IB Diploma Programme: The Complete Lesson Planning Guide

Introduction

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme is one of the most rigorous and respected high school curricula in the world. However, its emphasis on inquiry-based learning, interdisciplinary connections (like Theory of Knowledge), and detailed assessment criteria makes lesson planning incredibly complex and time-consuming. With AI tools that are specifically trained on the IB curriculum, such as those in TeachAI's Teachers Workspace, you can streamline this process, ensuring your lessons are both engaging and fully aligned with IB standards.

This guide will walk you through how to leverage AI to create high-quality, $\ce{IB-aligned}$ lesson plans, from incorporating command terms to integrating TOK and preparing students for Internal Assessments (IAs).

The Unique Challenges of IB Lesson Planning

IB teachers must juggle:

• Complex Curriculum: The syllabus for each subject is detailed and demanding.
• Assessment Objectives: Lessons must be explicitly tied to the four assessment objectives (AOs).
• Command Terms: Students must be taught the precise meaning of IB command terms (e.g., "Analyze," "Evaluate," "To what extent...").
• Theory of Knowledge (TOK): Connections to TOK must be woven into the curriculum.
• Internal and External Assessments: Lessons must prepare students for the specific formats of IAs and final exams.

Manually ensuring every lesson hits all these points is a monumental task.

Using TeachAI's Teachers Workspace for IB Planning

The Teachers Workspace allows you to set your curriculum focus. By selecting "IB Diploma Programme" and your specific subject (e.g., "Biology HL," "History SL"), you tell the AI to generate all content through the lens of the IB.

Step 1: $\ce{Curriculum-Aligned}$ Lesson Plans

Use the Lesson Creator with your curriculum set to IB. When you generate a lesson plan, the AI will:

• Automatically reference relevant syllabus points.
• Structure activities to target specific Assessment Objectives.
• Suggest formative assessment questions that use IB command terms.

Example Prompt: "Create a 75-minute lesson plan for IB History HL on the causes of the Cold War, focusing on the ideological conflict and the Yalta/Potsdam conferences. Include a source analysis activity and a TOK connection."

Step 2: Integrating Command Terms

When creating worksheets, practice questions, or assessments, explicitly ask the AI to use IB command terms.

• Worksheet Prompt: "Generate five short-answer questions for IB Economics SL on market failure, using the command terms 'Define,' 'Explain,' and 'Distinguish.'"
• Essay Prompt: "Create an essay question for IB History HL on the rise of authoritarian states, using the command term 'To what extent.'"

This ensures students are constantly practicing the specific skills they'll need for their exams.

Step 3: Generating TOK Connections

This is often one of the hardest parts of IB planning. Use the AI to brainstorm connections:

• Prompt: "For a lesson on the scientific method in IB Biology, generate three TOK discussion prompts related to the nature of evidence, falsifiability, and the role of paradigms in science."

Example AI Output:

1. TOK Prompt 1: To what extent does the scientific method, as practiced in biology, provide us with objective truth, versus a useful but ultimately flawed model of reality?
2. TOK Prompt 2: How does the concept of a "paradigm shift" (Thomas Kuhn) apply to major discoveries in biology, such as the discovery of DNA structure? Does evidence lead to new theories, or do theories determine what we see as evidence?

Step 4: Preparing for Internal Assessments (IAs)

Use the AI to scaffold the IA process for your students.

• Brainstorming: "Generate 10 potential IA research questions for IB Psychology SL related to the cognitive approach."
• Structure Guidance: "Create a step-by-step guide for writing an IB History IA, explaining the purpose of each section (Identification and Evaluation of Sources, Investigation, Reflection)."
• Feedback on Drafts: Use Agent Marker with the official IA rubric to provide detailed, criteria-based feedback on student drafts.

$\ce{Subject-Specific}$ Examples

• IB Biology: Generate presentations with the PowerPoint Creator on complex processes like cellular respiration, and the AI will automatically include the level of detail required for HL/SL.
• IB History: Use the PLC Generator to create a checklist from a chapter on an authoritarian state, ensuring all key aspects (emergence, consolidation of power, policies) are covered.
• IB English A: Use the AI to generate practice Paper 1 analysis questions on unseen texts, or create flashcard decks on literary devices with the Flashcard Maker.

Conclusion

The IB Diploma Programme's rigor is its strength, but it places a heavy burden on teachers. AI tools specifically aligned with the IB curriculum, like those within TeachAI's Teachers Workspace, can be a game-changer. They handle the administrative heavy lifting of curriculum alignment, command term integration, and resource creation, freeing you to focus on the high-level, inquiry-based teaching that is the hallmark of the IB.

By using AI as your planning assistant, you can deliver a world-class IB education without sacrificing your own well-being.

Explore the $\ce{IB-aligned}$ tools in the Teachers Workspace.

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