Sunday's Cool Edition

Happy Sunday Y’all,

Welcome to this week’s Sunday’s Cool Edition: your weekly AI-powered jumpstart to creative, efficient, and student-centered teaching! This week’s prompt lineup taps into some of education’s most vital themes: practical application, critical thinking, collaboration, and empathy. Whether you’re helping students apply trigonometry to construction and navigation, explore the greenhouse effect through simulation, or dive deep into the character motivations of Gatsby and Okonkwo, these prompts go beyond surface-level instruction. They encourage students to ask questions, make connections, and engage meaningfully with content that matters.

You’ll also find prompts designed for skill-building and hands-on engagement—like partner workouts in PE, first aid simulations in health, and band score reading in music. Every one of these ideas was generated by a single, clear prompt. That’s the power of working with AI as your co-planner: one focused sentence leads to a full, standards-aligned lesson. And here’s the best part… what ChatGPT generates for you will be slightly or even completely different than what you see here. These are examples, not templates. The more specific you are, the better the results, making each response uniquely tailored to your classroom needs.

Before you think about stepping into another week of teaching, pause and remember this: you’re not just managing classrooms… you’re mentoring minds. The way you bring these lessons to life, the way you show up for your students, and the way you adapt and overcome week after week… it all matters. You are a consistent source of hope, challenge, and encouragement in the lives of your students. Whether you’re introducing a complex concept or helping a student navigate a tough day, your work echoes far beyond the classroom. Keep going!

As always, if you find value within this content, feel free to share it with your Teacher Bestie!

NOW…Let’s Dive In To This Week’s Prompts

This Week's Math Prompt:

ChatGPT Prompt: I am a high school trigonometry teacher. Generate a list of three real-world applications of trigonometry, such as in construction, navigation, or physics.

How It Brings Value to Your Classroom:

1️⃣ Connects Math to the Real World 🏗️🧭⚙️
Students often ask, “When will I ever use this?” This prompt gives you instant examples from construction, navigation, and physics—showing how trig is used in skyscrapers, GPS technology, and even rocket science! Relevance makes learning stick.

2️⃣ Encourages Critical Thinking & Class Discussion 🧠💬 
Use this prompt to launch a group activity or warm-up! Have students research and present additional real-world trig uses. It’s a great way to shift from passive note-taking to active discovery. They’ll be surprised how often trig shows up in surprising places!

3️⃣ Saves You Time While Enhancing Lessons ⏱️📚
Instead of hunting down examples on your own, let ChatGPT do the heavy lifting! This prompt creates a quick, adaptable list you can integrate into notes, slides, or projects. It’s a perfect shortcut without sacrificing depth or quality.

This Week's Science Prompt:

ChatGPT Prompt: I am a high school environmental science teacher. Create a real-life scenario to explain the greenhouse effect, where students simulate environmental changes and discuss the impact of greenhouse gases.

How It Brings Value to Your Classroom:

1️⃣ Active Learning That Sticks 🧪🔥 
Students build a physical model of Earth’s atmosphere using simple classroom materials and watch how heat is trapped by greenhouse gases. They see the science in action. This kind of visual, tactile learning leads to deeper understanding, more engagement, and stronger retention. Bonus: they have fun doing it! 🙌 

2️⃣ Promotes Real-World Thinking 🌎🧠 
This simulation isn’t just about science—it’s about life. Students explore how our daily actions (like driving or using electricity) contribute to climate change. Then they brainstorm real solutions. This lesson sparks thoughtful discussion, critical thinking, and personal connection to global issues. 💭♻️

3️⃣ Easy to Customize & Expand 🚀📝 
The best part? You can take it further. Want to turn it into a writing prompt, a cross-curricular project, or a group presentation? Done. You can modify the experiment for different grade levels or time limits. It’s versatile, effective, and super adaptable for your classroom needs! 🔧📚

This Week's Social Studies Prompt:

ChatGPT Prompt: I am a high school world history teacher. Develop a lesson plan on the causes and consequences of the Holocaust, ensuring sensitivity and critical analysis.

How It Brings Value to Your Classroom:

1️⃣ Historical Thinking on Display 🧠📜 
Students are guided to explore the causes of the Holocaust through the lens of real historical events—economic despair, political manipulation, antisemitism, and propaganda. You’re not just teaching a unit—you’re helping them understand how ideas and actions shape history. This level of analysis develops critical thinking, historical empathy, and civic awareness.

2️⃣ Discussion with Depth 🗣️🔍
The prompt provides structured activities that go beyond lecture. From jigsaw groups on bystanders and resisters to video reflections from survivors, students are actively engaging with the content. These conversations are powerful, respectful, and lead to genuine personal reflection. It’s the kind of classroom experience they won’t forget.

3️⃣ Meaningful Creative Expression 🎨🕊️
Students create their own Holocaust memorials—poems, sketches, or short prose—that reflect their personal takeaway. This isn’t just a history lesson—it’s an opportunity for your students to internalize moral responsibility, wrestle with injustice, and express hope for the future.

This Week's ELA Prompt:

ChatGPT Prompt: I am a high school English teacher. Generate discussion questions for a comparative analysis of Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby and Okonkwo from Things Fall Apart, focusing on their motivations, internal and external conflicts, and character development throughout their respective novels.

How It Brings Value to Your Classroom:

1️⃣ Cross-Cultural Exploration
🌏 This prompt encourages students to think beyond one cultural lens. Gatsby’s American Dream and Okonkwo’s traditional Igbo values give students a global perspective while fostering deeper conversations about how society shapes identity, ambition, and failure.

2️⃣ Engaging Critical Thinking
💡 By comparing two complex protagonists, students sharpen their skills in literary analysis, synthesis, and argumentative reasoning. They’ll wrestle with questions about motivation, pride, and downfall—and you’ll see lightbulbs 💥 go off as they connect themes across continents.

3️⃣ Built-In Socratic Discussion Starter
🗣️ This prompt is practically made for a Socratic seminar or small group analysis. Your students can debate, reflect, and dig deeper into universal questions like: “What makes someone a tragic hero?” and “How much does culture influence destiny?”

This Week's Fine Arts Prompt:

ChatGPT Prompt: I am a high school band director. Design a plan for teaching students how to read and interpret band scores effectively. The plan should include a guided analysis and a practice session.

How It Brings Value to Your Classroom:

1️⃣ Enhanced Musical Awareness 🧠
🎶 Students learn to see the bigger picture — not just their part, but how it connects to the whole ensemble. Understanding the score teaches them form, balance, texture, and how to identify key musical roles like melody, harmony, and rhythmic support. It’s like giving them musical x-ray vision! 👀🎼 

2️⃣ Stronger Student Leadership 💪
🎷 When students know how to analyze a score, they start thinking like conductors. This encourages peer leadership in sectionals, thoughtful playing, and deeper listening. Empower them to anticipate entrances, cue section changes, and take ownership of the music.

3️⃣ Engaging & Interactive Rehearsals 🎯
🥁 From “Be the Conductor” group activities to color-coded score study and audio-follow-alongs, this prompt brings energy and depth into rehearsals. It promotes collaboration, sparks discussion, and gets students excited about the “why” behind the notes they play.

This Week's CTE Prompt:

ChatGPT Prompt: I am a high school health teacher. Develop a lesson plan that covers the basics of first aid and emergency response. Include demonstrations of common first aid techniques, such as CPR and wound care, as well as a role-playing activity where students practice responding to emergency scenarios.

How It Brings Value to Your Classroom:

1️⃣ Real-World Readiness
🧠💪 Students learn CPR, how to control bleeding, when to call 911, and how to respond in emergencies. These aren’t just class skills—they’re LIFE skills. They leave class more confident and empowered to help when it matters most.

2️⃣ Student Engagement Through Role Play
🎭🚑 The emergency scenario role-playing activity turns your classroom into a fast-paced, interactive experience. Students love getting into character while working through realistic situations. It builds teamwork, communication, and critical thinking under pressure!

3️⃣ Easy to Teach, High Impact
🧰🔥 This prompt gives you a fully structured 2-day lesson, complete with demonstrations, group activities, and reflection pieces. You can even modify it for guest speakers or AED use. It’s ready to roll and super effective!

This Week's P.E. Prompt:

ChatGPT Prompt: I am a high school PE teacher. Develop a series of partner exercises that require students to work together (example: partner push-ups/sit-ups). Include at least five exercises and specify the number of sets and reps for each.

How It Brings Value to Your Classroom:

1️⃣ 🤝 Promotes Teamwork and Trust
Partner exercises encourage students to rely on one another, communicate, and move in sync. Whether they’re holding legs for wheelbarrow walks or clapping hands in push-ups, they’re learning collaboration with every rep. This fosters a stronger class culture and develops social-emotional skills alongside physical strength.

2️⃣ 🔥 Increases Engagement and Motivation
Let’s be real—students push themselves harder when they’re not doing it alone. With partner workouts, they cheer each other on, stay accountable, and actually want to complete each set. This kind of peer encouragement brings energy into your gym and keeps participation high!

3️⃣ 💡 Encourages Creative Conditioning
These workouts break the monotony of solo drills. From synchronized jump squats to back-to-back wall sits with a twist, students stay mentally engaged and physically challenged. This kind of variety improves motor skills and keeps students coming back excited for what’s next.

This Week's DALL-E Prompt:

DALL-E Prompt: Generate a scene of a mountainous rainforest with waterfalls, mist, and diverse wildlife.

How It Brings Value to Your Classroom:

1️⃣ Encourages Descriptive Writing & Imaginative Thinking ✏️
🦜 This prompt offers a rich setting that challenges students to describe lush scenery, dynamic weather, and vibrant wildlife. Perfect for narrative writing or poetry exercises! Encourage students to personify the jungle, imagine sounds, smells, and colors—hello, sensory language practice! Students can even extend the scene with their own wildlife additions or rainforest myths. 🌈📖 

2️⃣ Builds Background Knowledge Across Subjects 🌎
🧠 This mountainous rainforest isn’t just beautiful—it’s educational. Teach ecosystems, biodiversity, and geography concepts while tying in conservation topics 🌱. Use the imagery to launch a science inquiry or research project about the animals and plants in real rainforests like the Amazon or Congo. It’s an engaging way to foster curiosity and connect with real-world issues! 🐒💧 

3️⃣ Sparks Multimodal Projects & Collaboration 🎥🖌️
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Students can turn this vivid prompt into illustrated dioramas, animated videos, or group presentations! Some might write the script of a nature documentary, others may compose a song from the perspective of a rainforest animal. Let their creativity run wild while hitting multiple learning objectives and strengthening collaboration. 🎬🌿🎨 

Bottom Line Y’all…

As we bring this week’s Sunday’s Cool Edition to a close, let’s talk strategy. These prompts model how to think big with small inputs. You don’t have to spend hours building a lesson from scratch, you just need to know what to ask. Want a real-world angle for a math concept? Want your students to analyze history with sensitivity and depth? Want to generate practice exercises that build collaboration or technical performance skills? ChatGPT (and/or your favorite generative AI platform) is a powerful starting point when you frame your prompt with clarity and intention.🌍

And even if this week’s prompts don’t align exactly with your subject, there’s still value here. A first aid simulation in health could inspire a mock trial in English or a civic debate in government. The rainforest DALL·E image might lead to a descriptive writing prompt, an ecosystem study, or even an art sketch project. The goal isn’t to replicate these prompts, it’s to learn from them. Watch how each one clearly communicates role, subject, goal, and instructional delivery. Then practice doing the same with your own ideas.📚

Thank you for showing up each week with curiosity and heart. This newsletter is for teachers like you! Educators who are always learning, always growing, and always seeking better ways to serve students. Use these prompts as a launchpad, an inspiration, and a reminder that you don’t have to carry the planning load alone. Let AI support you, and let your passion for teaching shine through every lesson. You've got this. 💪

Have A Blessed Week Y’all!
~ Mitch

P.S. Want more tips, inspiration, and encouragement? Then check out our daily classroom centered videos on YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Facebook! We post new content each day covering a wide range of topics and disciplines—from Classroom Humor to Science, Social Studies, and everything in between. These videos are packed with daily bits of wisdom and wonder to help you engage your students and streamline your teaching.