Standards Correlations

R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.7, R.9, W.1, SL.1, L.4, L.6

Learning Objective

Students will synthesize information from two texts about potential benefits and risks of artificial intelligence (AI).

Key Skills

synthesizing, text features, vocabulary, key details, inference, cause and effect, critical thinking, argument writing

Complexity Factors

Purpose: The first text describes some possible benefits of AI. The second text describes some risks.

 

Structure: Both texts are informational. Each begins by asking readers to imagine themselves in a given situation.

 

Language: The language is clear and accessible. Domain-specific vocabulary is defined in the vocabulary box.

 

Knowledge Demands: No prior knowledge is required.

Levels

Lexile: 600L-700L 

Guided Reading Level: T 

DRA Level: 50

Lesson Plan: Will AI Change the World?

Essential Questions

  • How can artificial intelligence help us, and what problems might it cause?
  • What can we do to make sure AI is used in a safe and fair way?

Literature Connection

  • Novel: A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga

1. Preparing to Read 

Preview Text Features (10 minutes)

Guide students to locate the articles in their magazines or at Action Online. Preview the text features by asking the following questions:

  • Read the overall title of the article: “Will AI Change the World?” How has AI changed your life already? What do you know or think you know about it? Answers will vary.
  • Read the title and subtitle of the second article. Examine the images included. Why do you think some people are worried about AI? How might AI affect jobs or spread fake information? Make a prediction. Answers will vary.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Point out the vocabulary box. Read the words (artificial intelligence, offensive, detect, obsolete, intentions, ethics) aloud and discuss their definitions.
  • Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan:

  • Set a purpose for reading by telling students that the first article describes some ways that AI might help us in the future, and the second describes problems that AI might cause.
  • Tell students that after they read, they’ll weigh the pros and cons of artificial intelligence.

 2. Reading and Unpacking the Text

Read the articles. (Higher- and lower-Lexile versions are available on the Story page at Action Online. Click Presentation View to access an audio read-aloud.) Then discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

  • What examples does the first article provide to show how AI can improve everyday life? (key details) The article mentions that AI can help prevent online bullying with tools like MLOffense, which detects offensive language. It tells you that AI could be used in health care to help doctors analyze test results and take notes. In addition, the article notes that AI tools are used daily in virtual assistants like Alexa, personalized Netflix recommendations, and fun photo filters.
  • How does Grant Wang feel about AI? How do you know? (inference) Grant Wang thinks AI is valuable and interesting. He’s excited about the future of the technology. You can tell because he’s studying AI in college, and he states that working with AI will be “a lot of fun.” He has also developed a tool powered by AI to reduce online bullying.
  • Why are some experts worried about the future of AI? (cause and effect) Some experts are worried about the future of AI because the technology might start to do things without humans telling it to. The tools may not be able to tell right from wrong in the same way humans do. Another reason people are worried is that AI can take away jobs from human workers. As a result, 12 million Americans may need to change jobs by 2030.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

  • Why do you think the author includes the example of the president warning citizens about an alien invasion? What does this example show? The example shows that it is becoming easier to make fake videos and images and fool people online. While the alien invasion story may not necessarily be harmful, it’s easy to imagine other situations involving fake news that are more dangerous.
  • The second article ends with the  question “Is it really worth the risk?” According to the author, experts say we should ask ourselves this question before developing AI further.  What do you think? Is AI likely to do more harm or more good in the future? Answers will vary.

3. Skill Building and Writing

  • Have students work in pairs to complete our Synthesizing skill builder. (Click here to view all your Skill Builders for this article.)
  • Writing prompt: Imagine a debate over AI between Grant Wang, who created MLOffense, and Geoffrey Hinton, who has been working on AI since the 1970s. Write a short passage with a few lines that each person might say about the harm and the good that AI is likely to  do in the future.

Learn-Anywhere Activity

An enrichment activity to extend the learning journey at home or in the classroom

Project the task below on your whiteboard or share it with students in your LMS.

Brainstorm Ideas for AI Tools

In the Paired Texts, you read about Grant Wang, who noticed a problem (online bullying) and created an AI tool to help solve it (MLOffense). Can you do the same? 

Working with a partner or in a small group, think of a few problems that you’ve noticed in your community or in your life. Try to come up with ways that AI could help solve these problems. Some examples of problems you might think about:

  • The lines in the school cafeteria are too long.
  • I can’t decide what to get my sister for her birthday.
  • I’m following a new cookie recipe, but I’m missing two of the ingredients.
  • I can’t decide what summer job to apply for.
  • I can never guess how long a homework assignment will take.

Once you’ve come up with your idea, write a paragraph describing how it will work. Use as much detail as possible. It’s OK if you can’t explain it perfectly or even if your description is a little bit silly. Have fun!

Language-Acquisition Springboard

Teach acronyms and initialisms to boost fluency.

After reading the article, ask students if they remember what AI stands for (artificial intelligence). Let them know that when we refer to a term by its initials (the first letter of each word), that’s called an initialism. Some other examples are FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), DIY (do it yourself), and TMI (too much information). These are sometimes also called acronyms.

More commonly, the word acronym refers to a word you can pronounce that is made up of initials. Some examples are NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), BOGO (buy one, get one), and PIN (personal identification number).

Ask students to think of some more examples of initialisms and acronyms. If they need help, remind them that these are very common in texting! (Examples include ASAP, BRB, BTW, FOMO,  FYI, IRL, LOL, NBD, and TTYL.)

Tell students that when they come across an acronym or an initialism and aren’t sure how to pronounce it (as individual letters or as a word), they can ask themselves, “Can I easily pronounce it as a word?” If they can, they probably should.

Looking for more ELL support? Download our full lesson plan and scroll to p. 5 to find questions that will help your ELLs respond to the text at the level that’s right for them.

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