How to check AI-made teaching materials before you use them in class

AI tools can now make a lesson plan, a slide deck and a worksheet in minutes. That's a real gift to busy teachers. But AI can also be confidently wrong, and pupils trust what their teacher puts in front of them.

The UK Department for Education's guidance on generative AI in education and UNESCO's guidance for generative AI in education and research both stress that AI output must be checked by people. This checklist makes that quick.

Why checking matters

Large language models write by predicting what text is likely to come next. They are very good at sounding right. They don't always know whether something is right. The result can be:

• a wrong date, number or name stated with complete confidence
• a science explanation that is subtly wrong or out of date
• a source that doesn't say what the AI claims, or doesn't exist
• a picture that doesn't show what the caption says
• a worksheet question with no correct answer, or two

None of these is a reason to avoid AI. They are reasons to check, just as you would check a resource downloaded from a website or borrowed from a colleague.

The ten-minute checklist

1. Facts and sources

• Read every fact you aren't certain of and check it against a reliable source.
• If the tool lists sources, open one or two and make sure they say what the material claims.
• Pay special attention to numbers, dates, names, quotes and definitions.
• Be wary of anything that sounds surprising. Surprising facts are the ones most worth checking.

2. The right level

• Would your pupils understand the words? Are key terms explained?
• Is the amount of text right for the age, especially on slides for young children?
• Are tasks achievable but still challenging?

3. The right curriculum and context

• Does the content match what your curriculum expects at this stage?
• Are spelling, units, money and examples right for your country?
• Does it assume knowledge pupils haven't met yet?

4. Misconceptions

• Does the material accidentally reinforce a common misconception, for example "heavier objects fall faster" or "plants get their food from the soil"?
• Does it address the mistakes your pupils typically make?

5. Pictures

• Does every picture show what the slide or question says? A tool searching for pictures by keyword can pick something that matches the words but not the meaning.
• Is it accurate? Diagrams especially need a careful look.
• Is it appropriate for the age and respectful of the people shown?

6. Worksheet questions and answers

• Do every question yourself. It is the single best check.
• Is there exactly one right answer where there should be?
• Does the answer sheet match the questions?
• Is there enough space to answer?

7. Bias and representation

• Are people from different backgrounds represented fairly?
• Are there stereotypes in examples, names or pictures?
• For history and current events, is more than one perspective considered where it should be?

8. Timings and practicality

• Can the activities really fit in the time?
• Do you have the equipment and space?
• Is anything unsafe, such as a practical activity, without the right precautions?

9. Copyright and sources of images

• Are the pictures from sources you're allowed to use in class?
• If you plan to share the resource beyond your classroom, check the licences.

10. Your judgement

• Would you be happy if a colleague, a parent or an inspector saw this?
• Is this the best way to teach this to your class?

Fixing what you find

Most problems are quick to fix:

• A wrong fact: correct it, and note the source you used.
• Wrong level: ask the tool to rewrite for a younger or older class, then check again.
• Bad picture: swap it for a better one or a simple diagram.
• A broken question: rewrite it or remove it.

If the same kind of mistake keeps appearing, change your request. Being more specific about the age, the objective and what pupils already know usually helps. Our guide to using an AI lesson plan generator covers how to write requests that get better first drafts.

How Lesson Dino makes checking quicker

We built Lesson Dino with checking in mind:

• It looks your topic up first in Wikipedia and well-known learning sites for children and teenagers, and writes from what it finds.
• It numbers every source, so you can check a fact in seconds. On slides, the sources sit in the speaker notes.
• If it can't find sources, it tells you instead of guessing silently.
• Worksheets come with an answer sheet, and you can edit anything in the browser.
• On slides, you can swap any picture or ask the AI to change one slide without remaking the deck.

It still makes mistakes sometimes, like any tool. The checklist above still applies; it just takes less time.

Questions teachers ask

Why does AI make mistakes in teaching materials?

Language models predict likely-sounding text rather than looking facts up, so they can produce statements that sound right but aren't. This is sometimes called hallucination. Tools that look topics up in sources first reduce the problem but don't remove it.

How long does it take to check AI-made resources?

For a typical lesson's plan, slides and worksheet, about ten to fifteen minutes once you're used to it. That's usually far less than making them from scratch.

Who is responsible if AI-made material is wrong?

The teacher and school who use it. Guidance from the UK Department for Education makes clear that professional responsibility for the content stays with the people who use AI tools.

What is the most important thing to check?

The facts, and the answers to every question on the worksheet. Do every question yourself: it's the quickest way to find mistakes and unclear wording.