Free resources for educators
Practical resources for classroom routines, thoughtful technology use, and instructional support. Download the files directly, including completed examples and teacher notes where provided. No account or email signup is needed.
What You Missed
Give an absent student a clear place to start. The note has room for the lesson explanation, the first work to try, and what can wait until you meet.
Any subject. Includes a fillable blank page and a completed middle school math example. Use paper or a PDF reader that supports fillable forms.
Get all three text versions (ZIP) | 2 pages in the PDF
Related reading: An Absent Student Needs More Than a Link
Need a plan for several missing assignments?
The free Missing Work Log and Student Catch-Up Plan from our Secondary Systems Lab store give you space to list assignments, check deadlines, and write down the student’s first three actions.
Optional external resource. TPT sign-in required. The downloads above remain available without an account.
Check This AI Answer
Students check a simulated AI summary against a fictional school library survey, then write a more careful summary themselves. The source, two student pages, teaching notes, and complete answer key are included.
Grades 6 to 8. Allow about 15 to 20 minutes; this estimate has not been classroom tested. Students need the printed pages and a pencil. No internet or AI accounts required.
Get all three text versions (ZIP) | 4 pages in the PDF
AI Use on This Assignment
Make the directions clear before students begin. Choose wording for work without AI-generated content or for AI help with one specific step. Includes a completed example and a student note about the help they used.
For teachers to adapt to their assignments, school rules, and agreed learning supports. The example works on paper. No AI subscription is needed to use this resource.
Get all three text versions (ZIP) | 3 pages in the PDF
Five-Minute EdTech Friction Audit
Before adding a tool or changing a routine, check what students need to do, what you already have, and where access or workload may get harder. Finish with a small next action and a date to check what happened.
Includes a one-page audit and a completed fictional middle school example. For teachers, instructional coaches, and school leaders. The PDF is printable; the Word version is editable. Two pages in each format.
Related reading: Before You Add Another App.
Five minutes is a first-pass planning target, not a tested completion time. Required school reviews and follow-up checks may take longer.
Using these materials
You may copy and adapt these original EdTech Alchemy resources for your own teaching. The Friction Audit may also be used for your own coaching and internal school team planning. Follow the usage notes in each download. These are first editions, not yet classroom tested. Each PDF includes its version date.
The original three-resource ZIP contains separate plain-text files for What You Missed, Check This AI Answer, and AI Use on This Assignment. The Friction Audit is available separately in Word format. Download and open the ZIP, then open the text file you need. Copy a section into your own document or class page and change it for your students. Keep teacher notes and answer keys separate from student pages.
Looking for more classroom ideas? The free Field Guide and optional Field Notes signup are here.
