The Challenge of the Mixed-Ability Classroom
Every teacher knows the struggle of "The Gap." You are teaching a 6th-grade science unit on Climate Change, but your class roster tells a complex story. You have students reading at a high school level, and students reading at a 2nd-grade level.
In the past, you had two bad options. You could hand out a textbook that half the class couldn't understand (leaving them frustrated), or you could hand out a "babyish" book to the struggling readers (leaving them embarrassed).
Using AI to create leveled readers changes the game. It allows you to take one high-quality article and instantly rewrite it into three or four different complexity levels. Crucially, it keeps the core concepts and vocabulary the same, so the whole class can still participate in the same discussion.
Select High-Quality Source Text to Ensure Relevance
The mistake many teachers make is asking the AI to write the article from scratch (e.g., "Write an article about Mars"). This often leads to generic, fluffy text, or worse, "hallucinated" facts.
The better strategy is to act as a curator first. Find a high-quality source text—a primary document, a news article from a reputable site, or a scientific abstract. You provide the facts; the AI provides the translation. This ensures your leveled readers are accurate and aligned with your curriculum standards.
Use a "Concept Preservation" Prompt to Maintain Core Facts
When you ask an AI like ChatGPT or Claude to "simplify" a text, it often removes the hard vocabulary words. But you want students to learn those words. You need a prompt that simplifies the sentence structure while keeping the tier 3 vocabulary (subject-specific words).
Copy and paste this prompt logic:
The "Leveled Reader" Prompt: "Act as a Literacy Specialist. I am pasting a text about [Topic]. Task: Rewrite this text for a [Grade Level] reading level. Constraints:
Shorten sentence length and remove passive voice.
Keep the following key vocabulary words: [List specific words, e.g., Photosynthesis, Chlorophyll].
If you use a key word, provide a simple context clue definition within the sentence. Output: The rewritten text followed by 3 comprehension questions."
This ensures that your struggling readers are still exposed to the rigorous vocabulary they need to grow, but in a format they can actually process.
Automate the Process with Dedicated Differentiation Tools
While ChatGPT is great, copying and pasting multiple times can be slow. If you want to create a full set of leveled readers in one click, we recommend using a tool called Diffit.
Diffit is built specifically for this workflow.
Paste a URL: You can paste a link to a YouTube video or a news article.
Choose a Level: Select "5th Grade," "8th Grade," or even "Spanish."
Export: It generates the reading passage, summary, vocabulary list, and multiple-choice questions, which you can export directly to Google Slides or Forms.
We discuss how to integrate these specific tools into your daily workflow in our guide on how to use AI for teachers to save time.
Verify Vocabulary Alignment Before Distributing
Before you hand these out, do a quick "vertical check."
Read the 3rd-grade version and the 9th-grade version side-by-side.
Check the key facts: Did the AI accidentally delete a date or a name in the simple version?
Check the tone: Does the simple version sound patronizing? (If so, ask the AI to "rewrite to sound more mature but keep the simple syntax.")
This quality control step ensures that all students, regardless of reading level, are receiving the same high-quality education.
Watch This Tutorial on Differentiating Text
For a step-by-step guide on how to use AI tools like Diffit to generate these resources instantly, watch this tutorial.
Transform Your Entire Library Today
You don't need to buy a subscription to Newsela or hunt for hours on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Take your next unit's main reading.
Open ChatGPT.
Use the "Concept Preservation" prompt above to generate a "Level A" (Easy) and "Level B" (Hard) version.
Need differentiation done for you?
If you want a prompt that automatically detects the reading level of any text and adjusts it without you needing to type instructions every time, get the Level Adjuster prompt included in our Teacher's Essential Package.
