studio
Designing AI that helps people.