Region 7 AI Literacy Switch to Gems
Approved for Region 7 staff

Claude Skills

Get one great result in a chat. Then ask Claude to save how you got there, so next time one line does the job.

This video has music and on-screen text but no narration. Turn on audio description to hear the on-screen text read aloud, or read the full transcript below the video.

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This video has instrumental music and no narration. Here is everything that appears on screen, in order.

  1. 0:00 On a dark screen: You finally got the perfect output. Next week, you need it again. Start from scratch? The question is crossed out.
  2. 0:04 Large green words: Make it a skill.
  3. 0:06 Section 1, What a skill is. A saved set of instructions Claude loads when your request matches. Every skill starts with one file, SKILL.md.
  4. 0:11 An example file named exit-ticket-maker. The name line is highlighted: a short, clear label.
  5. 0:15 The description is highlighted. Claude reads this to decide when to use the skill. Say what it does and when to use it.
  6. 0:21 The instructions are highlighted: the how, meaning your steps, format, and rules.
  7. 0:28 Section 2, Way 1, write it yourself. In Claude, the pointer opens Customize, then Skills.
  8. 0:32 The plus button opens a menu: Create with Claude, Write skill instructions, and Upload a skill. The pointer chooses Write skill instructions.
  9. 0:34 A form is filled in. Skill name: exit-ticket-maker. The description says it creates a 3-question math exit ticket and should be used when a teacher asks for an exit ticket. Then three numbered instructions.
  10. 0:42 The pointer clicks Create. The new skill appears in the list and its switch turns on. Note: it's ready, and Claude can use it in any chat when your request matches.
  11. 0:51 Section 3, Way 2, make this into a skill. In a normal chat, the user asks for a short family newsletter for a 7th grade math class about proportional relationships. Claude writes a first draft.
  12. 0:56 The user asks for a Try this at home activity with a grocery example, and a Spanish version. Claude writes a second draft.
  13. 1:01 The user asks for the quiz date at the top and under 200 words per language. Claude writes a third draft: a complete newsletter in English and Spanish.
  14. 1:10 The user types: This is perfect. Make this into a skill.
  15. 1:13 Claude says it will package everything they worked out, and shows a SKILL.md file named family-math-newsletter that lists every fix as a numbered step. Note: every fix you asked for is now written into the instructions.
  16. 1:21 A skill card appears with a Save skill button. The pointer clicks it, and a message confirms: Skill saved.
  17. 1:29 Section 4, Call it anytime. In a new chat, the user types: Family newsletter for Grade 7, Unit 4, percent. Quiz is Friday, October 16.
  18. 1:35 Claude shows that it is using the family-math-newsletter skill and writes the newsletter in the same format, in English and Spanish. Note: just ask for the task; Claude loads the skill on its own.
  19. 1:43 Comparison. Without the skill: 4 messages and 3 rounds of fixes. With the skill: 1 message. Same format, same quality, every week.
  20. 1:52 On a dark screen: Emails and newsletters? That's just the start.
  21. 1:54 Number 1, interactive dashboards. A prompt asks Claude to build an interactive dashboard from benchmark results. A dashboard of sample data appears; the pointer points at a bar, then switches the view from campus to unit.
  22. 1:59 Number 2, interactive 3D models. A 3D triangular prism rotates. Dragging the length slider from 5 to 8 centimeters changes the volume from 30 to 48 cubic centimeters.
  23. 2:04 Number 3, classroom games. In Fraction Pop, the pointer pops the balloons equal to three fourths: 6 eighths, 9 twelfths, and 75 percent. The score rises to 3.
  24. 2:08 Number 4, animated videos. A slope explainer plays: a line is drawn, the run is 3, the rise is 2, so the slope is two thirds.
  25. 2:13 A wall of more things Claude can build: dashboards, 3D models, games, videos, lesson slides, websites, flashcards, simulations, quizzes, rubrics, spreadsheets, and study guides. This video? Built with Claude, too.
  26. 2:20 The possibilities are endless. Skills make it easier. Save how you like it built. Call it anytime.
  27. 2:30 Closing card: Do it well once. Make it a skill. Call it anytime. Two ways to start: Customize, Skills, plus, Write skill instructions; or after a great chat, say Make this into a skill. Video built with the help of AI.

A skill is a great chat, saved.

  1. 1

    Get it right in a chat

    Ask, react, and fix until you'd send it as-is.

  2. 2

    Say “Make this into a skill.”

    Claude writes down the format and every fix you asked for.

  3. 3

    Next time, just ask

    Claude spots the matching skill and follows it. Nothing to open.

How does Claude know which skill to use? Each one has a short description of when to use it. Claude reads those descriptions and loads the skill that fits your request.

Make your first skill.

Use your own Claude account and a real task from your week. Work with Claude the way you normally would. When the result is finally right, ask Claude to turn it into a skill.

  1. Open your Claude account

    Go to claude.ai (opens in a new tab), sign in with your Region 7 account, and start a new chat.

  2. Pick something you actually make

    Choose a task you'll do again: a spreadsheet, a Word document, a PDF handout, a slide deck, a flyer, a data dashboard, a parent letter. Real work makes a real skill.

  3. Start with a role

    Begin your first message with “Act as…” and name the expert you'd hire for the job. Then describe the task and attach or paste what Claude needs, with names and student details removed.

  4. Push back until it's right

    Don't settle for the first answer. Say exactly what's off: the format, the length, the colors, the tone, the file type. Ask for a different format if the one you got isn't useful. Keep going until you'd hand it to someone as-is.

  5. Ask Claude to save it

    Tell Claude: “Make this into a skill so you know my style and preferences next time.” Claude writes the skill from your conversation and shows a Save skill button. Click it.

  6. Try it in a new chat

    Open a fresh chat and ask for the same kind of thing with new details. It should come back in your style on the first try.

See it done

Three real conversations, start to finish. Pick one, then click Next to watch it build into a skill.

Step 1 of 5

Can't find skills? In Claude, open Settings → Capabilities and turn on Code execution and file creation. Saved skills live under Customize → Skills. If Skills isn't there, ask your Claude admin.

Use it anytime.

Just ask

Claude matches your request to the skill.

“Family newsletter for Grade 7, Unit 4: percent. Quiz is Friday.”

Name it to be sure

Mentioning the skill removes any guessing.

“Use my family-math-newsletter skill for Unit 4.”

Make it better

Skills improve the same way they started: by asking.

“Update my family-math-newsletter skill so it also adds one vocabulary word.”

Before you go.

Nothing identifiable goes in.

No student names, IDs, or IEP details. No staff personal information. No confidential district data. A skill is saved and reused, so keep it generic: roles, not names.

You are the last step.

A skill makes Claude consistent, not correct. Check every fact, date, and number before anything leaves your hands.

Submit three things

  1. Your skill's name and description, copied from Claude.
  2. The chat that made it: what you asked for and what you fixed.
  3. One output from a new chat, and one thing you checked or changed.
Open the exit ticket (opens in a new tab)

Skills not showing up in your account? Copy the skill Claude wrote into a Google Doc and paste it at the top of a new chat. That counts.