How to Use TeachSpark

📚 Browse the Template Library

Visit teachspark.app/templates to browse all templates without signing up. Use the quick-filter pills at the top to jump to a category, then refine by grade band, subject, activity type, or standard using the dropdowns.

Click any template and the entire activity builder form is pre-filled with one click — grade level, subject, activity type, duration, and lesson goal are all set. Adjust anything you like, then click Generate.

🧠 Framework Templates

The Template Library includes a Frameworks category with 45+ well-known teaching frameworks — Frayer Model, 5E, DBQ, CER, P.E.E., MEAL, RAFT, PBL, Bloom's Taxonomy, GIST, 3-2-1 Reflection, Think-Pair-Share, SWOT Analysis, Jigsaw, KWL Chart, Socratic Seminar, Gallery Walk, Number Talks, SOAPSTone, Design Thinking, Four Corners, Costa's Levels of Questioning, Close Reading/Annotation, CRA, Fishbowl Discussion, Porter's Five Forces, and many more.

Each framework template is built around the framework's pedagogical structure — not just a generic activity with the framework's name on it. The five-part activity arc (Teach, Practice, Apply, Reflect, Exit Ticket) is shaped to follow the framework's specific stages.

To use one: click the 🧠 Frameworks filter pill in the Template Library, pick a framework, and the builder pre-fills with that framework's structure applied to a sample topic. Change the lesson goal to your own topic and click Generate.

⚙️ Apply a Framework Without a Template

Prefer to start from scratch? The main activity builder (/create) has a standalone Pedagogical Framework dropdown below the Common Core & Standards Alignment section. Pick any of the 45+ frameworks — the framework's structure is injected into the AI prompt automatically, and your grade, subject, and activity type stay as-is. You simply type your lesson goal and generate.

This is the fastest way to apply a framework to your own custom topic without browsing the Template Library first.

🎯 Common Core Standards

The builder's Common Core & Standards Alignment section (available for K-8 and 9–12 modes) now includes the full, searchable Common Core ELA and Math standards. Pick the framework, choose ELA or Math, then search by code (e.g., RL.4.2 or K.CC.1) or keyword to find the exact standard. The AI aligns all content, questions, and assessments to that standard. NGSS Science, C3 Social Studies, ISTE Technology, National Core Arts, PE, and ACTFL World Languages frameworks are also available.

🚀 How to Generate a Unit Plan

Navigate to Unit & Lesson Plans from your dashboard and click Create a Unit Plan. Enter your subject, grade level, and duration (1 week to 1 month). Choose how many activities per day you want, then pick a Schedule Style:

The Schedule Style controls the mix of activity days vs. non-activity days. Click Generate and TeachSpark builds your complete day-by-day plan in under a minute. No prompt engineering required.

📅 What a Generated Plan Contains

Each day in your plan is one of six day types — a mix of activity slots (where you build TeachSpark activities) and non-activity days:

🗂️ What a Unit Plan Card Looks Like

On the Unit & Lesson Plans dashboard, each plan shows as a card with its title, subject, total days, and how many activities are built vs. planned:

🔨 Building Out Activity Slots

Click any unit card to open the unit detail view. Activity days show a Build This Activity button — click it to open the activity builder pre-filled with that day's topic and context. Once built, the activity appears in the unit and the planned vs. built count updates automatically.

The unit detail view also includes a Unit Overview panel (showing the plan summary, day count, and activity count) and a Share Unit panel (generating a shareable link students use to track progress — no accounts required).

📋 Per-Day Lesson Plans

Every day in your unit — activity or non-activity — has a Generate Lesson Plan button. Click it to generate a full, structured lesson plan with named, timed segments (objective, warm-up, direct instruction, guided practice, independent practice, closure).

From the lesson plan view, you can:

Saved lesson plans are stored on the day and can be re-opened, edited, or regenerated at any time. Each lesson plan includes differentiation notes for support, extension, and ELL students.

📁 Folders & Reordering

On the Unit & Lesson Plans dashboard, you can organize your plans with folders:

• →Create folders from the sidebar — name them by semester, prep period, or subject.
• →Drag and drop unit cards to reorder them, or drag them into folders to organize.
• →Delete a plan from the card's menu — the unit and all its activities are removed.
• →Sort by newest, oldest, or manual order. Filters let you view by subject or folder.

🗓️ Valerie's Lesson Pacing Guide

For a faster, less structured alternative, open the Valerie chat and click the Lesson Pacing Guide quick-action pill. Tell Valerie your topic, grade level, and how long the sequence should be (e.g., "one week" or "two weeks"). She generates a full multi-day plan with daily lesson plans — each with named, timed segments — directly in the chat. You can copy, download, or save the plan from there. This is ideal for quick pacing guides when you don't need the full unit builder's folder organization and activity slots.