Asking AI - and Checking
Ask clearly, check a separate source and decide when to use AI. Fictional offline simulation for ages 10–13, with no saved data.
For parents: a one-page guide — dinner questions and checking with a book.
01Remember
Before this lesson: DB-IB-06 · How AI “Guesses” — and When It Is Wrong.
Can AI be wrong?
Yes. I check its answer before using it.
Is a confident answer enough?
No. I look for what another source says.
What if I am unsure?
I stop and ask a grown-up I trust.
02Story
An imaginary class is making a noticeboard for a reading club. A reading passage and a meeting notice lie on the table. One child suggests trying a fictional AI helper. The helper in this story is an example written by us, not a real service.
Their first question is “Tell me about the club.” The answer is long, but the board only needs the meeting place and day. The child changes the question: “Using the club notice, give the place and day in one sentence.” Now the task is clear.
The helper sounds certain. Someone starts to copy. Another child asks: “Which line in the notice confirms the day?” They open the sheet and compare that exact word. They find a mismatch. The confident tone did not help them spot it.
The class corrects the day using the notice. They use the checked information for the heading and choose their own idea for the decoration. They leave room for a rule: “Ask clearly, check separately, and decide for ourselves.” They may borrow an idea from a helper, but they decide what goes on their board.
The story and class are made up. In the next activity, you choose what to check and how.
03Worked example
Ask clearly. Instead of “Help”: “Using this fictional passage, tell me where the club meets, in one sentence.” This prompt gives a task, context and an answer format.
Separate out the claim. “The meeting is in the library.” I check the place, rather than how confident the sentence sounds.
Compare. I read the line about the place in the separate passage. If I cannot find it, I ask a teacher to help. Another answer from the same helper is not a separate source.
Decide. If the sources agree, I use the checked information in my own words. If they disagree, I correct it using the source; without evidence, I leave the question open. A clear prompt does not promise a correct answer.
04Try it now
This is a fictional simulation, not real AI. All answers are scripted. There are three school-like questions and one wrong answer. You only choose buttons; the simulation sends and saves nothing. It works without the internet.
1 · Predict
Can a clear question receive a wrong answer? Choose a prediction.
2 · Run
Choose a question, then reveal the answer.
3 · Change: choose your check
What will you check first? Then choose how. You can change your choices.
What will you do after checking?
05No screen
For about 10 minutes: choose a question you can look up in a book at home. Ask a family member the same question. They do not need to know the answer.
Write the question and listen to your family member’s answer.
Find a relevant passage in the book. Note the page and compare the exact claim.
Say what agrees, what differs and what remains unclear. If answers differ, find another source with a grown-up; agreement alone is not proof.
06Make your own
“Our family rule for AI”: write one sentence on paper, in your own words — when we ask and when we do not.
An idea: “We ask AI for ideas, check claims in a book, and when we want a conversation with someone close, we talk to them.” Change it to fit your choice. Read your rule to a family member and explain why you chose it.
07What I learned
- I ask clearly: task, context and answer format.
- I check the exact claim in a separate source. Confidence is not evidence.
- I decide when to use AI and when to choose another way. AI is not a person and does not replace my judgment.
Check yourself
1. Which prompt is clearer?
2. How do you check the day?
3. When may you choose not to use AI?
It is yours when you can ask clearly, show a separate source and explain your decision. No points or rankings.
If something scares you, tell a grown-up you trust.
08I have a question
Do you still have a question? Write it here. It goes to your parent, not to strangers. Your parent confirms their e-mail first.
The form is loading… If it does not appear, write your question on paper and show it to a parent or teacher.
·Sources
- Title: Asking AI - and Checking (DB-IB-11) · Author: Children’s Library, East Accelerator Foundation · Source: original text and fictional activities, 2026 · Rights: CC BY-SA 4.0.
- S1 · AILit Framework · OECD / European Commission / CodeAI · for primary and secondary education; domains: Engage with AI, Create with AI, Manage AI, Shape AI. Source of ideas and facts; no adapted third-party text or images.
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Children's Library, East Accelerator Foundation, 2026. You may share and adapt this lesson if you credit the author and keep the same licence. Learning is free forever.