This post is not about the pros and cons of using AI in an English classroom. It's a post for teachers who want their students to do their own work and their own thinking. As frustrating as this process has become, assigning something hard to plagiarize is still possible. The best part? You can do so and build the skills and confidence your students need to do the writing themselves. Read on and I'll share some ideas for 5 AI-resistant assignments:
Will any assignment ever be completely AI-proof? Sadly, probably not. But if you want to make it more likely your students don't turn to ChatGPT, to do their assignments, the ones that follow will help. That's because they require students to create something of their own while they build important ELA skills.
So let's dive in, and explore 5 AI-resistant assignments that students find engaging - which is the first step in getting them to bypass tools like ChatGPT.
AI-RESISTANT ASSIGNMENT #1: ONE-SLIDERS
My first AI-resistant assignment is the one-slider. You have probably heard of the one-pager; the one-slider is the same concept, but it's done digitally, on a slide. Students capture an essential idea - characterization, theme, etc. - using a combination of images and text. They illustrate their learning visually in a way that requires critical thinking and creativity.
Use One-Sliders when you want students to demonstrate their ability to:
- Be focused and organized
- Do literary analysis or research
- Support their ideas
- Carefully select quotations
- Understand how images can be used to represent ideas
- Think critically
The final product looks very different than a written analysis, but the skills students need to use are the same. These one-sliders are also a great way to add in some visual literacy to your course - while also circumventing AI use by your students.
The best part? Students LOVE doing these assignments, and they are easier to assess, especially if you have a rubric ready to use.
Students can create these on a platform like Canva, or you can grab one of my resources. Each one guides students through the brainstorming process and helps them get focused and organized. You can check out my ready-made one-sliders for any text here and the ones for research here. You'll get instructions, templates, samples, assessment checklists, and more!
AI-RESISTANT ASSIGNMENT #2: RESEARCH MAGAZINE
The research paper is an assignment that has traditionally been most prone to plagiarism. Now, artificial intelligence tools have made it even easier for students to pass in a paper they haven't written themselves.
I first used a research magazine as an alternative to the essay when I saw the success of my one-sliders. My students still had lessons and practice with research skills like finding credible sources, selecting evidence, embedding quotes, etc., but they presented their ideas in a digital magazine rather than a research paper.
This research magazine is focused on a thesis and is logically organized. It still has the required sources, quotes, and works cited page - but it's in a format that the students love working with. Like the one-sliders, they find this assignment so much more engaging than the traditional essay. It requires them to use the same skills as a paper, but they also have to think critically about how they present the ideas and the images and links they choose - a process that makes it far harder to turn to AI.
Use a research magazine when you want students to demonstrate their ability to:
- Focus on a thesis
- Develop a logical argument
- Support ideas with research
- Find credible sources
- Carefully select, embed, and cite quotations
- Use paraphrased information effectively
- Illustrate effective language choices
- Demonstrate an understanding of how visuals support points
- Think critically
Once again, students could use Canva to create these magazines. But, if you want a ready-to-go process with lesson plans for you, and tips and templates for your students, I've got you covered!
AI-RESISTANT ASSIGNMENT #3: HEXAGONAL THINKING ANALYSIS
If you follow my blog or Instagram, you know I am a huge fan of hexagonal thinking activities (or "fun-agon" as a student once exclaimed). Hexagonal thinking is an activity that requires students to collaborate and think critically about a topic or text. And while it's a wonderfully engaging in-class activity, it's also one that can be used as an AI-resisitant assignment.
How? Well, first, you would do the hexagonal activity, where students make connections between the topics they have been given. However, you build in another layer and ask them to record points made by their group mates. These could be points they agree with or want to refute.
Then students take one of the connections that they discussed in their group and write an analysis of it. They need to explain the connection, support it with evidence from the text AND with evidence from their discussion. This puts the focus on what was learned during the discussion which is much harder to get with the assistance of AI.
Use hexagonal thinking assignments when you want students to demonstrate their ability to:
- Make connections between ideas or within texts
- Do literary analysis
- Support their analysis with quotations and textual evidence
- Collaborate with classmates
- Explain their analysis is a focused, organized piece of writing
Grab a free template for this here.
AI-RESISTANT ASSIGNMENT #4: SHORT PROCESS-BASED ASSIGNMENTS
One reason why students turn to AI to do their work is that they don't have confidence in their abilities. That is why this is my favorite of the 5 AI-resistant assignments.
It's actually more of an approach, as one of the best ways to avoid plagiarism is with a focus on the process. I used such an approach with every major assignment, breaking down the thinking process that is required. For example, when we were doing persuasion, I started by getting my students to discuss some "hot" topics and to work through their responses in class. They would:
- Do an initial reflection on how they feel about the topic
- View videos that give them more information
- Read & annotate other texts that explore both sides of the issue
- Identify fact and opinion in the mentor texts
- Discuss the mentor texts and clarify their ideas with peers
- Select quotations to support their ideas
- Engage in an informal debate with classmates
- Write a formal response
We did this skill-building exercise several times before I even broached the idea of an essay. Then, when it was time for students to write one, we spent almost two weeks working through the process in class. They had to submit a good copy, but also all of the steps of the process. This did not eliminate the possibility of plagiarism, but cut it down considerably.
Check the activities for persuasion out here and read more about my process here and here.
AI-RESISTANT ASSIGNMENT #5: IN-CLASS ESSAYS
Ultimately, the best way to AI-proof your students' work is to have them do it all in class, using pen and paper. If the first AI-resistant assignments aren't enough to assess your students' skills, then an in-class essay is the way to go.
This is not ideal. I'm aware. Something is lost when students don't get the time to work on improving a draft. However, I believe you can still give them some of that time with in-class assignments. By focusing on the process - and completing each step in class - you can slow down that in-class essay and make it more likely that students will do their own work.
I've written about this - and shared strategies and a free planning guide - here.
I know that the struggle to get authentic student work is real. We want them to think and build their skills, and the only way to do that is with strategies that boost their confidence, so they do the writing themselves.
I hope that one of my 5 AI-resistant assignments is something you can use with your students. If you'd also like to discuss the pros and cons of AI use in society and school, check out this resource.
Reach out anytime you have any questions!
Jackie, ROOM 213
Check out these resources too:
AI and Academic Integrity - The Daring English Teacher
Snowball Writing- Presto Plans