The "Goldilocks" Problem
You have 30 students in your class. Five of them read at a college level. Ten are on grade level. Five are struggling to decode a paragraph.
You want to discuss the same topic (e.g., Photosynthesis), but the textbook is "too hard" for some and "too soft" for others.
In the past, you had two bad choices:
Teach to the middle and lose the edges.
Spend your entire Sunday rewriting the same article into three different versions.
This is the number one cause of teacher burnout. But AI solves this instantly.
You can now act as a "content curator." You find one high-quality article, and the AI acts as your translator, converting that single text into three perfect "bowls of porridge"—one for every reading level in your room.
Leveled Reader: A version of a text that has been adjusted for complexity (sentence length, vocabulary) while keeping the core information the same.
Strategy 1: The "Level Down" Prompt
The most common need is making complex texts accessible. Teachers often try to find a "simpler" article on Google, but it never matches the lesson perfectly.
The Why: When you use a different article, the facts change. If the advanced group reads about "chlorophyll" and the lower group reads about "green stuff," you can't have a class discussion. You need the same facts, just simpler sentences.
The How: Use this prompt to strip away the jargon without losing the meaning.
Copy-Paste Prompt:
[Context]: I am teaching a [Subject] lesson to [Grade Level] students.
[Role]: Act as a Reading Specialist.
[Task]: Rewrite the provided text for a [Lower Grade Level] reading level.
[Constraints]:
Shorten sentence length to under 15 words.
Change complex transition words (e.g., "Furthermore") to simple ones (e.g., "Also").
Crucial: Do not remove the core facts. The story must remain the same.
[The Text]: [Paste your difficult textbook paragraph here]
Strategy 2: The "Vocabulary Guardrail"
The danger of simplifying text is that you might remove the very words you are trying to teach. If the AI changes "Democracy" to "Choosing a leader," the student never learns the term "Democracy."
The Why: We want to scaffold the reading, not remove the rigor. Students still need to see the Tier 3 academic vocabulary (the science or history terms).
The How: Add a "Guardrail" to your prompt.
The Prompt:
"Rewrite this text for a 3rd-grade level, BUT you must keep these 5 key vocabulary words exactly as they are: [List Words]. If you use one of these words, bold it and provide a simple definition in parentheses right after it."
The Result: Instead of removing "Photosynthesis," the AI writes: "The plant uses Photosynthesis (making food from sunlight) to grow." This is perfect differentiation.
For more on how to manage the time it takes to prep these lessons, read our guide on using AI to save time.
Strategy 3: The "Challenge" Extension
Don't forget your high flyers. They are often the most bored students in the room.
The Why: While you are supporting struggling readers, your advanced students are often finishing in 5 minutes and staring at the wall. Give them a "Level Up" version.
The How: Ask the AI to increase the complexity.
"Rewrite this text for a [Higher Grade Level]. Use more complex sentence structures. Add a 'Critical Thinking' question at the end that asks the student to compare this text to a modern-day event."
Recommended Video: Differentiate Any Resource with Diffit | AI for Teachers This video reviews "Diffit," a dedicated AI tool that automates this entire process. It shows how you can paste a URL (like a news article) and instantly get a leveled PDF with a summary and quiz questions attached.
The Safety Check: The "Nuance" Loss
When AI simplifies text, it tends to remove "maybe" and replace it with "always."
The Risk: Complex history is rarely black and white. If the original text says, "The war was primarily caused by trade disputes," the simplified version might say, "Trade disputes caused the war." This removes the nuance.
The Fix: Always read the simplified version side-by-side with the original.
Did it turn an opinion into a fact?
Did it remove an important exception?
Did it change the tone from "serious" to "childish"?
You are the editor. If the AI over-simplified, tell it: "Too simple. Add back the detail about X."
Conclusion
Differentiation is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity. And with AI, it is finally possible to do it without sleeping at the school.
By taking one core text and adjusting the "lens" for different learners, you ensure that every student can access the curriculum. The 3rd-grade reader and the 9th-grade reader can sit at the same table and discuss the same concept—because they both read the same story, just at their own pace.
If you want a prompt that is pre-programmed to handle the "Vocabulary Guardrails" and formatting automatically, the Level Adjuster is your go-to tool.
Check it out here: Level Adjuster
