Quick How-Tos

Getting Started

Quick how-to How do I set my curriculum?

Short answer: You set your curriculum in Settings, which you can reach by clicking your profile image in the top-right corner.

Curriculum settings are found in Settings, reached through your profile image in the top-right corner.

Click your profile image in the top-right corner.
Open Settings.
Find the curriculum settings area.
Choose or update your curriculum/province settings.
Save your changes before starting a new plan.

Quick how-to How do I use a Saved Class Profile?

Short answer: A Saved Class Profile lets you reuse general class context, learner needs, and teaching preferences without retyping them each time you plan.

Start a new lesson or unit plan.
Choose Saved Class Profile during the planning setup.
Select the profile that matches the class you are planning for.
Review the profile details.
Continue planning with that context included.

Remember Do not include student names, medical details, confidential IEP details, or private family information. Use general classroom context instead.

Components, Teaching Resources, and Blocks

Use these quick answers when you are trying to decide which CARL tool fits the task.

Quick how-to What’s the difference between Components, Teaching Resources, and Blocks?

Anchor: #components-teaching-resources-blocks

Short answer: Use Components for student-facing materials, Teaching Resources for mostly teacher-facing supports, and Blocks for smaller pieces added inside existing templates, lesson sections, components, or resources.

CARL overview showing Components, Teaching Resources, and Blocks

Components, Teaching Resources, and Blocks each serve a different purpose.

Tool	What it means	Use it when...
Components	Student-facing materials	You want a worksheet, handout, quiz, assignment, assessment, reflection, activity, or exit ticket.
Teaching Resources	Mostly teacher-facing instructional supports	You want Lesson/Unit Enhancements, ELL Supports, or other instructional supports connected to your lesson.
Blocks	Smaller content pieces added inside existing pages, templates, components, or resources	You want to add a chart, table, organizer, form area, Venn diagram, text area, or similar extra piece.

Quick rule If students use it as a full activity or handout, it is probably a Component. If it helps you teach, adapt, or strengthen the lesson, it is probably a Teaching Resource. If it is a smaller piece inside something else, it is probably a Block.

Quick how-to How do I add a Component?

Short answer: Use Browse Components when you want to add a student-facing material to your lesson.

Open the video directly

Open your lesson in the editor.
Go to Components & Resources.
Click Browse Components.
Search, filter, or choose a recommended component.
Preview the component.
Choose Use Template or AI Generation.
Review and edit the component before using it.

Quick how-to What does Use Template mean?

Short answer: Use Template adds the blank structure of a component so you can fill it in yourself.

CARL screen showing Generate with CARL and Use Template options

Use Template gives you the structure without generating new content.

Use Template when:

you want the structure but not AI-generated content,
you already know what students should do,
you want to write the questions or instructions yourself,
you have reached your AI generation limit but still want to use the template.

Quick how-to What does AI Generation mean?

Short answer: AI Generation lets CARL use your lesson content to draft component content for you.

AI Generation uses the lesson plan as context to draft content.

Use AI Generation when:

your lesson plan is mostly finished,
you want CARL to draft prompts, questions, instructions, or activity content,
you want the component to match your lesson topic and goals,
you have AI generations available.

Important Always review AI-generated materials before using them with students.

Quick how-to Why should I finalize my lesson before generating Teaching Resources and Components?

Short answer: CARL uses your lesson content as context when generating Teaching Resources and AI-generated Components. The more accurate your lesson is, the better those generated materials will fit.

Before generating, check that your lesson has:

the right grade and subject,
a clear topic,
accurate learning goals or success criteria,
enough activity detail,
the right class context or Saved Class Profile,
any key instructions, texts, or materials you want CARL to consider.

Good to know This matters most for AI Generation and Teaching Resources. If you are using a blank component with Use Template, you can fill it in yourself without needing the lesson to be as finalized.

Quick how-to What if the Component template I need is missing?

Short answer: If CARL does not have the template you need yet, request it through the support page.

Helpful details to include:

The type of template you need.
The grade level and subject.
How students would use it.
Any format details that would make it useful.

Example “Grade 6 science lab observation sheet” is more helpful than “science worksheet.”

Teaching Resources

Teaching Resources generate support materials from your lesson. They work best after the core lesson is mostly finalized.

Quick how-to What are Lesson/Unit Enhancements?

Short answer: Lesson/Unit Enhancements are teacher-facing support options that help you strengthen a lesson or unit through specific teaching lenses, such as accessibility, inclusion, SEL, student voice, trauma-informed practice, and Indigenous Voice Inclusion.

Lesson/Unit Enhancements are generated from the Teaching Resources area.

Enhancement	What it helps with
UDL & Differentiation	Multiple ways for students to access content and demonstrate learning.
Equity & Inclusion	Representation, accessibility, cultural responsiveness, and belonging.
SEL Focus	Regulation, reflection, classroom climate, and emotional support.
Student Voice Action	Student choice, input, agency, and co-design opportunities.
Trauma-Informed Safeguards	Predictability, privacy, emotional safety, and low-pressure participation options.
Indigenous Voice Inclusion	Suggests verified Indigenous authors and resources, with prompts for local context, respectful inclusion, and source awareness.

How to use them:

Open your lesson in the editor.
Go to Components & Resources.
Click Browse Teaching Resources.
Choose Lesson/Unit Enhancements.
Select the enhancement lens that matches what you want to strengthen.
Generate, then review and adapt the suggestions for your class.

Quick how-to What ELL Supports are available?

Short answer: ELL Supports help you generate language-access resources for English language learners. You choose the language, proficiency level, and the specific resources you want CARL to generate.

Open your lesson in the editor.
Go to Components & Resources.
Click Browse Teaching Resources.
Choose ELL Supports.
Select the language.
Select the proficiency level.
Select the resources you want to generate.
Click Generate.
Review and adapt the resources before using them.

Resource	What it creates	Format
ELL Translated Glossary	Key vocabulary with definitions, visuals, and translations. Student-facing reference card.	Print-ready, digital
Pre-Teaching Cards	Bilingual flashcard-style concept cards with visual scaffolds and sentence starters, for use before the lesson.	Print-ready
Facilitator Guide	Teacher-facing guide with ELL-specific instructional moves, suggested scaffolds, and timing notes for the lesson.	Print-ready
Family Vocabulary Connection	Take-home vocabulary sheet translated for families, with conversation starters, tips, and a word-detective activity.	Take-home

Quick how-to How do I generate a Teaching Resource?

Short answer: Use Browse Teaching Resources when you want CARL to generate instructional supports connected to your lesson.

Open the video directly

Open your lesson in the editor.
Go to Components & Resources.
Click Browse Teaching Resources.
Choose the resource type you want.
Click Generate.
Review and edit the generated resource before using it.

Blocks

Quick how-to Why is the Blocks panel locked?

Short answer: The Blocks panel usually needs you to select a slot first. Blocks do not float onto the page by themselves, they are added into a selected space.

Open the video directly

Click Add Section.
Choose a layout.
Click the slot where the block should go.
Open Blocks.
Choose the block you want to add.

Quick how-to Why do Layout Blocks need full width?

Short answer: Most regular Blocks can fit into smaller section slots, but Layout Blocks need a full-width section because they create larger page structures.

Open the video directly

Click Add Section.
Choose a full-width section.
Select the full-width slot.
Open Blocks.
Add the Layout Block again.

Image spaces If you need a place for an image, start in Blocks → Layouts. Use Media to upload, search for, generate, save, and insert the image.

Quick how-to Can I build a full worksheet from scratch using Blocks?

Short answer: Not yet.

Blocks are meant to supplement existing templates, not replace the template library.

Use Blocks when you want to add something smaller inside an existing lesson page, component, or template, like:

a table,
a chart,
a Venn diagram,
a short response area,
a multiple-choice area,
an organizer,
an extra text section.

Use Components when you want a full worksheet, handout, activity, assignment, assessment, quiz, reflection, or exit ticket.

Good to know If enough teachers want full build-from-scratch functionality, that could be something CARL adds in the future. For now, if the full template you need is missing, request it through the support page.

Images & Media

Use these quick answers when you want to add image spaces, upload visuals, search open-licensed images, or generate AI images.

Quick how-to How do I add an image to a lesson?

Short answer: First add an image-friendly layout from Blocks → Layouts. Then use Media to upload, search for, generate, save, and insert the image.

Add a new section to your document.
Choose an image-friendly layout from Blocks → Layouts.
Open Media.
Choose Library, Web, or AI.
Select or generate the image you want.
Click the image space where you want the image to go.

Quick how-to What is the difference between Library, Web, and AI?

Short answer: Use Library for images you already have or saved, Web for open-licensed image search, and AI when you need CARL to generate a custom classroom visual.

Tab	Use it when...
Library	You already have the image, uploaded it, or saved it in CARL.
Web	You want to search for an open-licensed image.
AI	You need a custom scene, diagram, map, timeline, lab visual, or vocabulary image.

Good to know If you need something very specific, AI will usually be more flexible than Web search. If you already have the image you want, upload it to Library.

CARL-Assist

Quick how-to How do I use Ask CARL?

Short answer: Use Ask CARL when you want help thinking through your lesson, improving an activity, revising a section, or brainstorming better options.

Open the video directly

Open your lesson.
Open CARL-Assist.
Choose Ask CARL.
Ask a specific question.
Review the answer and decide what to change.

Good questions to ask:

“What texts could I use for the quote brainstorm activity?”
“What non-worksheet activity could I do instead of the Day 2 Apply suggestion?”
“How can I make sure that Day 3’s Explain section is engaging?”

Beta note Is Review with CARL available?

Short answer: Review with CARL is still being improved during beta. Ask CARL is the more reliable option right now.

Use Ask CARL when you want help with:

improving a section,
brainstorming activity alternatives,
checking if something feels engaging,
revising instructions,
thinking through next steps,
adapting a lesson idea before finalizing it.

Saving, Publishing, and Downloads

Quick how-to How do I know my lesson saved?

Short answer: Look for CARL’s save status near the bottom of the editor. It helps confirm whether your latest changes have been saved.

CARL save status at the bottom of the editor

CARL shows save status near the bottom of the editor.

Make your change.
Pause for a moment.
Look for the save status indicator.
Wait until it shows the lesson is saved before leaving the page.
If unsure, wait a few seconds and check again.

Quick how-to How do I publish a lesson?

Short answer: Publishing makes your lesson available beyond your private editing space, depending on the visibility option you choose.

CARL publish and visibility panel overview

Use the publish panel to review publishing and visibility options.

Open the lesson.
Review the content.
Check visibility settings.
Choose the publish option.
Confirm that the lesson is published.

Quick how-to Why aren’t my downloads ready yet?

Short answer: Sometimes PDFs or downloads need a little time to render, especially if the lesson has several pages, components, or resources.

Wait a moment for the file to finish rendering.
Look for a spinner or loading message.
Refresh the page if it seems stuck.
Try downloading again.
Contact support if the download still does not appear.

Good to know Longer lessons, or lessons with several added components and resources, may take longer to prepare. If a download keeps spinning after checking again, contact support.

Quick how-to Where do I find the PDF?

Short answer: After publishing or preparing downloads, the PDF should appear in the lesson details or download area once rendering is complete.

CARL lesson details page after publishing

After publishing, open the lesson details page to find lesson actions and download options.

The document download area shows available downloadable files once they are ready.

Open the lesson details page.
Look for the download or PDF area.
Wait if the file is still rendering.
Click the PDF/download button once it is ready.

Quick how-to Can I edit a published lesson?

Short answer: Usually, yes, if it is your lesson and it has not been protected by another teacher saving or using it. If editing is blocked, create a remix instead.

Open the published lesson.
Look for the edit option.
If editing is available, make your changes.
If editing is blocked, choose Create Remix.
Edit your remixed version.

Curriculum Tracking

Use this quick answer when you want to track what has been planned, taught, or still needs attention across a term or school year.

Quick how-to Can I track which curriculum I have planned or taught?

Short answer: CARL helps you create, save, remix, and share lessons. If you also want to track which curriculum areas are planned, taught, or still need attention, CARL Compass is designed for that curriculum coverage workflow.

Compass is a curriculum-aligned planning workspace that helps teachers connect lessons and plans to curriculum coverage over time.

Simple rule Use CARL when you want to build or adapt lessons. Use Compass when you want to track curriculum coverage over time.

Use Compass when you want to:

visually track curriculum as Planned or Taught with simple checkboxes,
see coverage gaps at a glance: what is done, what is scheduled, and what still needs attention,
organize planning around official provincial curriculum or your own custom standards,
manage split-grade classes, such as Grade 4/5, with flexible view options,
get help filling curriculum gaps with plan suggestions in Compass Plus.

Remix and Contributions

These quick answers are included now, but the full Remix/Contributions guide should still be reviewed once final wording is confirmed.

Quick how-to What is a remix?

Short answer: A remix creates an editable version of a lesson so you can adapt it without changing the original.

Use remix when:

you want to change the lesson structure,
you want to adapt it for your class,
you want to revise content,
editing the original is blocked,
you want your own version.

Quick how-to What is a contribution?

Short answer: A contribution lets you add something to a lesson, such as a component or resource, without changing the original lesson.

Use contribution when:

you want to add a component,
you want to add a resource,
you are not trying to rewrite the whole lesson,
you want your addition to appear as a contribution.

Quick how-to Why can’t I edit a lesson after another teacher saved it?

Short answer: CARL protects public lessons once another teacher has saved or used them so the original does not unexpectedly change for others.

Open the lesson.
Choose Create Remix.
Edit your remixed version.
Save or publish your version when ready.

Troubleshooting and Quality

Quick how-to Why won’t Teaching Resources or Components generate?

Short answer: Sometimes it may just be a glitch. First, make sure your lesson is saved, then refresh and try again.

Check that your lesson has saved.
Refresh the page.
Try generating again.
If you see a message about your AI generation limit, you may have reached your monthly limit.
If it still does not work, contact support.

When contacting support, include:

what you were trying to generate,
whether it was a Component or Teaching Resource,
what happened on screen,
the lesson or page you were working on.

Quick how-to My generated lesson is not very good. What should I check?

Short answer: AI output improves when the setup information is specific. If the lesson feels too generic, check the planning context first.

Did you choose the right grade and subject?
Did you include a clear topic?
Did you choose a Saved Class Profile, if you have one?
Did you include enough learner needs or teaching preferences?
Did you ask for the right type of lesson or unit?

Try next: Edit the lesson directly, use Ask CARL for suggestions, or regenerate with clearer setup details if needed.

Quick how-to I reached my AI generation limit. What can I still do?

Short answer: You can still use available templates without AI generation and fill them in yourself.

You can still:

use blank component templates,
edit lesson content manually,
customize the lesson design,
review existing generated content,
request missing templates through support.

Limited features may include:

AI-generated components,
AI-generated Teaching Resources,
other AI-assisted generation tools depending on your plan.

Quick how-to CARL generated something inaccurate. What should I do?

Short answer: Treat AI-generated content as a draft. Review, edit, and remove anything that does not fit your class or curriculum.

Check for:

factual accuracy,
grade-level fit,
curriculum fit,
respectful and inclusive wording,
accessibility for your learners,
appropriate examples and instructions.

Best next step: Edit the content directly, or ask CARL for a revision suggestion using a specific prompt.

Example prompt “Revise this activity so it is clearer for Grade 6 students and includes simpler instructions.”