Promptsforchallenge | Prompt Bank Guru

Prompts for Adding Challenge into Lesson Plans

Key Stage 1 (Ages 5–7) — Adding Simple Higher-Order Thinking

“Act as a KS1 teacher. I have already planned a task on [topic], where pupils will [describe original task]. Create a more challenging, age-appropriate extension activity that encourages children to (compare / classify / explain / predict) using simple language. The task should build directly on what I have already planned, use visuals or manipulatives where helpful, and allow pupils to talk through their thinking. Include 3–4 teacher questions that use Bloom’s verbs such as describe, compare, explain, predict. Do NOT redesign the whole lesson—only increase challenge on this specific task.”

Example Completion

Topic: “plants”
Original task: “label parts of a flower”
AI might generate:
→ “Sort pictures of different plants and compare them… explain why some look similar… predict which would grow fastest and why.”

Key Stage 3 (Ages 11–14) — Encouraging Analytical Thinking

“I’m teaching [topic] at KS3. Students will complete [main task already planned]. Create a higher-order challenge activity that requires students to (analyse / evaluate / draw conclusions) using Bloom’s verbs such as analyse, infer, evaluate, hypothesise. The activity should extend the existing task—e.g., offering a ‘greater depth’ version of the I do / we do / you do, the starter, or the main practice task. Include success criteria and 5–6 analytical questions.”

Example Completion

Topic: “volcanoes”
Original task: “describe how volcanoes form”
AI might produce:
→ “Analyse three volcanic case studies and infer what factors made each eruption more or less destructive… evaluate which volcano posed the highest long-term risk.”

Key Stage 5 (A Level / Sixth Form) — Extending into Synthesis & Argumentation

“I’m teaching [topic] at KS5, and students will complete [describe planned task]. Create a higher-order extension that requires students to (synthesise / theorise / construct an argument / challenge assumptions), drawing on Bloom’s advanced verbs such as synthesise, evaluate, theorise, critique, defend. This should elevate the cognitive demand of the existing activity—not replace my lesson. Include:
• a rigorous challenge question
• an outline of how students might structure a high-level response
• 3 misconceptions to watch for
• 6–8 expert-level prompting questions”

Example Completion

Topic: “photosynthesis (A-level Biology)”
Original task: “explain limiting factors in photosynthesis”

AI might produce:

→ “Theorise how a plant species might evolve in an extreme environment… defend your hypothesis using biochemical principles… critique potential counterarguments.”

Key Stage 2 (Ages 7–11) — Moving from Recall to Reasoning

“I’m teaching [topic] in KS2, and I’ve planned a task where pupils [describe planned activity]. Generate an extension task that increases challenge by requiring pupils to (justify / analyse / evaluate) ideas using Bloom’s verbs such as justify, analyse, explain, summarise. The challenge should link directly to the existing task, not replace it. Provide a short pupil-friendly scaffold and 4–5 probing teacher questions to push reasoning.”

Example Completion

Topic: “fractions”
Original task: “compare fractions using < > =”
AI might output:
→ “Analyse two students’ worked examples and justify who is correct… explain the misconception… evaluate which method is more efficient.”

Key Stage 4 (GCSE) — Pushing Towards Evaluation and Critical Thinking

“Generate a challenge task for a KS4 class studying [topic]. Students will already be completing [describe planned task]. Create a more advanced version that requires students to (evaluate / critique / synthesise) ideas, using Bloom’s higher-order verbs such as evaluate, critique, synthesise, argue. The challenge must build directly on the planned task and support GCSE-level depth. Provide:
• a concise teacher prompt
• a student challenge question
• a short model paragraph showing the level of reasoning expected
• 5–6 higher-order hinge questions”

Example Completion

Topic: “An Inspector Calls”
Original task: “explain how Priestley presents Mr Birling”
AI might generate:
→ “Critique how far Priestley uses Birling to symbolise capitalist flaws… synthesise quotations to argue the most significant dramatic moment that shapes the audience’s perception.”

Quick ‘Add Challenge’ Prompts (Fill-in-the-Blank)

“Ask students to [Bloom verb] the [content] to deepen challenge.”
“Add a task where they [analyse/evaluate/create] the impact of [concept].”
“Include a question comparing [example 1] and [example 2].”
“Have students justify/defend their answer using [evidence].”
“Extend by asking them to predict/evaluate what happens if [variable] changes.”
“Challenge learners to design/propose a better method than [current method].”

Create your own prompts with these resources:

Sentence starters:

“Summarise how…”, “Explain why…”, “Classify these by…”, “Apply this to…”, “Show how this works by…”, “Solve a new example where…”, “Analyse the differences…”, “Infer what would happen if…”, “Examine the reasons behind…”, “Evaluate which is best and why.”, “Justify your choice with evidence.”, “Critique the method used.”, “Propose a new way to…”, “Design an alternative that…”, “Generate three solutions for…”, “What makes this similar/different to…?”, “Why might someone disagree?”, “What assumption does this rely on?”, “How would this change if [variable] changed?”, “What’s the most important part, and why?”, “How could this be improved?”, “What evidence supports your idea?”, “Where could this go wrong?”.

Verbs:

describe, identify, summarise, classify, explain, apply, demonstrate, show, solve, analyse, compare, contrast, infer, examine, evaluate, justify, critique, defend, assess, create, design, propose, generate, synthesise.