Lesson Planning Assistant - Prototype

An AI-powered lesson planning tool for K-12 teachers using Claude 3.5 Sonnet.

Overview

• Backend: FastAPI + SQLite + Claude API
• Frontend: React + Axios
• Demo Accounts: 3 teachers (Grade 4 Math, Grade 6 ELA, Grade 9 Science)
• Generation Time: 30-60 seconds per lesson
• Expected Quality: 75% usable foundation requiring teacher refinement

Features

✅ User authentication (simple token-based) ✅ Standards-aligned lesson generation (14 sample standards) ✅ 5 lesson templates (Introducing New Concept, Practice & Review, etc.) ✅ Differentiation scaffolds (struggling learners, advanced, ELL) ✅ Save lessons to database ✅ Export lessons as text files ✅ 4-Pass Refinement Workflow guidance

Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8+
• Node.js 14+
• Anthropic API key

Backend Setup

1. Navigate to backend folder:

   cd backend

2. Create virtual environment:

   python -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Mac/Linux
   # venv\Scripts\activate  # On Windows

3. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Initialize database:

   python init_db.py

5. Set API key:

   export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

6. Start backend server:

   python main.py

Server runs on http://localhost:8000

Frontend Setup

1. Navigate to frontend folder:

   cd frontend

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Start frontend:

   npm start

App opens at http://localhost:3000

Demo Accounts

Username	Password	Teacher Name	Grade	Subject
teacher1	password1	Sarah Johnson	4	Math
teacher2	password2	Michael Chen	6	ELA
teacher3	password3	Dr. Emily Rodriguez	9	Science

Usage Flow

1. Login with a demo account
2. Fill lesson context form:
   • Grade level and subject
   • Learning standard (auto-filtered)
   • Learning objective
   • Duration, student context, resources
   • Optional: Select lesson template
3. Generate lesson (wait 30-60 seconds)
4. Review generated plan with 4-Pass refinement guidance
5. Save or export the lesson

API Endpoints

• POST /api/login - Authenticate user
• GET /api/standards - Get learning standards (filterable)
• POST /api/generate_lesson - Generate lesson with Claude
• POST /api/save_lesson - Save lesson to database
• GET /api/my_lessons - Get user's saved lessons
• GET /api/export_docx/{lesson_id} - Export lesson as DOCX

Project Structure

lesson-planning-assistant/
├── backend/
│   ├── main.py              # FastAPI application
│   ├── init_db.py           # Database initialization
│   ├── standards_db.json    # 14 sample standards
│   ├── database.db          # SQLite database
│   └── requirements.txt     # Python dependencies
├── frontend/
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── components/      # React components
│   │   ├── utils/           # API client
│   │   ├── App.js           # Main app component
│   │   └── App.css          # Global styles
│   └── package.json         # Node dependencies
└── README.md

Tech Stack

Backend:

• FastAPI - Modern Python web framework
• SQLite - Lightweight database
• Anthropic Claude API - AI lesson generation
• python-docx - Document export

Frontend:

• React - UI library
• Axios - HTTP client
• CSS3 - Styling

Limitations (Prototype Scope)

• Localhost only (no deployment)
• Simple authentication (not production-ready)
• 14 hardcoded standards (not full standards database)
• Text export only (DOCX export simplified)
• No version history or collaboration features
• No mobile optimization

Success Criteria

✅ All demo accounts can log in ✅ Lesson generation completes in <90 seconds ✅ All lesson sections display correctly ✅ Save and export functions work ✅ 5-7 minute demo runs smoothly

Realistic Expectations

What This Proves:

• AI can generate structured lesson drafts quickly
• Teachers can refine in reasonable time (45-70 min)
• Net time savings: 1.5-2 hours per lesson

What This Does NOT Prove:

• 95% classroom-ready quality (target: 75% usable foundation)
• High adoption rates (realistic target: 35-45%)
• Works for all teachers (best for 2-5 years experience)

Next Steps (Phase 2)

• User testing with 10-15 real teachers
• Full standards database integration
• Enhanced DOCX export with proper formatting
• Save/load functionality improvements
• Mobile responsive design
• Production deployment
• Analytics and usage tracking

License

Prototype for evaluation purposes.

Contact

For questions or feedback about this prototype, please contact the development team.