AI is here to stay, so rather than fighting it in our classrooms, let's talk about some ways to take advantage of it to help students become critical thinkers and explore literature. Here are some novel study activities that incorporate AI.

Critical Thinking

At this point in time, AI isn't always accurate. For example, I asked it to generate a summary of a novel that isn't often discussed. It got the beginning and ending of the story right, but it completely made up the middle based on the facts that it knew. If I hadn't read the book, I never would have known that the middle was wrong. So, when students use AI to generate content, they have to be critical thinkers to know to at least suspect when something isn't accurate in the content produced.

You can have students generate AI content about any aspect of any book and then have students analyze the created content, looking for accuracy, producing more examples from the text as support for the ideas generated, taking the information given and giving their opinions as to whether they agree or disagree with the statements made (and supporting their answers), and/or considering whether there is more content that could be added to the generated information to give a more complete answer/analysis. 

Probing Characters

Have students ask AI a question and tell the AI generator to answer as a particular character. For example, I typed in "Why does Boo Radley help Scout and Jem? Answer as Boo Radley."  Here's what AI came up with:

"Well, Scout, I reckon I helped you and Jem 'cause it felt like the right thing to do. Y'all remind me of somethin' pure, somethin' good in this world. I may keep to myself, but I see more than folks think. When I saw you two in trouble, I couldn't just stand by. Protectin' you was somethin' I had to do, like carin' for family. You and Jem, you brought a bit of light to my quiet life, and I couldn't let harm come to that."

If students do this exercise independently, AI will probably generate slightly different answers. A second query produced the following:

"Well, Scout, I reckon I helped you and Jem 'cause it felt like the right thing to do. Y'all remind me of somethin' pure and good in this world, somethin' worth protectin'. I may keep to myself, but that don't mean I don't see or care. When I saw you two in trouble, I just couldn't stand by. Sometimes, Scout, you don't need a reason to do what's right—you just do it."

In a class discussion or small group, students can compare and discuss the answers. How do Jem and Scout bring a bit of light to Boo's life? And how does Boo's statement about not needing "a reason to do what's right" apply to other events in the novel? Do you need a reason to do what's right? Which of the two responses is better? Why?

This is a fun activity that creates a springboard for discussion of many aspects of the story...and real life. And it can be done with any aspect of any novel with any characters; the possibilities are endless--and require analytical thinking.

Modern Translations

Sometimes reading old English or Victorian era texts can be tedious and difficult for today's students. Using AI to generate a modern translation can be a fun activity to help students relate to the text. For example, I asked AI to "translate Hamlet's to be or not to be sololiquy into modern English." Here's what it came up with:

To live or not to live—that’s the big question.
Is it better to put up with all the crap life throws at you,
or to fight back against it and end the pain?
Dying, sleeping—that’s all death really is.
And if it’s just sleep, then it’s not so bad.
You’d escape the heartache and the endless struggles
that life forces on us. It’s a win, right?

But wait—what if when we die, we dream?
That’s the catch. Those dreams could be nightmares,
and who knows what they’d be like?
That’s the thing that makes us hesitate.
It’s why we put up with all the awful stuff in life—
the insults, the heartbreak, the grind of work,
the unfairness, the pain, the rejection—
when we could just end it all with a knife.

But we don’t, because we’re scared of the unknown.
No one’s come back from death to tell us what it’s like,
so we stick with the misery we know
instead of risking something worse.
That’s how fear makes cowards of us all.
It messes with our resolve,
and our big plans fall apart
because we overthink everything.

But enough of that. Here comes Ophelia.
I need to shut up now.

Just about any student today would get the meaning from this...and maybe be amused at the translation. You can do a lot with this. Have students correlate lines in the original with the lines in the AI translation. Discuss how the poetry is stripped out of the translation and what effect that has. Have students do their own rewrites from the AI content, translating that into poetry. And, of course, you can discuss the ideas Hamlet puts forth.

Again, you can use this kind of AI translation with any text with difficult vocabulary, dialects, or sentence structures that give your students trouble.

I asked AI to "translate the first paragraph of A Tale of Two Cities into modern English," and here is what I got:

It was the best of times and the worst of times. People were wise, but also foolish. There was a lot of belief, but also a lot of doubt. It was a time of light and hope, but also of darkness and despair. We felt like we had everything ahead of us, yet also nothing. Some thought we were heading straight to Heaven, while others thought we were going the opposite way. In short, it was a time very much like today, where the loudest voices insisted everything was either the absolute best or the absolute worst.

Have students compare the original to the AI translation. Discuss word choices, overall meaning and tone, etc. Compare multiple AI generated translations and decide which is the best. Have students take multiple AI generated translations and incorporate them into their own "best translation to modern English." There are lots of things you could do with this.

Creative Writing

Have students generate a short story via AI and then analyze it. For example, I asked AI to "write a short children's story about a bear named Bigly who learns a valuable lesson." Here's what I got:

Bigly and the Big Blueberries

Once upon a time, in a sunny forest nestled between rolling hills, there lived a big, fluffy bear named Bigly. Bigly was known for two things: his enormous appetite and his love for blueberries. He could sniff out a blueberry bush from miles away, and he always made sure to eat as many as his belly could hold.

One bright morning, Bigly woke up to the sweet smell of ripe blueberries. "Mmm, breakfast!" he said, licking his lips. He followed his nose to the biggest blueberry bush he had ever seen. The berries were plump, juicy, and as blue as the summer sky.

Bigly started gobbling them up. "Nom nom nom!" he said, stuffing his cheeks. But as he ate, he noticed something strange. A little squirrel named Pip was watching him from a nearby tree.

"Bigly," Pip called out, "you're eating all the blueberries! What about the other animals? We love blueberries too!"

Bigly paused, his paw halfway to his mouth. "But I'm hungry," he said. "And there are so many berries here!"

Pip scurried down the tree and said, "Yes, but if you eat them all now, there won't be any left for tomorrow—or for anyone else."

Bigly frowned. He hadn't thought about that. "But... I love blueberries," he said softly.

Pip smiled. "We all do, Bigly. But sharing means everyone gets a taste, and the bush will have time to grow more berries for later."

Bigly looked at the bush, then at Pip, and then at the other animals peeking out from behind trees. He realized Pip was right. If he kept eating everything, there wouldn’t be enough for everyone—or for the future.

"I'm sorry," Bigly said, stepping back from the bush. "I didn’t mean to be greedy. Let’s all share the berries."

The animals cheered and gathered around the bush. Bigly helped them pick the ripest berries, and they all enjoyed a delicious feast together. Bigly even saved a few berries to plant in the ground, so new bushes could grow.

From that day on, Bigly became the forest's best sharer. He learned that sharing not only made others happy but also made the forest a better place for everyone.

And as for the blueberries? They grew back even bigger and juicier, just like Bigly’s heart.

You can then analyze and discuss this story. Discuss the imagery and figurative language used. Ask students what lesson Bigly was supposed to learn. Why do you think AI chose this lesson? Discuss the other elements of fiction: what elements are present?  If students each generate AI stories, compare and contrast the stories. What does AI think is important in a good story? After discussion, give students class time to write their own stories based on the formula that AI seems to use.

Poetry

Have students generate AI poems based on any aspect of any novel. For example, I asked AI to "write a poem based on Macbeth."

Here's what it generated:

The Thane of Ambition

Upon the heath, where witches tread,
A prophecy whispered, a fate was fed.
"All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king!"
A spark of power, a deadly thing.

The loyal Thane, with valor bright,
Turned dark beneath ambition's light.
His dagger's edge, his soul's despair,
A crown he sought, but guilt he'd wear.

Lady Macbeth, with steely plea,
"Unsex me now," her haunting decree.
Together they schemed, their hands blood-stained,
Yet in their triumph, no peace remained.

The ghost of Banquo, a silent stare,
A banquet haunted, a king laid bare.
The witches cackled, their riddles spun,
"None born of woman shall harm thee, son."

But fate is sly, and words deceive,
A forest moves, and kings must grieve.
Macduff, the blade, the prophecy's twist,
The tyrant falls in a bloody mist.

Oh, Macbeth, a tale of might,
Of vaulting ambition and endless night.
A lesson carved in Scotland's stone:
Power gained is power alone.

Discuss the poem that AI generates. To what do each of the individual lines refer? Has it covered the essence of the play? What more could/should be added (if anything)? How does this poetry differ from Shakespeare's poetry?  If students each do the exercise, compare and contrast the poems that AI generates. Which is best? Why? Follow up with students writing in-class their own poems about the novel/play/book.

Image Generation

Tell students to AI generate an image of a scene in the book. Tell them to refine the image to be the best it can be. This will require students to choose words to identify the book and the scene. Have them write down a list of the words and phrases they go through and use to refine their images. You could give them a chart with a column for "I Used These Words" and "Evaluation of the Image" with 5-10 rows in the chart. They write the words they used in the first column and then say what was accurate and inaccurate in the second column. On the next line, they write their revised query words and how the image changed/what was good or needed improvement. And so on, until they get an image they are happy with. Then, have students share their images and have a whole-class discussion comparing/contrasting the images and voting on which image is the best.

This is a good exercise in using precise vocabulary--and checks students' understanding of the important elements of the scene. 

Letters and Notes

I asked AI to generate a "thank you note from Tom Robinson to Atticus Finch," (To Kill a Mockingbird) and here's what it generated:

Dear Mr. Finch,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and high spirits. I’ve been sitting here, thinking about everything you’ve done for me and my family, and I felt I needed to put my thoughts into words. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to thank you enough, but I’ll try.

First and foremost, thank you for standing by me when no one else would. You didn’t have to take my case, but you did, and you gave it your all. You treated me like a man, not just a name on a piece of paper or a lost cause. That means more to me than I can ever say. In a world where folks like me don’t often get a fair chance, you gave me hope. You gave me dignity.

I know it wasn’t easy for you or your family. I’ve heard the things people have said, the way they’ve looked at you, and I hate that you had to go through that because of me. But you never wavered. You stood tall, and you fought for me like I was one of your own. That kind of courage is rare, Mr. Finch, and I’ll carry the memory of it with me always.

Please let Miss Jean Louise and Mr. Jem know how much I appreciate their kindness, too. They didn’t have to come to the courthouse, but they did, and it reminded me that there’s still good in this world. Your family gave me a glimpse of what justice and compassion could look like, and that’s something I’ll hold onto, no matter what.

I don’t know what the future holds for me, but I do know this: I’ll never forget what you’ve done. You’ve shown me that there are people willing to stand up for what’s right, even when it’s hard, even when it feels like the whole world is against them. That’s a lesson I’ll carry with me, and I hope one day, folks will see the world the way you do.

Thank you, Mr. Finch, for everything. For your time, your effort, and your heart. You’ve made a difference in my life, and I pray that God blesses you and your family for all the good you’ve done.

With deepest gratitude,
Tom Robinson

It's a nice thank-you letter. It includes several accurate references from the story. Analyze it with your students--or they could work in small groups to analyze it. Are the facts accurate? Is it actually in Tom Robinson's voice? Is there anything that really doesn't fit or seem right about the letter? Would Tom Robinson have used perfect spelling, grammar, and writing skills? Have students re-write the letter during class time, making any changes they feel are necessary to make it better--more like something Tom Robinson would have really written to Atticus.

This works from any character to any other character that is in classic or popular fiction. Let students USE AI, concentrate on analyzing what is generated, then give them the opportunity in class to make it better.

Conclusions

These kinds of activities will help students learn to use AI in productive ways and will help sharpen their analytical skills. Exercise students' analytical minds to evaluate the content AI generates. Follow up with a short, targeted, in-class writing assignment where they have to do the writing. This will also help them see that although what AI generates often sounds good, it needs to be used with caution and with analytical consideration.

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