A1 Smart or Not?

1. 1Get ready
2. 2Do it
3. 3Check yourself
4. 4Show a grown-up

1Get ready

You need:

• Paper
• Pencil or crayons
• A toy or teddy (optional)

2Do it, step by step

1. Fold a piece of paper into 3 columns. Write or draw a heading on each one: MACHINE GOOD, PERSON GOOD, BOTH.
2. Cut or tear 4 small bits of paper. Draw one thing on each bit: counting 1000 things, comforting a sad friend, spelling a very long word, making up a new game.
3. Take one bit at a time. Ask yourself: who is better at this, a machine or a person? Put the bit in a column.
4. Now think: can a machine feel sad? Can it make up a game because it wants to have fun?
5. Finish these sentences out loud: “A machine is good at ______. People are good at ______.”

Are you a person or a computer program? Answer in two short sentences, in simple words for a young child.

Can you give someone a hug? Can you feel sad? Answer in two short sentences, in simple words for a young child.

3Check yourself

4Show a grown-up

Next: Lesson 2

1. 1Get ready
2. 2Do it
3. 3Check yourself
4. 4Show a grown-up

1Get ready

You need:

• Paper
• Pencil
• A grown-up to walk around the home with you

2Do it, step by step

1. Draw two big boxes on your paper. Call one SMART HELPER and the other FIXED RULES.
2. A fixed-rules machine does the same thing every time, like a toaster. A smart helper learns from lots of examples, like an app that suggests videos.
3. Walk around your home with a grown-up. Look for things that use electricity or an app.
4. For each one, ask: does it learn from lots of examples, or does it just follow one fixed rule? Draw it in the right box.
5. Pick the one you think learned the most from examples. Say why.

Name 4 things in a home that use AI and 4 that do not. Use very short answers, in simple words for a young child.

3Check yourself

4Show a grown-up

Next: Lesson 3

1. 1Get ready
2. 2Do it
3. 3Check yourself
4. 4Show a grown-up

1Get ready

You need:

• 12 small pieces of paper
• Crayons or pencil
• A teddy or toy to be your “robot”

2Do it, step by step

1. Draw 6 cats and 6 dogs on your 12 cards, one animal per card. Make them look different: big, small, fluffy, spotty.
2. Turn the cards over. On the back of each one, write C for cat or D for dog. Put 6 cards in a TEACHING pile (3 cats, 3 dogs) and 6 cards in a TEST pile (3 cats, 3 dogs).
3. Your teddy is the robot. The robot has never seen a cat or a dog! Show it just 2 teaching cards, one cat and one dog, with the answer showing.
4. Turn over a test card so only the picture shows. Which teaching card does it look most like? Copy that card’s answer. Do this for all 6 test cards.
5. Count how many the robot got right. Write the number down.
6. Now show the robot all 6 teaching cards. Test it on the same 6 test cards again. Count again.
7. Was the second number bigger? Why do you think that happened?
8. Now only teach the robot with cards of brown dogs. What happens when a white dog turns up in the test?

Play Teach the machine

Here are two examples. A banana is a fruit. A carrot is a vegetable. Is an apple a fruit or a vegetable? Answer in one word.

I will teach you a new game. A “zog” is anything round. A “zug” is anything square. Is a ball a zog or a zug? Is a window a zog or a zug? Is a clock a zog or a zug? Answer in one word each.

3Check yourself

4Show a grown-up

Next: Lesson 4

1. 1Get ready
2. 2Do it
3. 3Check yourself
4. 4Show a grown-up

1Get ready

You need:

• Paper
• Pencil

2Do it, step by step

1. Read each story below out loud, using your most sure-of-yourself robot voice.
2. After each one, decide: did the robot get it right or wrong? Write a tick or a cross.
3. For every cross, say or draw what the right answer should be.
4. Finish: who should check a robot’s answer?

Try these

How many legs does a spider have? Answer in one short sentence.

What colour do you get if you mix blue and yellow paint? Answer in one short sentence.

How many days are in a week? Answer in one short sentence.

Are you sure?

3Check yourself

4Show a grown-up

Next: Lesson 5

1. 1Get ready
2. 2Do it
3. 3Check yourself
4. 4Show a grown-up

1Get ready

You need:

• Paper
• Pencil
• A small bag or box (optional)

2Do it, step by step

1. Put a toy inside a bag. This is your secret. Some things we share and some we keep secret.
2. Information about you is called data. Some data is private. Private data includes your full name, your address, your school, your passwords and photos of your face.
3. Fold a paper in two. Write FINE TO SHARE on one side and KEEP PRIVATE on the other.
4. Draw or write each of these in the right place: your favourite colour, your home address, the name of your school, your favourite animal, one of your passwords, a photo of your face.
5. Say the rule out loud three times: “Ask a grown-up first!”

Sort the cards on the Try page

Should a child tell a chatbot their home address, school name or a password? Answer in three short sentences, in simple words for a young child.

3Check yourself

4Show a grown-up

Next: Lesson 6

1. 1Get ready
2. 2Do it
3. 3Check yourself
4. 4Show a grown-up

1Get ready

You need:

• A big piece of paper
• Crayons or pens

2Do it, step by step

1. Remember what you learned: smart helpers learn from examples, they make mistakes, and we keep private things private.
2. Write the heading MY 3 RULES FOR SMART HELPERS at the top of your poster.
3. Choose 3 rules. You could pick: “Check the answer.” “Keep secrets private.” “Ask a grown-up.”
4. Draw a picture next to each rule.
5. Add a badge at the bottom. Draw a star or a shield and write your name on it (only on the poster you keep at home).
6. Pin your poster up where you can see it.

Give me 3 simple rules for a young child using smart helpers safely, in very short sentences.

3Check yourself

4Show a grown-up