Harnessing the Power of ChatGPT in middle school science

Last winter, we started to hear about this new technology that would write paragraphs, answer questions, and have conversations with you like a friendly chat. At first, I dismissed it – “It’s just a fancier Google,” I thought. But then I began to check it out. I asked ChatGPT to help me rewrite a tricky email to a parent and was pleasantly surprised. I asked it to write some multiple choice questions for an assessment and was able to use the questions they generated with only minimal adjustments. I asked it to generate a paragraph about friction on two different reading levels, and saved myself a ton of time. All of a sudden, ChatGPT became the personal assistant I’ve wanted all along! Here are some of the things I’ve learned about ChatGPT over the past few months.

Signing in to ChatGPT

Here’s how to get in on the fun:

1. Go to chat.openai.com.
2. If you’ve never opened an account, click “Sign Up.”
3. You will be prompted to enter an email address or sign in with your existing Google, Microsoft or Apple account.
4. Enter your name and birthday and click “Continue.”
5. Enter your phone number and ChatGPT will send you a verification code.
6. And you’re in!

What ChatGPT can do

Lesson Planning – Use ChatGPT to generate ideas and suggestions for lesson plans. You can specify format and ask for certain types of activities such as hands on learning, demonstrations, discussion questions, or formative assessments. Try these prompts:

• “Generate engaging activities for teaching the scientific method to middle school students.”
• “Provide hands-on experiments and demonstrations to teach the concept of chemical reactions in high school chemistry.”
• “Suggest inquiry-based investigations to explore the principles of motion and forces for elementary school students.”
• “Develop a lesson plan on the water cycle that incorporates interactive visuals and student participation.”
• “Create a project-based learning activity to teach environmental conservation and sustainability to high school students.”
• “Design a lesson plan that introduces the basics of genetics and heredity through interactive simulations or models.”
• “Generate ideas for teaching the principles of electricity and circuits using everyday objects for middle school students.”
• “Provide examples of STEM challenges to teach engineering and design thinking to elementary school students.”
• “Develop a lesson plan on the solar system that incorporates virtual exploration and multimedia resources for middle school students.”

Content creation: ChatGPT can help teachers generate content such as worksheets, quizzes, or writing prompts, providing additional resources to support classroom instruction. Try these prompts:

• “Generate a worksheet on the periodic table, including questions on element properties and atomic structure.”
• “Create a quiz on the human body systems, covering topics such as organs, functions, and interactions between systems.”
• “Develop a writing prompt on climate change, encouraging students to discuss its causes, impacts, and potential solutions.”
• “Design a worksheet on the water cycle, with diagrams and questions to assess understanding of its different stages.”
• “Generate a quiz on genetics and inheritance, covering topics like Punnett squares, traits, and genetic disorders.”
• “Develop a worksheet on the rock cycle, including labeling diagrams and short answer questions to assess comprehension.”
• “Design a quiz on forces and motion, covering concepts such as Newton’s laws, acceleration, and types of forces.”

Student support: Teachers can leverage ChatGPT to provide additional explanations or examples for students who need extra help or clarification on specific topics. Try these prompts:

• “Provide a clear explanation of Newton’s first law of motion and give an everyday example to help students understand it better.”
• “Explain the concept of photosynthesis step by step, including the role of chlorophyll and the overall process of converting light energy into chemical energy.”
• “Elaborate on the difference between an element and a compound, and provide examples of each to illustrate the distinction.”
• “Help students understand the concept of fractions by providing practical examples and explaining how to perform operations like addition or subtraction with fractions.”
• One of my favorites: “Rewrite in a 4th grade reading level” and then paste the paragraph as it is written for on-level students.

Differentiated instruction: ChatGPT can assist teachers in tailoring instruction to meet the diverse learning needs of students. It can provide alternative explanations or examples based on individual student queries or prompt responses. Try these prompts:

• “Provide alternative explanations for the water cycle that vary in complexity to cater to different learning levels and abilities.”
• “Suggest hands-on experiments of varying difficulty levels to explore the properties of light and how it interacts with objects.”
• “Generate additional practice problems at different levels of difficulty to reinforce understanding of the periodic table and element properties.”
• “Create modified versions of worksheets or activities with scaffolded support for students who may need extra guidance or accommodations.”
• “Develop extension questions or projects that challenge advanced learners to explore advanced topics related to energy or ecosystems.”
• “Generate alternative assessments that allow students to demonstrate their understanding of a concept through different modalities, such as visual presentations, multimedia projects, or oral explanations.””

Language support: ChatGPT can be beneficial for English as a Second Language (ESL) students, providing language translation assistance, vocabulary explanations, or language practice activities. Try these prompts:

• “Suggest vocabulary-building activities and games to help ESL students learn and practice science terminology related to [specific science topic].”
• “Generate sentence frames or sentence starters to assist ESL students in expressing their thoughts and ideas during class discussions or written assignments.”
• “Offer bilingual resources or translated materials to support ESL students in accessing scientific information in their native language.”
• “Suggest interactive online resources, educational videos, or simulations that provide visual and auditory support to aid ESL students in grasping scientific concepts.”
• “Create graphic organizers or concept maps that visually represent the relationships between key scientific ideas and vocabulary, supporting ESL students in organizing their thoughts and making connections.”

Professional development: ChatGPT can serve as a resource for teachers’ professional development, offering insights, recommendations, or strategies for effective teaching practices.

• “Explore current research and best practices in inquiry-based science instruction, with suggestions on how I can incorporate them into my teaching.”
• “Investigate innovative strategies and technologies for engaging students in hands-on science experiments and investigations.”
• “What are some new approaches or best practices for formative and summative assessment that align with NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards).”
• “Investigate strategies for integrating literacy skills into science instruction, such as reading informational texts, writing scientific explanations, and conducting science research.”
• “Examine ways to incorporate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education and interdisciplinary approaches into your science curriculum.”
• “Explore strategies for incorporating real-world connections and authentic experiences into science lessons to enhance student engagement and relevance.”

Writing assistance: Teachers can seek help from ChatGPT to review and provide suggestions for improving their written materials, such as lesson plans, reports, or presentations.

• “Write an email to a parent whose 8th grade son has failed a test on friction. Offer assistance and support for future assessments.”
• “Write goals and objectives for an IEP that include the student’s learning style and preferences.”

What ChatGPT can’t do