# How can educators get started with ZeroTwo?

> Set up custom instructions and a project per course, try prompts for lessons and rubrics, and learn the limits to know before you involve students.

Source: https://help.zerotwo.ai/en/articles/8313929-how-can-educators-get-started-with-zerotwo
Section: Privacy and policies > Educator FAQ
Last updated: 2026-10-05

ZeroTwo is a chat assistant you can use to plan lessons, write classroom materials and prepare feedback. This guide sets it up for a teacher's routine, gives you prompts to adapt, and covers the limits worth knowing before students are involved.

## Set it up once

1. **Add custom instructions.** Open **Settings > Personalization > Companion** and fill in **Custom instructions**. Say what you teach, the grade levels, and how you like materials formatted, for example "I teach 8th-grade science. Use plain language, numbered steps and metric units." They apply to your conversations from then on, while the switch beside **Custom instructions** is on. See [Setting custom instructions in ZeroTwo](https://help.zerotwo.ai/en/articles/8096356-setting-custom-instructions-in-zerotwo).
2. **Create a project for each course.** In the sidebar's **Projects** section, choose **New project**. A project keeps chats, files and instructions in one place. Open the project's menu in the sidebar and choose **Project settings** to write the **Instructions** (up to 8,000 characters), such as the course goals and how you word rubrics, then use the **Sources** tab and **Add sources** to bring in readings by **Upload**, **Text input**, **Library**, **Google Drive** or **URL Context**. On the Free plan, the sidebar's **New project** opens an upgrade prompt. See [How do projects work in ZeroTwo?](https://help.zerotwo.ai/en/articles/10169521-how-do-projects-work-in-zerotwo)

## Prompts to adapt

Name the grade level, the time you have and the format you want. Replace the bracketed parts.

| Task | Try asking |
| --- | --- |
| Lesson plan | Draft a 45-minute lesson on [topic] for [grade]. Include a warm-up, direct instruction, guided practice, an exit ticket, and one extension for students who finish early. |
| Reading levels | Rewrite the passage below for a [grade] reading level, keeping the key vocabulary. Then list five terms I should pre-teach. |
| Rubric | Create a four-level rubric for [assignment] with the criteria [list]. Describe each level in observable terms. |
| Practice questions | Write ten multiple-choice questions on [unit], mixing recall and application. Mark the correct answer and explain why each wrong option is tempting. |
| Tutoring practice | Act as a tutor for [concept]. Ask me one question at a time, wait for my answer, and give a hint before you give the solution. |
| Message to families | Draft a friendly email of under 150 words to families about [event or policy]. Avoid jargon and end with one clear action. |

For more on wording requests, see [How do I write a good prompt for ZeroTwo?](https://help.zerotwo.ai/en/articles/4936848-how-do-i-write-a-good-prompt-for-zerotwo)

## Tools that save time

- **Your own material.** Select **+** and choose **Files and folders** to attach a reading or worksheet, then ask for a summary, a vocabulary list or discussion questions.
- **Current information.** Turn on **Web Search** from the **+** menu and open **Sources** to see where an answer came from.
- **Longer research.** **Deep Research** is a plugin. Type `/deep-research` in your message and it proposes a research plan for you to approve, then researches and writes a report; its instructions call for cited sources. See [How does Deep Research work in ZeroTwo?](https://help.zerotwo.ai/en/articles/10500283-how-does-deep-research-work-in-zerotwo)
- **Finished files.** Work can draft Word documents, spreadsheets, PowerPoint decks and PDFs, such as a worksheet or a slide deck. See [Making Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files with Work](https://help.zerotwo.ai/en/articles/20001278-making-word-excel-powerpoint-and-pdf-files-with-work).
- **Sharing with colleagues.** Open a chat and select **Share** to send a read-only link; colleagues need to be signed in to ZeroTwo to open it. See [How do I share a ZeroTwo chat or message?](https://help.zerotwo.ai/en/articles/7925741-how-do-i-share-a-zerotwo-chat-or-message)

## Know the limits before you involve students

- **Check what it writes.** ZeroTwo can be wrong, so verify facts, quotations and answer keys. See [Does ZeroTwo tell the truth?](https://help.zerotwo.ai/en/articles/8313428-does-zerotwo-tell-the-truth)
- **Keep grading with you.** ZeroTwo's Terms prohibit using its output about a person for decisions such as education outcomes. See [How can I use ZeroTwo for assessment and feedback?](https://help.zerotwo.ai/en/articles/8313397-how-can-i-use-zerotwo-for-assessment-and-feedback)
- **Protect student information.** Leave names and other identifying details out of what you paste in. The Privacy Policy says you are responsible for having permission to share personal information and that some AI providers may retain submitted content under their own policies.
- **Mind the age rules.** ZeroTwo has no education plan in its plan picker; schools can ask about ZeroTwo Education through the Contact Sales form (see [How do I contact the ZeroTwo sales team?](https://help.zerotwo.ai/en/articles/9047878-how-do-i-contact-the-zerotwo-sales-team)). Its Terms and Privacy Policy set age limits. See [Is ZeroTwo safe for all ages?](https://help.zerotwo.ai/en/articles/8313401-is-zerotwo-safe-for-all-ages)
- **Plan for honesty questions.** See [What can educators do when students pass off AI work as their own?](https://help.zerotwo.ai/en/articles/8313351-what-can-educators-do-when-students-pass-off-ai-work-as-their-own)