Prompt Lab
You have spent the last four lessons building a mental framework for prompting: what a prompt is, how to make it specific, how to iterate until it works, and why you must stay critical of the output. This lesson is pure practice. No new theory — just you, a series of real challenges, and the skills you have built. The goal is not to find the single correct answer; prompting is a craft, not a formula. The goal is to think carefully about what you are asking for and why.
Challenge 1: Explain It to Me
One of the most common uses of generative AI is getting explanations of complex topics. But a generic 'explain X' prompt almost always produces a generic encyclopedia entry. A skilled prompter specifies the audience, the depth, the angle, and the format. Your task: write a prompt that would get a genuinely useful explanation of a topic you are currently studying in school — one tailored to your actual level and needs.
Prompt Challenge
Write a prompt asking an AI to explain a topic you are studying in school. The explanation should be pitched at exactly your level and should use a real-world example.
Your prompt should…
- Tell the AI what topic you want explained
- Mention your grade level or what you already know about the topic
- Ask the AI to include a real-world example or analogy
Challenge 2: The Feedback Request
Another powerful use of AI is getting feedback on your own writing. But 'make this better' is not a useful prompt. Useful feedback requires knowing what better means for your specific piece. Before the model can help you improve something, it needs to know: What is this piece for? Who will read it? What is it supposed to accomplish? What kinds of problems should it look for? Write a prompt that would get genuinely useful feedback on a piece of writing — not generic encouragement, but specific, actionable critique.
Prompt Challenge
Write a prompt asking an AI to give you feedback on a piece of writing you have done. The feedback should be specific and focused on what matters most for that particular piece.
Your prompt should…
- Describe what the writing is and what it is supposed to accomplish
- Tell the AI what kind of feedback you want such as structure or clarity
- Ask the AI to point out specific problems rather than general praise
Challenge 3: The Role Play
Assigning the model a specific role or persona can dramatically improve the quality of certain outputs. A model told to act as a patient Socratic tutor behaves very differently from a model given no role at all. Role assignment is particularly useful for practice conversations, mock interviews, devil's-advocate thinking, and brainstorming from an outside perspective. In this challenge, you will write a prompt that uses role assignment to prepare for something you actually care about.
Prompt Challenge
Write a prompt that assigns the AI a specific role or persona, then asks it to help you prepare for something — a presentation, a debate, an interview, or a difficult conversation.
Your prompt should…
- Assign the AI a specific role or persona to play
- Describe what you are preparing for and what you need
- Tell the AI how it should respond such as asking questions or giving tough feedback
Challenge 4: Constraint Mastery
Some of the most powerful prompt engineering involves tight constraints. A constraint that seems like a limitation often forces a more creative and focused result. In this challenge, you will write a prompt with at least three explicit constraints — and the constraints must make sense together and serve a real purpose. Think about what happens to the output when you constrain length, vocabulary, format, and perspective simultaneously.
Prompt Challenge
Write a prompt for a creative or educational task that includes at least three specific constraints. The constraints should serve a clear purpose and work together to shape a focused, useful output.
Your prompt should…
- State the main task clearly at the start of your prompt
- Include at least three specific constraints such as length format or vocabulary level
- Explain or show through the constraints what the output should feel like
Before you send a prompt, read it back as if you are the model receiving it. Ask: Is the task clear? Do I have the context I need? Is the format specified? Would a brilliant stranger know exactly what to produce? This thirty-second habit will save you multiple revision cycles.
Which addition would most improve this prompt: 'Write a poem about friendship'?
The Prompt Portfolio
- Choose any three of the four challenges in this lesson. For each one:
- 1. Write your prompt (you have already practiced these above).
- 2. If you have access to an AI tool, run the prompt and paste the output.
- 3. Apply the diagnostic loop from Lesson 7: What worked? What did not? Make one targeted revision.
- 4. Label every ingredient in your final prompt: Task, Context, Format, Constraint, Example, Role.
- Collect your three best prompts into a personal 'Prompt Portfolio' — a small document of prompts you know work.
- Reflect in two sentences: What is the most important thing you learned about your own prompting style from this lab?