More Free AI Tools to Support Your Summer Planning and Beyond
Summer offers a rare window to pause, reset, and think intentionally about the year ahead, whether that means refining a unit, exploring new instructional strategies, or simply gathering fresh inspiration. Last summer, we shared a collection of free AI tools designed to support that planning process, and the response from educators made clear how valuable a curated, no-cost resource list can be.
This summer, we are building on that foundation. Alongside the planning tools, we are including resources that extend beyond the summer months and can support your instruction throughout the school year, from AI tools that streamline everyday tasks to classroom-ready visuals and real-world scientist profiles that help students see themselves in science.
Here is an expanded set of free resources to carry with you from summer planning through the school year ahead.
New! Choosing the Right AI Tools for Your Team
Beyond individual classroom tools, many educators may be asked to help their department, school, or district make sense of AI as a whole. ISTE+ASCD's AI in Education resources are a strong place to start that conversation. The organization offers free guides, research-informed lessons, and professional development options built to help educators and leaders evaluate AI tools thoughtfully, rather than adopting them by trend. Their free PDF guide on bringing AI to school is a useful starting point if your team is still working out shared ground rules or a selection process for the year ahead.
Think Big: Mind-Mapping & Brainstorming Tools
- New! Goblin Tools
Goblin Tools is a free collection of small, focused AI tools built for when a task feels too big or too fuzzy to start. Magic ToDo breaks a task down into manageable steps, Estimator helps guess how long something will actually take, and Judge and Formalizer can help you check the tone of an email before you hit send. It is a genuinely handy resource for teachers juggling a long to-do list, and it works just as well for helping students build their own executive functioning skills. - Diagrams.net (formerly Draw.io)
Diagrams.net is a free, no-sign-in-required tool that’s perfect for mapping your curriculum, sketching out unit flow, or designing classroom systems. With its drag-and-drop interface and flexible templates, it’s great for turning summer brainstorming into visual plans you can actually use when school starts.
- Excalidraw
For those big-picture brainstorming sessions - on your own or with a team - Excalidraw offers a digital whiteboard that feels like sketching on paper. It’s great for mapping out classroom routines, sketching unit arcs, or just letting your ideas flow freely. No sign-in required, and everything has a hand-drawn, low-stress vibe that’s perfect for creative summer planning. You can even collaborate live or save your boards to revisit in the fall!
Plan Smarter: Curriculum & Lesson Design Tools
- MagicSchool AI
Built just for educators, MagicSchool.ai is like having a personal AI assistant for lesson planning, differentiation, classroom management, and more. With over 60 time-saving tools, from IEP support to exit ticket generators, it’s designed to cut down planning time so you can focus on what matters most. Perfect for summer when you're setting goals, refreshing curriculum, or just looking for smart shortcuts for the year ahead.
- Diffit
Planning to differentiate next year’s instruction? Diffit makes it easy. Just enter a topic, article, or video link, and it instantly creates leveled texts, comprehension questions, vocabulary lists, and activities tailored to your students’ needs. It’s a fantastic tool for prepping inclusive, accessible materials.
Stay Organized: Notes, Docs, and Dashboards
- Google Keep
Need a quick, no-fuss place to capture your ideas, to-do lists, or lesson reminders? Google Keep is a simple, colorful note-taking app that lets you jot down text, voice memos, or photos - all synced across devices when you sign in. Even if you want to use it casually without signing in, it’s great for instant brainstorming and summer planning on the go. Plus, you can organize notes with labels and colors to keep your back-to-school prep on track.
- Padlet
Padlet offers a clean, customizable virtual board where you can easily jot down text, upload images, and save links. It’s perfect for organizing your summer planning, lesson notes, or classroom resources.
Tools for Creative Endeavors
- Canva Education Work Kits
Looking for ready-to-use resources to kickstart your lesson planning? Canva Education offers free Work Kits! These curated collections of templates, activities, and visuals are designed to help teachers save time and engage students. Whether you’re prepping units, creating classroom materials, or building interactive lessons, these kits make it easy to customize and launch your plans. Perfect for teachers wanting fresh ideas and polished resources without starting from scratch!
- Autodraw
Not confident in your drawing skills? No problem! Autodraw is a fun, AI-powered drawing tool that guesses what you’re trying to sketch and offers polished icons and images to replace rough doodles. It’s perfect for quickly creating graphics for lesson plans, presentations, or classroom posters - no artistic talent needed!
Bonus Digital Resources that Bring Science to Life
- New! Amoeba Sisters GIFs
The Amoeba Sisters offer a free library of biology GIFs covering everything from cell transport to genetics to classification. They are perfect for animating vocabulary or a tricky process in a slide deck, and they are a great prompt for student discussion.
- New! I Am A Scientist: Stories
Looking for ways to help students picture themselves in a STEM career? I Am A Scientist features free spotlights on real working scientists and engineers, each paired with a hobby or interest outside the lab. It is an easy way to broaden your students' sense of who gets to do science, and it pairs nicely with any storyline that asks students to think about real-world careers connected to the phenomenon.
Set Yourself Up for a Strong School Year
A new school year always comes with a long list of things to figure out, but you do not have to build everything from scratch. Between AI tools that take a task off your plate, ready-made visuals that make a concept click, and stories that help students see real scientists who look and sound like them, there is a free resource here for nearly every part of your year.
Bookmark a few of these, share your favorites with a colleague, and give yourself permission to utilize them when the year gets busy. Here is to a year full of curiosity, discovery, and a little extra support along the way.
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