How to make lesson slides from achievement standards

Good lesson slides give students something useful to think about. Start with what they need to learn. Use each slide to explain an idea, model a skill or give students a chance to practise.

This article follows a real Year 8 History deck about the Black Death. You can see the topic choices, slide outline, editor and one finished slide. Then choose the starting path that suits your work.

Start with the learning

ACARA’s planning guidance explains the roles of content descriptions and achievement standards. The content helps you choose what to teach. The standard helps you keep the expected learning in view.

Choose a small part of that learning for the lesson. A curriculum code on a slide does not prove that the explanation or activity teaches it. Read the wording and decide what students will do.

The History outline below names the Year 8 History achievement standard. ACARA’s curriculum files provide the source wording. Confirm the curriculum used by your school before reusing an example.

Three ways to start

Explore slides in Lite, the Quick Lesson builder or the Planning Wizard lesson step. Pick one path for the work you are doing.

Give the lesson a clear purpose

AERO’s learning objectives guide explains how learning goals and success criteria help students understand what they are working towards. Write the goal in words your class can use.

For the labour slide shown below, one useful teaching question is: how can a fall in population change work? Students could explain one change and support it with a reliable historical source you provide. This is a suggested teaching use, not an extra activity already saved in the deck.

A worked Year 8 History example

The captured topic asks how the Black Death spread, how people responded and how it changed medieval Europe. The form shows Year 8 History, two curriculum focus statements and five starting headings.

Add the parts of the topic you want to teach. Check the year level, reading demand and lesson goal. When you change a topic or heading, read the outline again so the deck still tells one clear story.

Read and shape the outline

The outline puts the curriculum focus beside the planned slides. Read the order before creating the deck. Change headings that repeat the same idea or move away from the topic.

AERO’s explicit teaching guide describes explanation, modelling and practice. Your slides can support those steps. Give students time to think and respond rather than moving through every slide without a pause.

Choose words and pictures that help

Choose the amount of text, language, teacher notes, images, background and font. Read the price summary before creating the deck. Slide text, deck building and image choices can affect the quote.

AERO’s guide to cognitive load explains why new learning needs manageable steps. Give each slide one main job. Keep the words students need to see and put longer explanations in your teaching notes.

For pictures, choose a sourced image or an AI illustration when it helps. An AI scene can set the mood. It cannot prove what happened in the past. Use a reliable source for maps, graphs and factual diagrams.

Edit the words, order and appearance to suit your class. Keep the topic and year level in mind on every slide. This captured deck has 38 slides; that is not a recommended length for one lesson. Use only what your class needs.

AI image previews can have their own credit cost. Check that quote before requesting one. A usable preview can cost credits even if you decide not to put it on the slide. Keep the slide without a picture when that works better.

Turn a slide into a teaching moment

The wage claim needs a limit. In England, the 1351 Statute of Labourers tried to hold down pay and restrict workers. A labour shortage did not mean freedom for every worker. This law cannot show what happened across all of Europe.

Read the 1351 law in Fordham University’s sourcebook. It is a translated law from England. It shows the rules lawmakers wanted, not how every worker or employer behaved. Keep the original screenshot separate from this source check.

These are suggested teaching steps. They are not extra slides or source material already included in the captured deck. Prepare the source and question before using the lesson.

Make the slides easy to read

W3C’s accessible design guidance covers contrast, clear text and information that does not depend on colour alone. Its image guidance explains useful text alternatives for pictures.

• Use text that students can read from the back of the room.
• Keep a strong contrast between words and background.
• Use labels as well as colours to explain diagrams.
• Describe important pictures and add useful alternative text when sharing slides.
• Remove repeated points, crowded layouts and distracting pictures.
• Pause for students to read, think and answer.

Review, present and download

1. Read every slide for facts, repetition and links to the lesson goal.
2. Check the reading level, notes and pictures.
3. Preview the presentation and check that text fits.
4. When the deck is saved and ready, use its editable PowerPoint download.
5. Check the downloaded file before sharing or teaching.

See the lesson slides page for editing and output options. The guide to reviewing AI teaching resources offers more review questions.

Add practice when your class needs it

A worksheet can give students practice. A quiz can help you check their understanding. Choose to make these as separate resources through the options available in your lesson or Lite. Review each resource and its quote before creation.

Slides offer editable PowerPoint. Worksheets and quizzes offer PDF. Check the download buttons on each completed resource. These screenshots do not show a worksheet or quiz made from this deck.

Explore worksheet examples and quiz examples. For connected curriculum, assessments, units and lessons, see the separate Planning Wizard example. Lite resources do not automatically join that plan.