Family AI homework guide: three activities, one agreement, one parent notice

BEETS AI · Theme B · #7 · v0.1 (draft)

⚠️ Every example in this file is fictional and does not involve any real pupil, school or case. This guide is a helping tool and is not a substitute for the school's own homework and AI-use policy; where the school already has rules, the school's rules take precedence. This file is a draft and must be reviewed by an educator before publication.

How to use this guide

The three activities each take about 15-20 minutes and can be done on separate days.
You need only pen and paper; no accounts or special equipment.
After the three activities, sign the "Family homework agreement" together.
A teacher or home-school coordinator can adapt the "Parent notice" into the school's own version before sending it home.

Activity 1 — Try it first (15-20 min)

Pick a homework question the child has not yet done.
The child tries it their own way (3-5 min), writing "what I tried" and "where I got stuck" separately in the box below.
The parent asks only "What did you try?", and does not give the answer.

What I tried:

Where I got stuck:

Activity 2 — Learn to ask for help (15-20 min)

The parent plays the "AI helper"; the child plays the "learner asking for help".
The child practises asking using the phrases below (read them first, then rephrase in their own words).
The parent replies by explaining the steps only, not doing the work.
Swap roles once, so the child can see what a good question looks like.

□ "Please explain the steps; do not give me the answer."

□ "Please point out where I went wrong; do not do it for me."

□ "I am stuck at ______. Could you explain that step?"

Talk about: why is asking for steps better than asking for the answer?

Activity 3 — Check the answer (15-20 min)

The parent prepares a "wrong answer" in advance (use the fictional example below, or make one from the child's own homework).
The child compares the answer with the question, finds the mistake and explains it in their own words.

Fictional example (a fictional P3 class)

Question: 24 / 4 + 2 = ? The "AI answer" the child received: 24 / (4 + 2) = 24 / 6 = 4 Find the mistake and write the correct answer.

The mistake:

Correct answer:

Family homework agreement

Read each point aloud together, tick the box when everyone agrees, then fill in the school name, class and date, and sign.

□ Try it first — I will try the work myself before deciding whether to ask AI for help.

□ Help, not answers — when I ask AI, I will ask for the steps to be explained, not for the answer.

□ Check before I use — before using an AI answer, I will check whether it is correct and suitable.

□ Say when I used AI — when I use AI, I will tell my teacher or parent as the school rules require.

□ The parent's role — in early primary I will sit alongside, ask more than I answer, and do less for the child; in upper primary I will ask regularly "Did you use AI, and for which part?"

□ School rules come first — if the school has its own homework or AI-use rules, those rules take precedence.

School name:    Class:    Date: 

Child's signature: Parent's signature:

Parent notice (editable template for the school)

____________ School Parent Notice

Notice no.: ______ Date: ____ / ____ / ______

Dear parents,

Enclosed is the Family AI homework guide. It contains three parent-and-child activities to do at home (about 15-20 minutes each, no accounts or equipment needed), a family homework agreement, and suggestions for use.

As AI tools become more common, children have more chances to meet AI in their homework. We hope home and school can work together to help children build good habits: try first, ask for help rather than answers, and check before using.

You may complete the three activities with your child at home and sign the family homework agreement. This guide is a support; if it differs from the school's existing homework or AI-use policy, please follow the school's policy.

If you have questions, please contact the class teacher or the responsible teacher: __________ (tel: __________).

____________ School
Principal / Class teacher: __________

Teacher notes: how to introduce this at a parents' evening

Opening (2 min) — Say one line: "Children will use AI; parents need not worry, as long as the habits are set."
Demonstrate "Activity 3 — Check the answer" (5 min) — Use the fictional example above to demonstrate finding the mistake on the spot.
Hand out the guide (1 min) — Ask parents to start with Activity 1 at home, then do the rest over the following days.
Reminder (2 min) — This guide is a helping tool and is not a substitute for the school's own homework and AI-use policy; where the school already has rules, those rules take precedence.

Answer key and checking notes

Point	Sign the child has "got it"	If not, ask
Try it first	Can say "what I tried and where I got stuck" before asking for help.	"Which step did you try?"
Ask for help	The question names the stuck point and asks for an explanation, not an answer.	"Which step do you want me to explain?"
Check the answer	Points out the mistake and explains it in their own words, not just "this is wrong".	"Which step do you think went wrong first?"
Homework agreement	The whole family reads it aloud, fills in the school name and signs.	(Signing without discussing does not count.)

Answer to the fictional example: for "24 / 4 + 2", multiply and divide before adding and subtracting, so 24 / 4 = 6 first, then add 2; the correct answer is 8. The wrong answer added brackets that changed the order of operations.

The key idea: the difference between "help" and "doing it for them" is whether the child tries first and asks for an explanation rather than an answer. The habit in one line: try it first → ask for help → check before you use.

How this relates to the EDB framework

This maps to the Blueprint for Digital Education Development in Primary and Secondary Schools (source B, the three-fold leaflet), p.1, on home-school cooperation, and the AI Literacy Learning Framework for Primary and Secondary Schools (source F, Supplement I), p.1-8, on adult accompaniment in early primary.

This guide is a teaching resource independently produced by Beets and is not an official EDB document, nor a substitute for the school's own homework and AI-use policy.