"Clear thinking becomes clear writing." — William Zinsser. Muddy instructions → muddy answers. Prompting is learnable—like free throws, not magic.
Relatable: It’s 11 p.m., your first prompt is “help,” and the bot writes a novel. There’s a better way.
Time: ~45–75 minutes first pass + 1–2 hours this week for a small prompt pack.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
- Structure prompts with a repeatable framework (CRISP).
- Compare zero-shot, one-shot, and few-shot—and know when examples win.
- Iterate one variable at a time and save winners.
- Draft a system prompt for a real use case (study coach, club, hobby).
- Maintain a tiny prompt library with dates and “what failed” notes.
- Respect school rules—scaffolding, not smuggling graded work.
1. Why Prompts Are a Real Skill
Models continue text from what you gave them. Vague in → average out.
Analogy: Same phone camera—random snaps vs adjusting light and framing.
Fun Fact: Tiny wording shifts change probabilities—not because the model has “favorite words,” but because you moved the next-token landscape.
2. CRISP Framework
Context · Role · Instruction · Style · Parameters (length, must-nots, safety).
In your notes, write a template with blanks for each letter—no need to memorize ours verbatim. Example shape: “10th grader, bio tutor, explain Calvin cycle in six steps with check questions, friendly tone, max 250 words, hints not full answers first.”
Try This! Run the same task twice: (1) one vague sentence (2) CRISP. Paste both outputs side by side—label what improved.
3. Zero-Shot vs Few-Shot
| Technique | When |
|---|---|
| Zero-shot | Quick, clear format |
| One-shot | Style matching |
| Few-shot | “Questions like these → answers like these” |
Concept: Showing a format beats describing it with extra adjectives.
Activity: Build three tiny examples yourself for something repetitive (vocab, club posts). Teaching the pattern to the model teaches you what you want.
4. System Prompts = House Rules
Often include: role, audience, integrity line (“don’t complete graded submissions”), output shape, uncertainty habit (“say if unsure”).
Try This! Write two system prompts: strict coach vs gentle mentor. Same user message—notice tone shift.
5. Chain-of-Thought (Carefully)
“Asking for steps” helps you inspect reasoning—not guarantee correctness. Circle the step you’d ask a teacher about.
6. Iteration Loop
- Run → 2. Edit-like read → 3. Fix one knob → 4. Re-run → 5. Save winner.
| Symptom | First fix |
|---|---|
| Too long | Max words / bullet cap |
| Too generic | Audience + stakes + example |
| Wrong tone | Style line + one-shot |
| Makes stuff up | Ask for uncertainty + check plan |
| Ignores format | Repeat format at end |
Try This! Same task, three prompts—each improves one measurable thing (length, structure, tone). Keep the evolution in a doc.
7. Prompt Library (Simple)
Fields: name, full prompt, tool tested, what worked, what failed, date (models update).
Fun Fact: Versioning (v1, v2) sounds nerdy until it saves you on deadline night.
8. Settings When You See Them
Temperature: higher → more varied; lower → steadier. Max length: always set for school tasks so you don’t drown.
Try This! Same question: 80-word cap vs no cap—which helped you learn more?
9. When Not to Prompt
Personal essays need your specifics; legal/medical stakes need pros; forbidden exam use; mystery citations for graded claims.
Practice Challenges
Five CRISP prompts for real life; tone matrix on one factual topic; few-shot note converter; system prompt duel with a friend; failure autopsy on an old bad output; integrity block for custom instructions.
Your Challenge
Prompt Pack (10 entries): 4 school helpers (tutor, not ghostwriter), 2 creative, 2 productivity, 2 “fix my prompt” meta-prompts. Each: name, CRISP text, 2–5 line output snippet, when not to use.
Plus one-page “How I Iterate” with three-step checklist and one v1→v3 example.
Discuss with a friend: Can they use your pack without DMing you?
Key Takeaways
- Prompting = instruction design; clarity beats cleverness.
- Examples often beat adjectives.
- System prompts set stable rules; chats handle the moment.
- Iterate and date your library.
Key Takeaway
- Use CRISP so you’re never staring at a blank box.
- Change one variable per iteration and keep the winner.
- Few-shot patterns reduce format fights fast.
- System rules should include integrity boundaries for school.
- For graded work, your understanding is the product—AI is scaffolding when allowed.
Going Further
Official tool docs; pair with Module 03 for fact-checking; share skeletons, not private data.
You’re learning a language machines respond to—with reps, you’ll sound like you meant it.