Creating TPT Products with AI

How to use generative AI to create products to sell on Teachers Pay Teachers:

Teachers Pay Teachers and AI: Leveraging Generative AI to Create Products

Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) is an online marketplace where teachers buy and sell original educational resources. With over 6 million users, it's become a popular way for educators to earn extra income. But creating quality products takes time and effort. That's where generative AI comes in. By utilizing text and image generation, teachers can quickly and easily create products to sell on TPT.

In this article, we'll explore how to use AI tools to make products for the TPT marketplace. We'll cover:

- Overview of TPT and top-selling product categories
- Generative text AI to create printable resources
- Generative art AI to design graphics and templates
- AI writing assistant to generate product descriptions
- Putting it all together - example products using AI
- Tips for selling successfully on TPT

Let's dive in! Overview of Top Selling TPT Categories

On TPT, the top-selling subjects are:

- Elementary school resources - phonics, reading, writing, math, science, social studies
- Teacher binders and planners
- Classroom decor and bulletin board materials
- Middle and high school English and math
- Preschool and kindergarten materials

Some hot sellers include:
- Editable teacher planners and binders
- Printable anchor charts, posters, bulletin board kits
- Interactive notebooks and lap books
- Guided reading lesson plans and resources
- Math and ELA warm-ups and exit tickets
- Classroom decor like motivational prints, rules, and banners

Now let's see how generative AI can help create products in these popular categories.

Leveraging Generative Text AI

Generative text AI like GPT-3 from Anthropic can write printable educational resources like worksheets, task cards, and student activities.

To start, provide the AI with clear instructions and prompts. For example:

"Write 10 short reading comprehension passages for first grade with 3 multiple choice questions each."

The AI will generate passages around 100-150 words long on various elementary topics, followed by 3 multiple-choice questions per passage.

You can then take this content and turn it into a printable product. For instance, make a printable reading workbook by formatting and adding a cover.

Some other examples of prompts:

- Write 10 fill-in-the-blank vocabulary sentences about science for 3rd grade.
- Generate 4 short answer reading response questions for a 5th grade realistic fiction passage.
- Create 20 basic addition and subtraction word problems for 2nd grade math.

The key is giving the AI clear instructions and grade-level context. Tailor the reading level, subject matter, and number of items needed for your product idea.

With generative text, you can swiftly create workbooks, worksheets, task cards, and more valuable educational resources.

Designing Clipart and Graphics with Generative AI Art

Generative art AI allows you to instantly create eye-catching graphics, illustrations, and templates.

Tools like DALL-E 2 and Midjourney take text prompts and turn them into images. You provide a short description of what you want, and the AI generates artwork.

Some ways teachers can use generative AI Art:

- Classroom decor - Turn prompts like "motivational classroom poster with reading theme" into printable posters.
- Bulletin board kits - Prompt illustrations for different seasons, subjects, or themes to design kits.
- Borders and frames - Generate graphics with phrases like "blank banner with leaves border" or "bulletin board frame with apples."
- Worksheet templates - Create different illustrated backgrounds, characters, and themes for worksheets.
- Clip art - Generate sets of curriculum images, like phonics alphabet cards or math symbols.

- TPT product covers and images - Design eye-catching graphics for your store and products.

The possibilities are endless. With AI artwork, you can create illustrations, borders, backgrounds, and more for your educational resources.
Writing Product Listings with an AI Assistant
AI writing assistants like Claude can help you quickly generate TPT product descriptions.
First, give the AI a summary of your product and target details:

"Write a 150-word Teachers Pay Teachers product description for a first grade fall-themed phonics workbook. Include an overview of topics, number of pages, key details, and benefits for teachers and students."

The AI will synthesize a product description that markets your resource. You can tweak or expand the AI-generated text as needed to finish your listing.

An AI assistant can write descriptions for all types of products:

- Planners - Overview sections, details on layouts, included templates
- Decor - Product summary, dimensions, materials, themes covered
- Learning activities - Grade level, subject, number of pages/items, topics
- Clip art - Image dimensions, number of graphics, themes

This saves time while making product listings shine.

Creating TPT Products with AI

Now let's see some examples of full TPT products you can make with generative AI:

Phonics Workbook

- Use generative text AI to create 10 phonics stories with vocabulary words highlighted. Include reading comprehension questions after each story.
- Have AI generate a cute illustrated cover with a student reading.
- Use an AI assistant to write a product description highlighting the number of stories, target grade level, and phonics skills covered.

Classroom Rules Poster

- Prompt generative art AI to create a colorful classroom rules poster design with 6 common school rules.
- Add text like "Be Kind" and "Raise Your Hand" with fun fonts.
- Write a TPT description with the poster dimensions, suggested grade levels, and printable file types.

Morning Work Workbook
- Use text AI to generate a variety of engaging morning warm-up activities and quick exercises for 3rd-5th graders.
- Create a TPT cover with an AI illustration of students starting their school day.
- Write a product overview and description detailing the workbook contents, number of pages, and learning objectives.

EXAMPLE: 

Here is a sample expanded lesson from the morning work workbook with a passage, activities, and answer key:

Lesson 1: Understanding Plot Structure

Passage: "The Mystery of the Missing Necklace"

Jessica walked into her jewelry box a mess. All of her necklaces were tangled up! As she carefully untangled them, she noticed her favorite necklace was missing - the one with a pearl pendant that her grandmother had given her. Jessica looked all over her room, but couldn't find it anywhere. She ran to the kitchen to tell her mom, who suggested they retrace Jessica's steps. Jessica remembered wearing it yesterday at school. Maybe she lost it on the playground? Jessica raced back to school and searched the field and playground equipment. Finally, under the slide she found her precious pearl necklace. Jessica was overjoyed to be reunited with her special gift from grandma. 

Activities:

1. Order the events from the story by numbering them 1-6:

- Jessica discovers her favorite pearl necklace is missing.

- Jessica searches under the slide and finds her necklace.  

- Jessica tells her mom about the missing necklace.

- Jessica looks through her messy jewelry box.

- Jessica retraces her steps to the school playground.

- Jessica wore the necklace to school yesterday.

2. Identify the story's plot structure:

Beginning: 

Middle:

End:

3. Define vocabulary words using context clues:

Precious:

Overjoyed:

Answer Key:

1. 3, 4, 1, 6, 5, 2

2. Beginning: Jessica discovers her necklace is missing

   Middle: Jessica retraces her steps to find it

   End: Jessica finds her necklace under the playground slide

3. Precious: very valuable or important

   Overjoyed: extremely happy

Here are sample passages and activities for lessons 2-4:

Lesson 2: Analyzing Characters

Passage: "Talent Show Troubles"

Jack was backstage getting ready for the talent show at school. He had been practicing magic tricks for weeks and felt prepared for his act. Suddenly, his best friend Simon came running over in a panic. Simon was supposed to sing a solo, but said he was too scared to go on stage now. Jack tried calming Simon down, saying he had a great voice and would do fine. But Simon was freaking out, even threatening to quit the show. Jack knew Simon really wanted this chance to shine. So he offered to go on stage first to pump up the crowd for Simon. Jack told a few jokes before his magic performance to energize the audience. Simon watched from the wings, and finally felt ready to perform his song. Backstage after the show, Simon thanked Jack for his support. Though Jack's tricks had some flaws, his encouragement is what really made the act magical.

Activities:

1. Describe Jack's personality using adjectives:

2. How did Simon feel at first? How did his feelings change? 

3. How did Jack's actions affect Simon?

Answers:

1. Encouraging, supportive, kind, brave

2. At first Simon felt scared/nervous to perform. Jack's encouragement made him feel more confident and ready. 

3. Jack's actions gave Simon courage to overcome his fears and perform his song.

Lesson 3: Making Inferences

Passage: "Lost in the Woods"

It was getting dark. James knew he shouldn't have wandered so far into the forest. Now he was lost and starting to panic. Every direction looked the same - just trees as far as he could see. James tried to retrace his steps back to the trail but only got more turned around. He was supposed to be home before dinner. His family must be worried sick! As it grew darker, James shivered, wishing he had brought a sweater. The hooting owls and rustling leaves put him further on edge. Lost, cold, and hungry, James just wanted to find his way home. He decided to stay put and hope someone would find him soon. Peering through the woods, he saw a glowing light! James followed it until he finally reached the park ranger station near the trail. The ranger called James' relieved parents, and he was safely home before bedtime.

Activities: 

1. What can you infer about why James went into the woods alone?

2. How do you think James felt while lost in the woods?

3. Why did James follow the light that he saw?

Answers:

1. He wanted adventure/was curious

2. Scared, worried, hungry, cold

3. He thought it would lead him back to safety

Lesson 4: Identifying Themes 

Passage: "Teamwork on the Basketball Court"

Jose dribbled down the court, focused on scoring the winning points for his team. As he maneuvered around defenders, Jose realized his teammate David was wide open. Jose could take the shot himself or pass to David for an easy score. Jose thought back to how David had slipped on defense earlier, letting the other team tie up the game. But his coach's words echoed in his mind - it's about the team, not individual players. Jose passed the ball to David who scored just as the buzzer rang! Though Jose lost his chance to shine, he felt proud helping his teammate succeed. In the end, working together as a team is more important than any individual play.  

Activities:

1. Underline details that support a "teamwork" theme. 

2. Why did Jose pass instead of taking the winning shot himself? 

3. Do you agree that teamwork is more important than individual play? Explain.

Answers:

1. Jose realized David was wide open, remembered his coach said it's about the team, Jose passed the ball to David, David scored

2. Jose wanted to give his teammate a chance to shine/help the team succeed 

3. Answers may vary. Text evidence supports teamwork being very important in basketball. But individual effort also matters.

Here are sample passages and activities for lessons 5-10:

Lesson 5 - Using Context Clues

Passage: A Trip to the Aquarium

Today, my class took a field trip to the aquarium. As we entered, the first exhibit we saw displayed brightly colored fish called koi swimming in a freshwater pond. They darted back and forth, nibbling at the plants along the bottom. Next, we visited the tropical reef filled with wrasses, tangs, and parrotfish. The guide explained how the parrotfish get their name from their beak-like mouths. My favorite part was petting the slippery raycations in the touch tank. But too soon it was time to board the bus back to school. I can't wait for our next adventure!

Activities:  

1. Use context clues from the passage to define: exhibit, reef, tropical, raycations

2. Why are parrotfish named that way? 

Answers:  

1. exhibit - a display, reef - coral area, tropical - hot/rainforest climate, raycations - types of rays (fish)

2. Because of their beak-like mouths  

Lesson 6 - Poetry and Rhyme Schemes

Passage: Rhyme Time!

I like to rhyme all day and night, 

It makes my words sound fun and bright.

AABB is the pattern I use, 

To write in rhymes I never refuse!

Activities:

1. Identify the rhyme scheme in the poem:

2. Write your own 4 line poem with an AABB rhyme scheme:

Answers: 

1. AABB

2. Answers will vary

Lesson 7 - Figurative Language 

Passage: Playground Problems

As we lined up after recess, a dark cloud seemed to hang over Ava's head. During kickball, she had accidentally kicked the ball over the fence. Now Ava felt lower than a snake's belly. Her eyes welled up like waterfalls. I tried to reassure Ava not to cry over spilt milk. She sighed that she couldn't help feeling bad.

Activities:  

1. Identify two examples of figurative language in the passage:

2. What does "lower than a snake's belly" mean?

3. Why did the author compare Ava's eyes to waterfalls?

Answers:

1. dark cloud over her head, lower than a snake's belly 

2. It means Ava felt very low or depressed.

3. To show she was crying heavily.

Lesson 8 - Point of View

Passage: The Lunch Room Mix Up

I grabbed a chocolate pudding cup and milk and headed to the cashier. That's when I noticed the new kid Sam behind me. He put an apple on his tray. Uh oh, I thought. Apples are 50 cents. Does Sam have money? He looked worried as he checked his pockets. "I forgot my lunch money," Sam said quietly. I told the lunch lady I'd pay for both our lunches so Sam could eat. She smiled and thanked me. I'm glad I could help Sam feel welcome on his first day. 

Activities: 

1. Who is telling the story? How do you know?

2. How did Sam and the narrator probably feel? 

3. Rewrite in 3rd person focusing on Sam. 

Answers:

1. The narrator is a classmate/student because they are getting lunch and know Sam is new.

2. Sam - worried and thankful; Narrator - concerned and helpful 

3. Sam grabbed an apple and noticed he forgot his lunch money. A classmate offered to pay so Sam could eat on his first day, which made him feel relieved.  

Lesson 9 - Making Connections

Passage: Maria's Brave Idea

When Maria saw the sign at school for student council elections, she immediately felt nervous. Public speaking terrified her ever since she froze up during a class presentation last year. All the other kids laughed, and Maria wanted to disappear. But Maria really wanted to make positive changes at school. So she decided to face her fears and run for president. She worked hard on her speech, practicing over and over. On election day, her hands shook as she walked to the podium. But Maria kept going, delivered her speech smoothly, and even answered questions from the audience. Though she didn't win, Maria felt proud for being brave.

Activities:

1. Make a text-to-self connection. When did you overcome a fear? 

2. Make a text-to-world connection. What real leaders have inspired you?

Answers:

1. Answers will vary. 

2. Answers will vary, e.g. Rosa Parks, Malala Yousafzai.

Lesson 10 - Summarizing Stories

Passage: What Happened at School Today?

"How was school?" Mom asked as I got in the car. I told her about my day. First, we learned about weather in science and made windsocks to test them outside. At recess, my friend Maria and I played basketball against some fifth graders. We won 8 to 6! After lunch, my group did a project on India in social studies. I got to make a poster about the Taj Mahal. But in math we had a pop quiz I don't think I did very well on. At the end of the day in English, we started writing fractured fairy tales. Mine is about a funny hippo who wants to be a ballerina! All in all, it was an exciting, busy day at school.

Activities:  

1. Write a 2-3 sentence summary of the story:

2. What were the main events from the story?

Answers:

1. The student tells his mom about the different activities he did in each class at school that day.

2. Making windsocks in science, playing basketball at recess, working on an India project in social studies, taking a pop math quiz, starting fractured fairy tales in English.Let me know if you would like me to continue generating passages and activities for the remaining lessons!

With AI, sellers can create diverse educational products to sell on TPT: workbooks, posters, clip art, templates, planners, and more. The key is leveraging both text and image AI to make visually engaging resources with printable content.

Tips for Successfully Selling on TPT

Here are some tips to maximize success as a TPT seller using AI:

- Focus on quality over quantity. Generative AI allows fast output, but take time to curate strong products.
- Make resources your own. Personalize AI-generated content and artwork.
- Curate a strong TPT storefront. Showcase products with quality titles, descriptions, images, and previews.
- Analyze competitors and best-sellers. See what top products in your niche look like.
- Use relevant tags, grades, and subjects. Optimize search to reach your target buyers.
- Promote new products. Drive traffic with social media, email lists, and TPT features like "Just Added."
- Build your brand. Create a recognizable store identity and style.
- Focus on customer satisfaction. Offer quality products, service, and fair prices and policies.
- Don't oversaturate. Avoid flooding your store with low-quality repetitive content.
With generators handling content and design, you can focus on curating, marketing, and continually improving your TPT business.

Conclusion
Generating products for Teachers Pay Teachers using AI is an exciting way for educators to earn extra income. With generative text and art, sellers can swiftly create quality printable resources to meet demand. Focus on leveraging AI tools strategically to develop products tailored to your niche and audience. With the right mix of automation and human touch, TPT sellers can thrive in this growing marketplace.