Reactive vs. Thinking Agents

This worksheet provides a passage explaining two major types of AI agents-reactive and thinking agents-and how they differ in decision-making. Students read how reactive agents respond instantly to the present moment, while thinking agents plan and evaluate future outcomes before acting. After reading, students answer short-response questions requiring them to explain concepts, compare examples, and describe differences using evidence from the passage. The activity strengthens written explanation skills, encourages deeper processing of informational text, and builds understanding of how AI systems vary in complexity. Students also practice organizing their thoughts into clear, complete responses.

Curriculum Matched Skills

English Language Arts – Reading Informational Text: Compare and Contrast

English Language Arts – Written Explanations Using Text Evidence

Technology Literacy – Understanding AI Agent Types

Critical Thinking – Differentiating Systems Based on Function

This worksheet is part of our AI Agents collection.