Artificial Intelligence in Literacy Education: Use Cases in Years 3–6

Abstract

Abstract As Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) becomes more integrated into teaching and learning in schools, it offers powerful opportunities to enhance and transform literacy instruction. This chapter presents use cases based on the professional practices and reflections of the two authors, who teach in a primary school in Australia. This chapter is structured around six key areas where GenAI-powered tools are having an impact on the authors’ practices: enabling differentiation, facilitating personalisation, guiding the decomposition of tasks, building feedback loops, deepening critical literacy and supporting the inquiry process. This chapter aims to provide practical examples drawn from Australian primary classrooms, illustrating how teachers can use GenAI to scaffold student thinking, support metacognition and foster critical engagement with texts. This chapter also touches on the ethical dimensions of GenAI use in education, including considerations about data privacy, bias and the importance of developing students’ AI literacy. The use cases demonstrate how GenAI can be employed as an augmentative tool that complements teacher expertise and decision-making rather than replacing it. While the practices described are exploratory, they offer a foundation for research and pedagogical innovation.