› For classrooms · Free to print
Unplugged AI Week
Five AI lessons, no devices, about 45 minutes each, grades 4-8.
Made for December's computer science week. Works any week.
Start here
Teacher Guide
Week overview, a materials checklist for a class of 24, and one page per day with a timed 45-minute plan.
Download the Teacher Guide (PDF)
Or download the whole week (ZIP)The guide plus every game file, a folder per day.
No email, no login. Free to print and share.
The five days
Print counts are for a class of 24 in groups of 4. Scale up or down.
Day 1 · Program vs. learn
Robot Route
A program works on one maze. A learned habit works on mazes it never saw, until it meets something new.
30 min of play in a 45-minute lesson · groups of 4
- Instruction sheetPlain paper · 1 page · 8.5 × 11× 6 for 24
- Full rulesPlain paper · duplex · 2 pages1 for you
- Maze BookPlain paper · 2 pages× 6 for 24
- Habit SheetPlain paper · 1 page · pencil× 6 for 24
Also: pencils (12), robot tokens (cut from the Maze Book) (6).
Day 2 · Decision trees
Twenty Questions Tree
A computer sorts things by asking yes/no questions about them, one after another.
25 min of play in a 45-minute lesson · groups of 4
- Instruction sheetPlain paper · 1 page · 8.5 × 11× 6 for 24
- Full rulesPlain paper · duplex · 2 pages1 for you
- Object cardsPlain paper · 2 pages · scissors× 6 for 24
- Tree MatPlain paper · 1 page · landscape× 12 for 24
Also: pencils (12), scissors (6).
Day 3 · Learning from mistakes
Matchbox Brain
The robot is never told how to play well. It only finds out when it loses, and it never makes that move again.
25 min of play in a 45-minute lesson · groups of 4
- Instruction sheetPlain paper · 1 page · 8.5 × 11× 6 for 24
- Full rulesPlain paper · duplex · 2 pages1 for you
- Brain MatPlain paper · 3 pages · pencil× 6 for 24
- Learning LogPlain paper · 1 page× 6 for 24
Also: pencils (6), six-sided dice (6), coins or counters (36).
Day 4 · How chatbots write
Next Word
A chatbot picks each next word from what usually came next in what it read.
20 min of play in a 45-minute lesson · groups of 4
- Instruction sheetPlain paper · 1 page · 8.5 × 11× 6 for 24
- Full rulesPlain paper · duplex · 2 pages1 for you
- Model + Story cards (Avery 5388)Avery 5388 · 5 sheets× 6 for 24
Also: six-sided dice (6), coins or counters (6).
Day 5 · Real or AI-made?
Is that real?
How a photo looks is a weak clue. Where it came from is a strong one.
25 min of play in a 45-minute lesson · whole class in 6 teams of 4
- Instruction sheetPlain paper · 1 page · 8.5 × 11× 6 for 24
- Full rulesPlain paper · duplex · 2 pages1 for you
- Practice MatPlain paper · 1 page · 8.5 × 11× 6 for 24
- Case + Check cards (Avery 5388)Avery 5388 · 8 sheets1 for you
- Grown-up guidePlain paper · 1 page · 8.5 × 111 for you
Also: coins or counters (12).
3rd grade? Days 2, 3 and 5 suit age 8 and up. The other days are for ages 9 and up.
Card files print on Avery 5388, card stock, or plain paper. On plain paper, cut along the tick marks with a trimmer, or join the ticks with a ruler and cut with scissors.
No dice? Write 1-6 on six slips, draw one from a cup, and put it back every time.
After the week
The Unplugged CS season bundle has twelve more sessions in the same spirit, licensed to photocopy and give away.
Twelve more weeks, free to photocopy →
Get new printables free