Leprechaun Trap Challenge (STEM): St. Patrick's Day

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Leprechaun Trap Challenge (STEM) Instructions: Build a trap to catch a leprechaun using everyday materials. Follow the design process below! Objective: Encourage creativity, engineering skills, and problem-solving by designing a functional trap that could catch a mischievous leprechaun. Planning Sheet: Materials List: What will you use? (e.g., paper, string, tape, cardboard, LEGOs, pipe cleaners, cups, paper towel rolls, craft sticks, aluminum foil, etc.) Sketch Your Design: Draw how your trap will work, labeling key parts and mechanisms. Trap Mechanism: How will your trap trigger when the leprechaun enters? Will it use a pulley, lever, or hidden entrance? Will you include bait like gold coins, glitter, or candy? Building Phase: Work on assembling your trap using the selected materials. Testing & Improvements: Try triggering the trap multiple times. Identify any weaknesses and refine the design. Reflection Questions: What was the most challenging part of building the trap? What ...
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How can Teachers Keep Students from Using AI (Artificial Intelligence) for Classwork Assignments?

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Teachers can adopt various strategies to minimize the misuse of AI tools by students for assignments and essays. Here are some effective methods:

Create Unique Assignments:

    Personalized Topics: Design assignments that are personalized or based on class discussions, making it difficult for AI to generate relevant responses.

    Project-Based Learning: Use project-based or experiential learning assignments that require hands-on work, collaboration, and real-world applications.


In-Class Writing:

    Supervised Writing Sessions: Conduct in-class essays or assignments under supervision to ensure that students produce their own work.

    Timed Essays: Implement timed writing tasks during class sessions to prevent students from using AI tools.


Draft Submissions:

    Multiple Drafts: Require students to submit multiple drafts of their work, showing the progression of their ideas and revisions.

    Peer Reviews: Include peer review sessions where students provide feedback on each other’s work, promoting accountability and collaboration.


Use of Technology:

    Plagiarism Detection Software: Utilize tools like Turnitin or Grammarly to check for plagiarism and AI-generated content.

    AI Detection Tools: Employ AI detection tools specifically designed to identify text generated by AI.


Critical Thinking Emphasis:

    Higher-Order Thinking Questions: Design questions that require critical thinking, analysis, and synthesis, which are more challenging for AI to tackle.

    Reflective Writing: Encourage reflective writing where students must relate their personal experiences or opinions, making it harder for AI to generate authentic content.


Educate on Ethics:

    Academic Integrity: Teach students about academic integrity, the value of original work, and the ethical implications of using AI unethically.

    Discussion on AI: Have open discussions about AI, its capabilities, limitations, and appropriate uses in academic settings.


Frequent Assessments:

    Oral Presentations: Include oral presentations and viva voce exams where students must verbally defend their work.

    Short Quizzes: Conduct regular short quizzes or in-class activities that assess students’ understanding and engagement with the material.


Feedback and Engagement:

   Regular Feedback: Provide detailed feedback on assignments, helping students understand their strengths and areas for improvement.

   Active Engagement: Foster an interactive classroom environment where students are actively engaged in discussions and activities, reducing the temptation to rely on AI.


By combining these strategies, teachers can create a learning environment that emphasizes originality, critical thinking, and academic integrity, making it less appealing and practical for students to use AI tools to complete their assignments and essays.

Read Next: AI and Plagiarism Tools for Teachers for checking your  students' work.

You might like: 

>>Resources to Help Implement AI in Your Lesson Planning

More Teaching Tips at: Teachersindex.com





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