AI Literacy Skills 101 Course

Lesson 4: Computational Thinking

Lesson overview

In this lesson, you’ll explore what it means to think computationally and how that’s different from just searching for information. You’ll learn how LLMs (like ChatGPT and Claude) respond differently than search engines and use the Brockman Prompt as a tool to help structure your thinking. Students will practice breaking big problems into smaller steps and thinking logically to get more useful, accurate, or creative responses from AI tools.

• As a teacher, watch the Computational Thinking video independently first.
• Before watching the video with your class:
  With students under 13:

  Do a quick warm-up challenge. As a class, write a simple AI prompt to help design a fun playground. Use the prompt with AI and review the result together. Save or screenshot the response for later comparison.
  With students over 13:

  Invite the class to share creative or interesting ways they’ve used AI outside of school. This might include anything from writing poems to planning workouts to coding help. Then, have each student choose one idea they’re curious to explore further. Ask them to write a basic prompt for that idea, try it with AI, and note what the response is like.
• As a class, watch the video together.
• Complete Exercise 4: Practice with the Brockman Prompt.

Lesson objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Describe the difference between a search engine and an LLM.
• Explain the value of computational thinking when working with AI.
• Use the Brockman Prompt to break a complex task into smaller steps.

Video 4: Computational Thinking

Exercise 4: Practice with the Brockman Prompt

Lesson resources:

• Brockman Prompt 1
• Brockman Prompt 2

Students under 13: Design a New Playground – Brockman Prompt Challenge
Step 1: Build Your Prompt
In pairs or groups of three, fill out the Brockman Prompt template to ask AI for help designing a new playground.

Step 2: Read and Vote
When all groups are done, hang your prompts around the room. Walk around, read each other’s prompts, and vote for your favorite.
Each student gets one vote. This could be a sticker or writing initials on the paper

Step 3: Test It Out with AI
The teacher will collect the top three prompts and test them live using AI. Watch how the AI responds to each one.

Step 4: Reflect Together

• Which prompts gave the best results? Why?
• What made a prompt clear and helpful?
• What would you do differently next time?

Students over 13: Practice with the Brockman Prompt
Step 1: Warm Up
Using the same topic from your warm-up activity, rewrite your original prompt using the Brockman Prompt template.

Step 2. Test your new prompt with AI
Compare the new response with your original.

Step 3: Reflect

• Which prompt gave the best results? Why?
• What made the second prompt more effective?
• What would you change next time?

Teachers: Plan for Differentiation Using the Brockman Prompt
Think about an upcoming lesson. Choose one student or group of students who might struggle with the task as currently planned
Use the Brockman Prompt to plan a differentiation strategy.
(Note: Avoid including student names or any personally identifiable information.)

What’s next

In lesson 5, we will explore the skill of Self and Social Awareness with AI.

We will use the Circle of Perspectives to step inside another person’s shoes and consider different points of view around AI use.