Aim

This lesson plan is intended for teachers and students who have no previous experience with generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) or are learning to use it in a school environment.

Objectives

Through this activity, youth will:

• Understand the basic guidelines of using generative AI (GenAI) in a classroom
• Use GenAI in a simple and accessible way
• Verify the summary produced by AI against the source document
• Use a summarized version to create a sketch note

Classroom materials

• Veterans Affairs Canada historical sheets (Choose from over 40 titles)
• Computer(s) with internet access and permission to use a GenAI website

Introductory discussion

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been getting a lot of attention in recent years, thanks to the rapid progress in this field. However, AI is not new—it has been around for more than 70 years.

When asked, “When was artificial intelligence invented?” generative AI summarized it this way:

“Artificial intelligence was formally ‘invented’ in 1956 at the Dartmouth Conference, although foundational ideas were developed earlier by pioneers like Alan Turing.”

The purpose is not to dive into AI’s history, but tell students that AI has existed for decades and has recently advanced at an unprecedented pace.

Before using GenAI tools in your class, start with a discussion about what considerations should guide the use of AI in education. Here are some suggested points and questions:

• Integration in education should support the development of learning skills.
• Privacy must be protected—never share personal information with AI tools.
• Equal and fair access to technology is essential—who can access AI and who can’t?
• Intellectual integrity must be preserved—AI should assist learning, not replace student work.
• Critical thinking should be strengthened through AI use.
• Legal requirements: Many jurisdictions set a minimum age of 14 for AI use.
• Environmental impact: Did you know that in 2026, a single generative AI query may use as much energy as recharging a cell phone? AI currently consumes more energy than a standard search engine—so when should we use one versus the other?
• Transparency: When should students declare that they used AI in a project?
• Verification: AI makes mistakes! Always check AI-generated information against trusted sources.
• Teacher role: Technology evolves quickly—teachers can’t be experts in every subject. How should teachers use AI responsibly? Is it acceptable for teachers to learn alongside students using AI?

You can also brainstorm with your students on the advantages and disadvantages of using AI in the classroom. Make a table or a list with your students. You could also ask students what their vision of using AI is in their own education.

Summarizing a historical document with GenAI

Let students know that their goal today is to use generative AI to simplify a complex historical document. You can assign the class one historical sheet or let students select one of the following historical sheets about Canadian military history. The sheets are divided into 5 categories (First World War, Second World War, Korean War, Canadian Armed Forces and General).

Veterans Affairs Canada historical sheets (select and download a historical sheet or copy the URL).

Here are example instructions students can use with the generative AI tool:

• Open the generative AI tool selected for your class.
• In the prompt window, type in a query like: “Please summarize the following document”
• Paste the hyperlink to that historical sheet in the window (or upload a PDF copy if the AI tool allows)
• Press Enter

You may choose to provide additional instructions about how long the summary should be, the age and reading level of the audience and whether a particular format is needed (such as a bulleted list). Adjust expectations according to the age and abilities of your students. There are many options! Keep in mind the environmental impact of making too many AI queries.

Verification of the summarized version

In the introduction discussion, you and your students explored key considerations when using generative AI in class. One of them is encouraging teachers and students to verify AI created information against trusted sources.

Use the original historical sheet to compare the summary that was generated. Ask students to decide if the summary is weak, fair, good or excellent compared to the source PDF. Remember that AI uses predictions to complete tasks. Because you may be using the guest mode of a free version, the responses generated could be over simplified or omit important details.  The meaning of sentences could also be changed or misinterpreted. Remind students that it is their responsibility to ensure that the information in the summary matches the source document.

Making a new fact sheet or sketch note

Explain to your students they will use the summarized version of their historical sheet to create a new document. This task can be completed as:

• A graphic design challenge. Ask students to create a new, simplified fact sheet for students their age or younger. They will need to work with AI to decide what titles, subtitles, images and facts they want to include on a one-page fact sheet or infographic about their topic. Remember: All information needs to be fact-checked against the original historical sheet.
• A sketchnote activity. Students will practice visual notetaking using old-fashioned paper and pens!

What is a sketchnote?

If your students are not familiar with sketchnotes, they can ask AI to explain!  Here is a sample GenAI response to the question “What is a sketchnote?”

A sketchnote is a visual style of notetaking that mixes handwritten text, simple drawings, symbols, arrows and layouts to capture ideas in a more memorable, engaging way. Instead of writing long linear notes, you create a structured visual map of the information.

• It’s often described as “visual notetaking” or “graphic notetaking.”
• It combines words + images to help you understand and remember information more easily.
• The term and method were popularized by Mike Rohde in the mid 2000s.

Students can also use prompts to find examples, such as: “Please show me visual examples of sketchnotes made in a classroom”.

Students can refer to the historical sheet to access additional information and may choose images from other trusted websites. Encourage them to use words, simple drawings, pictograms, shapes and arrows to illustrate their own vision of how they remember their Canadian military history topic. For an added challenge, ask them to include an element remembering those who died in service or honouring those who served.

Conclusion

Students can present their creations in small groups or to the larger class. Encourage them to explain why they chose certain facts or images and what information they decided to leave out. Compare and contrast the different projects as a class. What types of facts appeared in most summaries? What information was most often omitted when the original historical sheet was summarized?

Next, guide a short discussion about the role of generative AI in this activity. Ask students questions like:

• What do you think about using AI to help summarize historical documents?
• Did AI summarize the historical sheet the same way you would have if you were doing it on your own? What was different?
• Would you trust AI for important tasks like research or news? Why or why not?
• Will you use generative AI in class again? If not, why? If so, what rules would you write about how and when to use AI responsibly?

Record these ideas on a classroom poster or shared document titled “Our AI Guidelines.”

As an optional wrap-up, you can provide an exit ticket where students record:

• One thing they learned about AI today.
• One thing they learned about Canadian military history.
• One rule they think is important for using AI in school.