English Language Arts · 9th Grade

Active learning ideas

The Ethics of Information: AI and Academic Integrity

When students grapple with the ethics of AI, abstract concerns become concrete through active learning. Ninth graders need structured opportunities to test their assumptions, practice ethical reasoning, and apply their conclusions to real classroom scenarios. Active strategies like structured controversies and fact-checking exercises help students move beyond vague discomfort or overconfidence toward disciplined, evidence-based decision making.

• Common Core State Standards
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.8
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.6

• 25–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Structured Academic Controversy
• 35 min · Small Groups

Structured Academic Controversy: AI Use Cases

Small groups receive a scenario (for example, a student uses AI to create an outline and then writes every sentence themselves). Half the group argues this use is ethically acceptable, half argues it is not, citing specific reasons. Groups then switch positions and finally work together to write a one-sentence policy recommendation that both sides could endorse.

What are the moral implications of using AI to generate academic content?

Facilitation Tip

During Structured Academic Controversy, assign roles explicitly so students must represent positions they may not personally hold, deepening perspective-taking.

What to look for

Present students with a scenario: A student uses an AI tool to brainstorm essay ideas and generate an outline, then writes the essay themselves, citing the AI as a 'conceptual aid.' Ask: 'Is this ethical? Why or why not? What specific information should be disclosed about the AI's role?'

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 25 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Fact-Check the AI

Students submit a research question to an AI tool (in class or as preparation) and receive an AI-generated paragraph on their topic. Individually they fact-check three claims in the paragraph using verifiable sources. Pairs compare findings and discuss what the errors or gaps reveal about the nature of AI-generated content and how to use it responsibly.

How can educators and students ensure academic integrity in the age of AI?

Facilitation Tip

For Think-Pair-Share: Fact-Check the AI, provide the same AI output to every pair so factual inconsistencies are easier to spot and discuss.

What to look for

Provide students with two short paragraphs on the same topic, one written by a human and one by AI. Ask them to identify 2-3 differences in style, tone, or potential accuracy, and explain how they might verify the information in the AI-generated text.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Inquiry Circle
• 30 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Policy Analysis

Small groups read excerpts from three real AI academic integrity policies (from a university, a high school, and a professional organization). Groups identify the key distinctions each policy draws, discuss whether those distinctions are meaningful and enforceable, and present their assessment of which policy strikes the most defensible balance.

Predict the long-term impact of AI on the nature of research and writing.

Facilitation Tip

In Collaborative Investigation: Policy Analysis, give each group a different school policy on AI use so they notice how context shapes ethical judgments.

What to look for

Ask students to write one sentence defining 'academic integrity' in the context of AI use and one question they still have about the ethics of AI in schoolwork.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 04

• Gallery Walk
• 25 min · Small Groups

Gallery Walk: AI Ethics Spectrum

Post six AI use scenarios on a spectrum wall ranging from 'clearly ethical' to 'clearly a violation.' Small groups place each scenario on the spectrum with a one-sentence justification and compare where different groups positioned the same scenario. The discussion focuses on what factors drove the most disagreement.

What are the moral implications of using AI to generate academic content?

Facilitation Tip

During Gallery Walk: AI Ethics Spectrum, post student-generated criteria next to each case so the class builds shared standards as they move.

What to look for

Present students with a scenario: A student uses an AI tool to brainstorm essay ideas and generate an outline, then writes the essay themselves, citing the AI as a 'conceptual aid.' Ask: 'Is this ethical? Why or why not? What specific information should be disclosed about the AI's role?'

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should frame this topic as a skill-building exercise, not a lecture. Research shows that when students debate real classroom dilemmas and evaluate concrete examples, they internalize ethical reasoning more deeply than when they only hear general rules. Avoid framing AI solely as a threat; instead, treat it as a tool whose proper use requires new forms of literacy and disclosure. Model skepticism toward confident-sounding AI text by openly questioning dates, citations, and assumptions to normalize critical evaluation.

Successful learning looks like students distinguishing between productive and unethical AI use, backing their judgments with clear criteria, and revising their views after evidence and discussion. They should leave able to articulate why certain AI uses support integrity while others undermine it, using academic vocabulary and concrete examples.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Structured Academic Controversy: AI Use Cases, watch for students claiming that any AI use constitutes cheating.

  During the controversy, redirect students to the assessment criteria by asking, "What was the learning objective for this assignment? Did the AI use support or replace the thinking required to meet it? Have students reference the specific case text to justify their answers."

• During Think-Pair-Share: Fact-Check the AI, watch for students assuming AI text is reliable because it sounds authoritative.

  During the fact-check, guide pairs to look for inconsistent dates, missing citations, or biased phrasing in the AI output, then compare findings as a class to build shared awareness of AI's unreliability on specific facts.

• During Collaborative Investigation: Policy Analysis, watch for students believing that academic integrity rules will become obsolete with widespread AI use.

  During the policy analysis, have groups identify the core purpose of integrity policies (measuring authentic learning) and evaluate whether proposed AI rules still serve that purpose, using examples from their assigned policies.

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Methods used in this brief

• Structured Academic Controversy
• Think-Pair-Share
• Inquiry Circle
• Gallery Walk