Slash Commands in Edit with CARL
Type a forward slash in any Edit with CARL chat box, on a worksheet or a lesson plan, and nineteen one-line requests appear. Ten rewrite the page. Nine read it and report back, and change nothing until you say so. Here is all of it, in the app’s own words.
Every worksheet and every lesson plan has the same chat box: click Edit with CARL, and the drawer opens on the right. Type / in it and a list of nineteen one-line requests appears. Keep typing to filter, arrow keys to browse, Enter to pick.
/check-facts/health-check/pacing/structure/clarityTyping /check narrows the list to five. The command drops into the box as a chip, and you can send it as-is or add a note first.
Two kinds of command
Rewrites change the page. Reviews read it and report back in the chat, and change nothing until you ask. That difference is the whole reason to know the list.
Scope: the whole sheet, or one block
Under the chat box is a scope chip. Leave it on Whole worksheet and the command applies to everything. Click a block on the canvas first and it switches to Selected section with the block type named, so a change stays inside that block and CARL tells you what it touched.
These ten change the page in front of you. The description under each name is what the menu shows; the last column is ours.
| Command | What it does | Reach for it when |
|---|---|---|
/improve | Improve writing Make the wording clearer while keeping its meaning | The content is right but reads clunky. |
/simplify | Simplify language Use clearer, easier-to-read language | The reading level is a notch high for the class. |
/shorten | Make shorter Reduce length without losing essential information | The sheet ran onto a third page. |
/expand | Make longer Develop the existing ideas with more explanation | A section is thin, or a task needs a worked example. |
/grammar | Fix spelling & grammar Correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation | Last pass before printing. |
/translate | Translate Translate while preserving meaning and math | A home-language copy for a student or a family. |
/student-friendly | Make student-friendly Turn teacher-facing wording into clear student instructions | You pasted in your own notes and want them to read like directions. |
/accessibility | Add accessibility supports Suggest scaffolds and different ways to participate | Sentence frames, chunking, another way to respond. |
/continue | Continue writing Continue from the current content | You started a section by hand and want the pattern finished. |
/summarize | Add a summary Summarize the key ideas | A recap box at the end of a reading or a unit sheet. |
These nine read the page and answer in the chat. Nothing on the canvas moves until you ask for it.
| Command | What it does | Reach for it when |
|---|---|---|
/check-facts | Flag facts to verify Identify claims that need checking | Anything with dates, science, statistics or names. |
/health-check | Page health check Review clarity, timing, alignment, organization and accessibility | The one-button once-over before you print. |
/pacing | Review pacing Check timing, workload and transitions | The minutes in the plan do not add up, or a sheet is too long for the block. |
/alignment | Review alignment Connect the objectives, tasks and assessment | Does the task actually assess what the goal says. |
/structure | Review organization Check the sequence, grouping and headings | Parts feel out of order. |
/clarity | Review clarity Check instructions and expectations without changing them | Will a Grade 4 know what to do on Part B without asking. |
/engagement | Review engagement Find opportunities for participation and meaningful practice | Correct but flat. |
/approach | Suggest another approach Explore another way to teach the same learning goal | You want a Plan B for the same outcome. |
/explain | Explain Explain the content or teaching choices | Why is it structured this way, what does this term mean. |
Review first, rewrite second, you in the middle. On a Grade 4 pond food-chain worksheet, /check-facts caught this before a student did:
It flagged a second one too, that a linear chain ending in a decomposer is a simplification, and it changed neither until we said so. The fix was one sentence in the same box.
A sequence worth keeping
- /check-facts on anything with dates, science, statistics or names.
- Tell CARL which flags to act on, in your own words.
- /grammar as the last pass.
- Preview, then print.
Worth knowing
- Commands work on worksheets and on the lesson plan. The scope chip tells you which one you are in.
- A review costs a turn and edits nothing. If you want the fix, say so in the next message.