Lesson 2 of 8 · Free · AI for Teachers

ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude Basics

7 minutes to read · No prior AI knowledge needed · English

What you will learn

You only need one tool to start

There are many AI tools. But for teaching work, three tools cover almost everything: ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. You do not need all three. Start with one, get comfortable, then try the others if you want to.

ChatGPT — the most widely used

Website: chat.openai.com
Made by: OpenAI (USA)
Free tier: Yes. Create a free account with your email. The free version (GPT-4o mini) is enough for lesson plans, worksheets, and question papers.
Best for teachers: Lesson plans, worksheets, question papers, explanations, feedback comments, parent messages. Works well for all subjects and class levels.
How to start: Go to chat.openai.com → Sign up with email → Type your request in the chat box → Press Enter.

ChatGPT is the best starting tool for most teachers because it has the largest community and most examples online. If you search "ChatGPT prompt for teachers" you will find many examples.

Gemini — Google's AI tool

Website: gemini.google.com
Made by: Google
Free tier: Yes. Sign in with your existing Google account. No new account needed if you already use Gmail.
Best for teachers: Quick lesson drafts, Google Docs integration, summarising long text, and teachers who already use Google Workspace at school.
How to start: Go to gemini.google.com → Sign in with Gmail → Type your request → Press Enter. Also available in the Google Docs sidebar.

If your school uses Google Classroom or Google Docs, Gemini is especially useful because it works directly inside those tools. Good choice for teachers who are already in the Google ecosystem.

Claude — best for long reference material

Website: claude.ai
Made by: Anthropic (USA)
Free tier: Yes. Create a free account with your email. Daily usage limit applies on the free tier.
Best for teachers: When you need to paste a full chapter, a long syllabus, or multiple pages of notes. Claude handles very long text better than the others on the free tier.
How to start: Go to claude.ai → Sign up → Paste your reference material along with your request → Press Enter.

If you ever need to paste a large amount of reference text — a whole chapter from a textbook, a full year's syllabus — Claude is the most reliable option for staying inside that material.

Which one should you start with?

Start with ChatGPT if you are a complete beginner. It is the most documented and the most commonly discussed AI tool in teacher communities.

Start with Gemini if your school uses Google Workspace and you want to avoid creating a new account.

Use Claude when you have a long chapter or syllabus and want AI to work strictly inside that material.

Free vs paid — do you need to pay?

For the work covered in these 8 lessons — lesson plans, worksheets, question papers, and feedback — the free tier of any of these tools is enough. You do not need to pay anything to get started.

Paid versions give more usage, faster responses, and access to advanced features. You can upgrade later if you use the tools heavily every day. For now, start free.

The basic steps — same for all three tools

How every conversation works
Step 1: Open the website and sign in (or create a free account) Step 2: You will see a text box — this is where you type your request Step 3: Type your request clearly (this is called a "prompt") Step 4: Press Enter or click the send button Step 5: Read the output Step 6: If the output is not right, type a follow-up correction in the same chat Step 7: Copy what you need and check it before use
A simple first request to try
Create a 5-question quiz on the water cycle for Class 6 students. Include multiple choice questions with 4 options each. Add an answer key at the end. Keep language simple.
Quiz — The Water Cycle (Class 6) 1. What is the process by which water turns into water vapour called? a) Condensation b) Evaporation c) Precipitation d) Transpiration Answer: b) Evaporation 2. From where does most of the water in the water cycle come? a) Rivers b) Glaciers c) Oceans d) Lakes Answer: c) Oceans 3. What happens during condensation? a) Water evaporates from plants b) Water vapour cools and turns into clouds c) Rain falls on the ground d) Water soaks into the soil Answer: b) Water vapour cools and turns into clouds 4. What is the name of the process by which plants release water vapour? a) Evaporation b) Condensation c) Transpiration d) Infiltration Answer: c) Transpiration 5. Where does water go after it falls as rain on land? a) It stays on the surface forever b) It flows into rivers, soaks into soil, or evaporates again c) It immediately goes back into clouds d) It disappears into the ground permanently Answer: b) It flows into rivers, soaks into soil, or evaporates again [Teacher: verify answers against your Class 6 textbook chapter on water cycle before distributing]

After getting AI output — always check

Practice task

  1. Choose one tool: ChatGPT (chat.openai.com), Gemini (gemini.google.com), or Claude (claude.ai).
  2. Create a free account if you don't have one. Use your email.
  3. Type this prompt: "Create 5 true-or-false questions on the topic of respiration for Class 9 Biology. Include answers."
  4. Read the output and mark which answers you would keep and which you would change.
  5. Repeat the same prompt on a second tool and compare the two outputs.
← All Teacher Lessons ← Lesson 1 Lesson 3 →