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Year 9 • Lesson 14

Advanced Project Brief

Plan a portfolio project using AI as a partner

Your Year 9 project should be something you're genuinely proud to show anyone.

🎯 Learning Objectives

  • Analyse a complex project brief and produce a detailed project plan
  • Use AI as a planning partner to stress-test ideas and identify gaps
  • Create a professional project specification document

📚 Key Vocabulary

Project specification
A detailed document describing what will be built, for whom, and to what standard
Scope
The boundaries of a project — what is and isn't included
Milestone
A significant checkpoint in a project timeline
Risk
A potential problem that could affect the project — planned for in advance

⏱️ Lesson Timing (50 mins)

🪝
Hook
5 mins

Reveal the 4 Year 9 project options with examples of outstanding finished work. "This is the bar. Two lessons to get there."

👨‍🏫
Teach
10 mins
  • Year 9 project options: (A) AI Ethics Magazine — 4-page digital magazine on an AI issue. (B) Digital Wellbeing Campaign — full campaign pack (brand, video, social assets, report). (C) Data Investigation — spreadsheet analysis of a real dataset + dashboard + written findings. (D) Tech Explainer Series — 3 × 60-second videos on AI topics for younger students.
  • Planning: brief → audience → success criteria → scope → asset list → risks → timeline
  • Using AI to stress-test your plan: "What have I missed? What could go wrong?"
  • Project specification document: what real professionals write before starting
🛠️
Create
40 mins

Students choose their project and produce a professional project specification (template provided): brief analysis, audience profile, 6 success criteria, scope statement (in/out), asset list, risk register (3 risks with mitigations), and a 2-session timeline. Then use AI to critique their plan — document the conversation and note what they changed as a result. Teacher approves all plans before Lesson 15.

Tools:
Word OnlineMicrosoft Copilot
📢
Share
5 mins

Pair pitch: 60 seconds to sell your project concept. Partner asks one challenging question. Student answers it.

🔧 Tools & Resources

🤖 AI Angle

AI is explicitly used as a planning partner — but students must document what changed and why, demonstrating they're still in charge.

📝 Evidence of Learning

Project specification document with AI conversation log and change notes

📚 Homework

Gather all assets you need for your project. Do any research. Draft any written content. Arrive at Lesson 15 ready to build.

⏱️ 40 mins

♿ Differentiation

Support (for students who need help)

Simplified project option (digital wellbeing poster pack) with more structure

Extension (for advanced learners)

Include a "post-launch plan" — if this were a real product, how would you promote it and measure success?

👨‍🏫 Teacher Notes

Approve every plan rigorously — the most common failure mode is over-ambitious scope. Help students cut down rather than scale up.