Teaching demo questions.

74 teaching demo questions from the bank, ready to practice out loud.

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Backward design: objective, evidence, then activities Checking for understanding — and acting on it I do, we do, you do: the lesson arc Openings that earn attention STAR and CARL: structuring your story One lesson, many levels Teaching against misconceptions Teaching when every student has AI

All 74 questions

Teaching photosynthesis to 7th gradeDesign a 5-minute lesson on photosynthesis for 7th graders. Walk me through what they'll know by the end.Objective framingEntry–senior

Opening a French Revolution lessonWalk me through how you'd open a 9th-grade history lesson on the French Revolution that has to earn attention in the first two minutes.Hook/engagement strategyMid–senior

Teaching negative numbersWalk me through how you'd teach negative numbers to 5th graders, knowing students often confuse 'less' with 'smaller'.Scaffolding for misconceptionsMid–senior

Checking ratio understanding mid-lessonWalk me through how you'd check that 6th graders understood ratios mid-lesson without giving a quiz.Formative checkMid–senior

Teaching writing across reading levelsWalk me through how you'd teach the same writing lesson to a class with students at three reading levels.DifferentiationMid–senior

Newton's third law lessonDesign a high-school physics lesson on Newton's third law that ends with students explaining a real-world example back to you.Objective framingMid–senior

Opening a periodic table lessonWalk me through how you'd open a chemistry lesson on the periodic table that doesn't start with 'we're going to memorize it'.Hook/engagement strategyMid–senior

Teaching evolution with diverse beliefsWalk me through teaching evolution to a class that includes students whose families believe differently.Scaffolding for misconceptionsSenior–leadership

Assessing understanding of addition carryingWalk me through how you'd know whether a 3rd grader understands carrying in addition versus just memorized the algorithm.Formative checkEntry–mid

Mixed ability science classWalk me through how you'd structure a science lesson for a class with one student who's already at college level.DifferentiationMid–senior

Persuasive writing in 10 minutesDesign a 10-minute lesson on persuasive writing that produces a specific, measurable artifact by the end.Objective framingMid–senior

Engaging disengaged studentsWalk me through opening a lesson with students who are disengaged from the subject in general.Hook/engagement strategySenior–leadership

Teaching probability misconceptionsWalk me through teaching probability when students believe 'flipping heads four times means tails is due'.Scaffolding for misconceptionsMid–senior

Checking understanding three different waysWalk me through three different ways you'd check understanding in a 40-minute lesson.Formative checkMid–senior

Dyslexia and ADHD togetherWalk me through teaching a lesson where one student has dyslexia and another has severe ADHD.DifferentiationSenior–leadership

Changing student beliefsWalk me through designing a lesson where the goal is changing student belief, not just adding knowledge.Objective framingSenior–leadership

Math lesson after holiday breakWalk me through opening a math lesson the day after a holiday break.Hook/engagement strategyEntry–mid

Reteaching after prior misconceptionWalk me through how you'd teach a confusing concept after a previous teacher already explained it the wrong way.Scaffolding for misconceptionsSenior–leadership

Detecting confusion earlyWalk me through how you'd identify which students didn't get it within the first 10 minutes of a lesson.Formative checkMid–senior

Same lesson, different track levelsWalk me through teaching the same lesson on Romeo and Juliet to honors and standard-track classes.DifferentiationMid–senior

Transferable single-objective lessonDesign a lesson with a single objective that's transferable to other subjects, not just the one being taught.Objective framingSenior–leadership

Opening grammar without boringWalk me through opening a 6th-grade lesson on grammar that doesn't bore them in the first 30 seconds.Hook/engagement strategyEntry–senior

Teaching fractions misconceptionsWalk me through teaching fractions when many students believe 'bigger denominator means bigger fraction'.Scaffolding for misconceptionsEntry–mid

Mid-lesson check shows 70% lostWalk me through what you'd do if your mid-lesson check showed 70% of the class hadn't understood.Formative checkSenior–leadership

Student finishes activity too fastWalk me through how you'd handle a lesson where one student finishes the activity in three minutes.DifferentiationMid–senior

Deepening without new contentDesign a lesson where the objective is specifically NOT to introduce new content — but to deepen what students already know.Objective framingSenior–leadership

Opening a lesson under observationWalk me through how you'd open a lesson when you know the principal is observing.Hook/engagement strategyMid–senior

Teaching evidence vs. opinionWalk me through teaching the concept of 'evidence' in social studies when students mainly equate it with 'opinion they agree with'.Scaffolding for misconceptionsSenior–leadership

Exit ticket to openerWalk me through how you'd combine an exit ticket with the next-day's opener to track learning between lessons.Formative checkMid–senior

Teaching with emerging English learnersWalk me through teaching a complex lesson when several students are emerging English learners.DifferentiationSenior–leadership

Teaching the water cycleWalk me through how you'd teach the water cycle to 4th graders, making sure they can explain each stage in their own words by the end.Objective framingEntry–mid

Connecting percentages to student interestsWalk me through how you'd open a 7th-grade math lesson on percentages that connects to something students already care about.Hook/engagement strategyEntry–mid

Teaching their, there, they'reWalk me through teaching the difference between 'their,' 'there,' and 'they're' to 5th graders who constantly mix them up.Scaffolding for misconceptionsEntry–mid

Checking Civil War understanding mid-lessonWalk me through how you'd check whether 8th graders understand the causes of the Civil War halfway through the lesson without asking 'Does everyone get it?'Formative checkEntry–mid

Mixed reading levelsWalk me through how you'd teach a lesson on main idea when three students read at 2nd-grade level and two are already above grade level.DifferentiationEntry–mid

Opening cells lessonWalk me through opening a high-school biology lesson on cells that makes students curious instead of just telling them why it matters.Hook/engagement strategyEntry–mid

Teaching area vs. perimeterWalk me through teaching area vs. perimeter to 3rd graders who think they're the same thing because both involve measuring shapes.Scaffolding for misconceptionsEntry–mid

AI chatbot thinking partnerDesign a 10-minute lesson segment where students use an AI chatbot as a thinking partner — not an answer machine. How do you keep the cognitive work on the student's side?Objective framingMid–senior

Responding to 'why learn thisA student just asked, in front of everyone, 'Why do we have to learn this when AI can do it for us?' What do you do — in that moment, and in how you frame the rest of the lesson?Hook/engagement strategyMid–senior

Checking understanding with AI presentWalk me through a check for understanding that still tells you the truth when every student has a device with AI on it. What does your check ask that AI can't answer for them?Formative checkMid–senior

Teaching with frequent student absencesWalk me through running a lesson in a class where a third of students have missed multiple days in the last two weeks. How does the lesson still work for the student who wasn't there for the prerequisites?DifferentiationMid–senior

Teaching how AI chatbots workWalk me through teaching 8th graders what an AI chatbot actually does, knowing many believe it looks up facts and is always right.Scaffolding for misconceptionsMid–senior

Teaching without projector or devicesHere's the setup — five minutes into your demo lesson, the projector dies and the class device cart won't connect. Talk me through how the lesson still reaches its objective.Objective framingEntry–senior

Mastery dashboard shapes lessonYour adaptive practice app says 40% of the class mastered last night's skill and 60% didn't. Talk me through how that dashboard shapes — or doesn't shape — today's lesson objective.Objective framingMid–senior

Quality-checking AI-generated passagesWalk me through using AI to generate three reading levels of the same passage for one lesson. What do you quality-check before it touches students, and when would you refuse the output?DifferentiationMid–senior

Demo lesson for adult interviewersHow would you structure a 10-minute demo lesson when your 'students' are five adult interviewers pretending to be 6th graders?Hook/engagement strategyEntry–senior

Student reveals the lesson's answerThirty seconds into your hook, a student blurts out the exact answer your whole lesson was building toward. What do you do?Hook/engagement strategyEntry–mid

Circulating during independent practiceYou're circulating during independent practice. What are the first three things you look for on students' papers, and what would make you stop the whole class?Formative checkEntry–mid

Teaching moon phases with misconceptionsWalk me through teaching the phases of the moon to 6th graders who believe Earth's shadow causes them.Scaffolding for misconceptionsEntry–mid

Water cycle lesson with diagramsDesign a 15-minute lesson on the water cycle for 4th graders that ends with each student drawing and labeling their own diagram. Walk me through your teaching sequence.Objective framingEntry–mid

Opening a fractions lessonWalk me through how you'd open a middle-school math lesson on fractions when students groan the moment you say the word. What happens in the first three minutes?Hook/engagement strategyEntry–senior

Reteaching their, there, they'reWalk me through how you'd teach the difference between 'their,' 'there,' and 'they're' to 8th graders who keep making the same mistake in essays.Scaffolding for misconceptionsEntry–mid

Supply and demand from experienceDesign a lesson on supply and demand for high-school economics that starts with something students experienced this week, not a textbook definition.Hook/engagement strategyEntry–senior

Checking main idea understanding mid-lessonWalk me through how you'd check for understanding halfway through a 5th-grade lesson on main idea versus supporting details without asking 'Does everyone get it?'Formative checkEntry–mid

Teaching area with weak multiplicationWalk me through teaching a geometry lesson on area to a class where half the students struggle with multiplication facts. How do you keep both groups learning?DifferentiationMid–senior

Introducing Shakespeare to 9th gradeDesign a 10-minute introduction to Shakespeare for 9th graders that doesn't mention 'old English' or 'it's hard but important.' What's your opening move?Hook/engagement strategyEntry–senior

Teaching variables as placeholdersWalk me through how you'd teach the concept of variables in algebra to 6th graders who think 'x' is just a letter, not a placeholder.Scaffolding for misconceptionsEntry–mid

Living versus memorizedWalk me through how you'd know whether 2nd graders understand the difference between living and non-living things versus just memorized your examples.Formative checkEntry–mid

Teaching cell structure with modelsDesign a high-school biology lesson on cell structure where students build a physical or digital model by the end. Walk me through the instructional arc.Objective framingEntry–senior

Civil Rights with diverse familiesWalk me through teaching a lesson on the Civil Rights Movement to a diverse middle-school class where students' families have very different political views.Scaffolding for misconceptionsMid–senior

Discovering density through labWalk me through how you'd structure a 7th-grade science lab on density so that students discover the concept themselves rather than you telling them the formula first.Objective framingMid–senior

Teaching academic vocabulary for essaysDesign a 5-minute vocabulary lesson on three academic words (analyze, synthesize, evaluate) that 10th graders will actually use in their next essay.Objective framingEntry–mid

Assessing fact versus opinion informallyWalk me through how you'd check whether 4th graders understand the difference between fact and opinion during a media literacy lesson without it feeling like a test.Formative checkEntry–mid

Preventing exponent notation confusionWalk me through teaching exponents to 8th graders when you know they'll confuse 2³ with 2×3. How do you prevent or address that confusion?Scaffolding for misconceptionsEntry–mid

Adapting reading for mixed levelsWalk me through how you'd adapt a middle-school reading comprehension lesson for a class that includes two English language learners and one student reading at a 3rd-grade level.DifferentiationMid–senior

Opening a balancing equations lessonDesign the opening five minutes of a high-school chemistry lesson on balancing equations that makes students curious about why equations need to balance at all.Hook/engagement strategyEntry–senior

Teaching rounding with understandingWalk me through how you'd teach 3rd graders to round numbers to the nearest ten when many will just look at the ones digit without understanding why.Scaffolding for misconceptionsEntry–mid

Gauging summarization without writingWalk me through how you'd gauge understanding during a 6th-grade lesson on summarizing when you can't just ask students to write a summary because they're still learning.Formative checkEntry–mid

Scaffolding testable questionsDesign a lesson on the scientific method for 5th graders that ends with them designing their own testable question. Walk me through the scaffolding.Objective framingEntry–mid

Opening climate change respectfullyWalk me through how you'd open a lesson on climate change with high schoolers that acknowledges disagreement without turning it into a debate that derails learning.Hook/engagement strategyMid–senior

Two-step equations mixed paceWalk me through teaching a 7th-grade lesson on solving two-step equations to a class where three students finish in five minutes and five students don't know where to start.DifferentiationMid–senior

Checking decomposition understandingWalk me through how you'd check that 1st graders understand that 15 is the same as 10+5 and not just that they can count to 15.Formative checkEntry–mid

Teaching complex sentences with examplesDesign a 10-minute grammar lesson on complex sentences for 8th graders that results in them writing one correct example and explaining why it works.Objective framingEntry–mid

Aligning thesis statement instructionWalk me through how you'd lead a department meeting to align three teachers on how to teach thesis statements so students don't get conflicting advice as they move through grades.Objective framingSenior–leadership