LessonBuilder, GAPS and GTP: Automating Lesson Document Creation

LessonBuilder is a Google Apps Script application designed to dramatically reduce the time and effort required to create high-quality lesson materials. By harnessing the capabilities of advanced Large Language Models (LLMs), LessonBuilder automates the generation of comprehensive lesson plans, engaging student activity documents, and visually appealing slide presentations.

Here's how LessonBuilder simplifies your workflow:

1. Concise Lesson Summaries: Begin by entering lesson information into a structured Google Sheet. Include essential details like the unit, topic, learning objectives, key concepts, and relevant standards.

2. AI-Powered Content Creation: LessonBuilder's intelligent system, powered by a sophisticated LLM, analyzes your input and automatically generates:

   • Thorough Lesson Plans: Receive well-organized lesson plans that incorporate timings, warm-up activities, essential questions, key terms, differentiation strategies, assessment ideas, and answer keys.
   • Engaging Activity Documents: Provide your students with structured worksheets that include thought-provoking questions, interactive exercises, space for reflection, and clearly defined learning goals.
   • Dynamic Slide Presentations: Utilize visually engaging presentations featuring key takeaways, relevant visuals, embedded videos (if URLs are provided), and a cohesive flow of information.

3. Tailored to Your Classroom: Review and easily customize the generated content to align with your unique teaching style, curriculum requirements, and the specific needs of your students.

Key Features:

• AI-Driven Content Generation: Significantly reduces lesson planning time by automating the creation of high-quality educational materials.
• Customizable Templates: Modify generated content to match your preferred formats and classroom needs.
• Seamless Google Workspace Integration: Enjoy a smooth and efficient workflow with direct integration within Google Sheets, Docs, and Slides.
• Increased Efficiency & Focus: Devote more time to teaching and student interaction by offloading repetitive aspects of lesson preparation.

Example Input (Google Sheet):

Unit	Title	Period	Main Topic	Sub Topics	AP Objectives	...
10	Recursion	3 of 10	10.2. Recursive Searching and Sorting	"10.2.1. Recursive Binary Search 10.2.2. Merge Sort ..."	"CON-2.P: Apply recursive search algorithms... CON-2.Q: Apply recursive algorithms to sort..."

LessonBuilder takes care of the rest, providing you with fully formed documents, ready for your final review!

Summary by Gemini 1.5 Pro

I uploaded the folder and asked Gemini to analyze the files and provide an overview. I think it is did a reasonable job, but it is overselling this application for sure. Below is it's analysis of the workflow.

File Breakdown and Data Flow Analysis

This project automates lesson plan creation using Google Apps Script and a Large Language Model (LLM). Here's a breakdown of the files and their functions:

1. src/code.ts (Main Entry Point):

• Data: Reads data from lesson_sequence and lesson_content sheets.
• UI: Sets up the custom menu in Google Sheets for user interaction.
• Orchestration:
  • onOpen(): Initializes the custom menu on spreadsheet open.
  • createDocuments(), createSlides(), createLessonPlans(), createAll(): Trigger functions for specific resource creation or all resources.
  • createResources(docType): Main function that filters records based on docType and calls the corresponding creation functions.
  • getAllActivityRecords(): Retrieves all lesson content records from the sheet that haven't been fully processed.
  • updateCompleted(rowID, colID, tabName, cellValue): Marks a specific record as processed in the sheet.
  • updateTable(tables, placeholder, targetCell, arr): Helper function to find and populate tables in Google Docs with provided data.
  • arrayOfObj(newRecords): Converts 2D arrays from Sheets into an array of objects for easier manipulation.

2. src/gpt.ts (LLM Interaction):

• Data: Reads from prompt_details sheet and lesson_sequence sheet.
• LLM Calls:
  • getPromptObjDetails(): Retrieves prompt details (model, API key, prompt structure) from the spreadsheet.
  • processLessonContent(): Iterates through unprocessed lesson summaries, calls the LLM to generate content, and updates the sheet.
  • generateLessonContent(lessonPlanSummary): Constructs and sends the API request to the LLM based on prompt details and lesson summary. Processes the response, extracts JSON data, and writes it back to the activityContent sheet.
• Data Writing:
  • writeDataToSheet(data): Writes the LLM-generated content into the activityContent sheet.
• Data Fetching:
  • getLessonDetailsFromTab(): Fetches unprocessed lesson summaries from the lesson_sequence sheet.

3. src/activity_doc.ts (Activity Document Generation):

• Data: Takes a LessonContent object as input.
• Document Manipulation:
  • createActivityDocument(documentContent): Creates a new Google Doc from a template, populates it with data from documentContent, and updates the record status and link.

4. src/presentation_doc.ts (Slide Generation):

• Data: Takes a LessonContent object as input.
• Slide Manipulation:
  • createActivitySlide(documentContent): Creates a new Google Slides presentation from a template, adds videos if provided, populates placeholders, updates the record status and link.
  • processText(input): Helper function to format text appropriately for slides (e.g., bullet points).

5. src/lesson_plan_doc.ts (Lesson Plan Generation):

• Data: Takes a LessonContent object as input.
• Document Manipulation:
  • createLessonPlan(documentContent): Creates a new Google Doc from a template, populates it with data from documentContent, and updates the record status and link.

6. src/types.ts (Data Structure Definitions):

• Defines TypeScript interfaces to ensure type safety and code clarity:
  • LessonSequence: Represents a row in the lesson_sequence sheet.
  • LessonContent: Represents a row in the lesson_content sheet.
  • PromptDetailsObj: Represents a row in the prompt_details sheet.

Data Flow:

1. User Input: User enters lesson summaries in the lesson_sequence sheet.
2. LLM Processing: processLessonContent() reads summaries, sends them to the LLM, and writes generated content to lesson_content.
3. Resource Generation:
   • createResources() reads from lesson_content and triggers creation functions.
   • Document, slide, and lesson plan generation functions create and populate respective files, updating links and status in lesson_content.

Key Observations:

• Modularity: Well-organized code with separate files for different functionalities.
• Data-Driven: Relies heavily on Google Sheets for both input and storing generated data.
• Scalability: Designed to process multiple lesson summaries efficiently.
• Testability: TypeScript interfaces make unit testing easier.

Examples

Lesson Plan Template and Example

Proof of concept for adding a lesson plan and post lesson reflecting.

Lesson Plan Template, U10P3 of 10 Lesson Plan Recursion

Activity Document Template and Example

Activity Document Template, U10P3 of 10 Activity Document

Presentation Template and Example

Presentation Template, U10P3 of 10 Presentation Recursion

Google Sheet with Apps Script Extention

Example Java Update Planning Speadsheet 24-25