Skip to main contentThis activity guides students to develop a realistic and accurate Historical Context with the help of artificial intelligence tools.
Prepare the baseline information.
Using the data that the student has collected in their Historical Data table, a small list will be created.
- Period
- Technology
- Environment
- Society
- Key Innovation
- Period:
- Lower Paleolithic (≈ 450,000 BCE)
- Technology:
- Acheulean Industry (symmetrical bifaces of flint and quartzite)
- Occasional use of wooden hammers.
- Environment:
- Savanna interspersed with gallery forest
- Alternation of dry/wet seasons.
- Society:
- Bands of 20-30 individuals
- Basic cooperation
- Extended care for offspring
- Protolinguistic communication (gestures, vocalizations).
- Key innovation:
- Intermittent control of fire in natural hearths: longer nights of activity, defense against predators.
- Source: Textbook, p. 12.
Create the prompt for AI.
To develop a quality Historical Context using Artificial Intelligence, it is essential that students learn to formulate a good prompt: a clear and precise message that indicates exactly what we want the AI to write.
- Present the objective:
Explain that you want to write a short paragraph that describes what life was like in a specific era, based only on the data they already have.
- Give clear instructions:
The message should explicitly ask that:
- Only the provided information is used (without inventing or adding external data).
- It is written in a specific format and style.
- Specify format and style:
- Length: A single paragraph of 90 to 120 words.
- Tone: Informative and precise, written in third person.
- Beginning: The paragraph should start with a specific phrase such as “In the Lower Paleolithic…”.
- Information integration: Do not repeat the list of data or cite sources; everything should be smoothly integrated into the text.
- Always use simple and direct language in the prompt to avoid misinterpretations.
Write a paragraph titled “Real historical context” for a character profile about Prehistory.
Use only the facts from the following list (do not add external information):
- Period: Lower Paleolithic (≈ 450,000 BCE)
- Technology: Acheulean Industry (symmetrical bifaces of flint and quartzite); occasional use of wooden hammers.
- Environment: Savanna interspersed with gallery forest; alternation of dry/wet seasons.
- Society: Bands of 20-30 individuals; basic cooperation, extended care for offspring; protolinguistic communication (gestures, vocalizations).
- Key innovation: Intermittent control of fire in natural hearths: longer nights of activity, defense against predators.
Format and style:
- A single paragraph of 90-120 words.
- Informative and precise tone, third person.
- Start with “In the Lower Paleolithic…”.
- Do not repeat the list or cite the source, integrate everything into continuous prose.
Critical review
The goal is for students to learn to critically review AI-generated content and identify errors by comparing the generated text with the original sources.
- Compare point by point with the original information:
- Check if the text includes all the data provided:
- Period
- Technology
- Environment
- Society
- Key innovation
- Verify if those data are reflected correctly, using the Historical Data and the textbook as references.
- Detect unauthorized information:
- Check if the text adds information that does not appear in their Historical Data or in the book.
- If they detect additions (such as inventions, events, technologies, or customs not mentioned in the book), they should consider it an error.
- Identify historical errors:
- Check if the text includes anachronisms or incorrect data (for example, mentioning pottery in the Lower Paleolithic).
- Record errors in an Error Table
Type of ErrorDetected ErrorCorrect Source (according to book)Proposed Correction
AnachronismMention of pottery in the Lower PaleolithicPottery did not exist in the Lower PaleolithicRemove the reference to pottery.
Added inventionUse of bows and arrowsBows are not documented in the Lower PaleolithicReplace with the use of flint bifaces.
OmissionNo mention of fire controlFire control is a key innovationAdd a sentence describing fire control.
Context errorDescription of life in permanent villagesSociety was nomadic in bandsCorrect by describing mobile bands of 20-30 people.
Technology errorUse of metal toolsThere was no metallurgy in the Lower PaleolithicChange to stone and wooden tools.
Inappropriate styleVery technical text (“emerging protolinguistic system”)Simple informative toneReformulate in clear language (“they communicated with gestures and sounds”).
Environmental errorMention of tropical forestsClimate: savanna interspersed with gallery forestsAdjust the described landscape to the correct one.
Added external informationReference to organized funeral ritualsNot documented in that period in the bookRemove mention or clarify that there is no evidence.
Key innovation errorUse of animal domesticationDomestication did not yet existRemove reference and reinforce hunting and gathering activities.
Length errorParagraph exceeds 150 wordsRequested length: between 90-120 wordsSummarize to meet the limit.
Re-Prompt
- If there are small errors, the student can correct the text directly.
- If there are many errors, it is recommended to redo the prompt with better adjustments.
Final Historical Context
Students will add the final historical context to the Character Profile.
