{"id":"ind-par-coach-playing-time-email","audience":"parents","category":"writing-emails","technique":"tone","title":"Ask a coach about playing time without complaining","free":false,"task":"You want to ask your daughter's basketball coach about her playing time. Write an email under 90 words, plain text: state the minutes from your notes in the first sentence as facts, ask exactly one question about what she can work on, and offer to talk at a time the coach chooses. Don't mention other players, don't question the coach's decisions, and don't bring up the angry sideline comments from other parents. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.","materialLabel":"Your notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"MY NOTES - Coach Darnell Hayes, Westside Middle School girls' basketball (fictional)\nDaughter: Lily Chen, 8th grade, guard\n\nMinutes played (32-minute games):\n- Game 1 (Oct 18): 12 minutes\n- Game 2 (Oct 25): 6 minutes\n- Game 3 (Nov 1): 4 minutes\n\nWhat Lily told me: she's been working on her left-hand dribble at home. She thinks coach is \"mad at her\" but isn't sure why.\nOther parents on the sideline Saturday were saying the coach \"only plays his favorites\" - I didn't say anything.\nKayla P. plays the full game every time and she's in 7th grade (not saying this).\n\nCoach prefers email; the team handbook says \"Playing time questions: email the coach, never at games.\"\nI don't want Lily to know I emailed.","rules":[{"type":"maxWords","max":90},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for \"under 90 words\" and it often lands well over.","fix":"Cap each part instead: \"4 sentences, each under 20 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"title":"Opening with feelings","why":"The AI starts with how upset Lily is before the facts.","fix":"Add: \"First sentence: her minutes, 12, 6 and 4, as plain facts.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Asking too much","why":"The AI asks why, whether it's fair, and what's changed, all at once.","fix":"Add: \"Ask one question: what can she work on? Let him pick a time to talk.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Comparing or complaining","why":"The AI mentions the 7th grader playing more or the favorites talk.","fix":"Add: \"No other players, parents or questions about his decisions.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Ignoring where it will be pasted","why":"AI loves bold and headings, which show up as stray ** and # symbols in the email.","fix":"Name the place and the format: \"For the email. Plain text, no bold or headings.\"","checks":["plainText"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Leads with facts","patterns":["first sentence","minutes","facts","lead with"]},{"label":"Asks one question","patterns":["one question","single question","work on"]},{"label":"Avoids comparisons","patterns":["other players","compar","kayla","favorites"]},{"label":"Lets the coach choose","patterns":["time (that )?works","his (time|schedule)","coach (chooses|picks)"]},{"label":"Sets a word limit","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","word (limit|count)"]}],"hint":"Playing-time emails go best as facts plus one forward-looking question. Tell the AI the order, the single ask, and what to leave out.","rubricLabels":["The first sentence (after any greeting) states Lily's minutes as facts: 12, 6 and 4 minutes in the last three games (or that her minutes went from 12 to 4)","Asks exactly one question, about what Lily can work on to earn more time, and offers to talk at a time the coach chooses","Doesn't mention other players (no Kayla) or other parents' comments, doesn't question the coach's decisions or fairness, and says nothing about favorites or Lily thinking he's mad"]}