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(60 minutes lesson)

Lesson Title: Understanding Large Language Models (LLMs)

Grade Level: Year 9 (KS3)


Learning Objectives:

  • Define Large Language Models (LLMs).
  • Explain how LLMs are trained and how they work.
  • Identify real-world applications of LLMs.
  • Discuss potential benefits and ethical considerations of LLMs.

Materials:

  • Whiteboard or projector for presentation
  • Computers/tablets with internet access for student exploration
  • Examples of LLM outputs (short text samples, code snippets, etc.)
  • Worksheet or handout for reflection/discussion questions

Procedure:

Warm-up/Hook (10 minutes)

    • Ask: “Have you ever interacted with a chatbot or used a virtual assistant like Siri or Alexa?”
    • Briefly discuss student experiences and introduce the idea that these technologies all use a type of AI called Large Language Models.

Introduction to LLMs (15 minutes)

    • Define LLM: Explain that LLMs are powerful computer programs that can process and generate human-like text.
    • How LLMs work: In simple terms, explain that LLMs are trained on massive datasets of text and code. They learn patterns and relationships, allowing them to generate text, translate languages, write different kinds of creative content, and answer questions in an informative way (use simple analogies).

LLM Applications (15 Minutes)

    • Examples: Show examples of LLMs in action:
      • Chatbots and customer service interactions
      • Creative writing tools (short stories, poems)
      • Code generation
      • Language translation
    • Brainstorm: Have students brainstorm other potential uses for LLMs.

Benefits and Ethics Discussion (15 minutes)

    • Benefits: Discuss how LLMs improve accessibility, enhance creativity, streamline tasks.
    • Concerns: Address potential issues like bias in data, misinformation, replacing human creativity, job displacement.
    • Guidelines: Start a conversation about the importance of responsible use of LLMs.

Exploration (10 minutes)

    • Allow students to experiment with a safe, age-appropriate LLM interface (teacher can provide options or guide them to suitable websites).

Reflection (5 minutes)

    • Worksheet or discussion questions:
      • What surprised you most about LLMs?
      • Where do you see the most potential for LLM use?
      • What are some important ethical considerations to keep in mind?

Assessment:

  • Participation in class discussions
  • Completion of exploration activity
  • Reflection worksheet or written responses

Differentiation:

  • Provide varying levels of complexity in LLM examples.
  • Offer sentence starters for discussion or reflection for students who need support
  • Create a collaborative project where groups of students research a specific LLM application and present their findings.

Rosenshine’s Principles

  1. Review of previous learning: Start the lesson with a short quiz or discussion about AI basics if students have prior knowledge. If not, begin with the warm-up activity about chatbots and virtual assistants as a bridge into the topic.

  2. Presenting new material in small steps: Break down the LLM concept into:

    • What LLMs are
    • How they’re trained
    • Basic functions (generate text, translate, etc.)
  3. Questioning: Throughout the lesson, ask:

    • “Can you think of other ways LLMs might be used?”
    • “What are some positive things an LLM could do?”
    • “Could there be any downsides to using LLMs?”
  4. Models: Provide clear examples of LLM outputs for each function discussed.

  5. Guided Practice: During the exploration phase, provide structured support like specific prompts or tasks for students to try with the LLMs

  6. Check for understanding: Use informal observation, questioning, and the reflection worksheet to gauge student understanding.

  7. High success rate: Ensure the examples and exploration tasks are achievable for your Year 9 students.

  8. Scaffolding: Provide sentence starters or discussion templates for the ethical considerations section if needed.


Walkthrus Framework

The Walkthrus structure (planning, observation, feedback) can enhance your lesson implementation:

  • Planning:
    • Clearly outline your lesson objectives.
    • Anticipate student misconceptions about LLMs.
    • Design specific checks for understanding during exploration.
  • Observation:
    • Move around the room while students explore, observing how they interact with the LLMs and identifying areas of confusion.
  • Feedback:
    • Provide timely, targeted feedback to individual students during exploration.
    • Offer whole-class feedback after exploration, clarifying common issues and highlighting interesting discoveries.

Additional Tips

  • Clarity: Use student-friendly language and analogies to explain LLM concepts.
  • Engagement: Keep the lesson interactive with discussions and the hands-on exploration activity.

 

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