{"id":"tch-parent-missing-work","audience":"teachers","category":"writing-emails","technique":"tone","title":"Reply to an upset parent about missing work","free":true,"task":"Mr. Dawson is upset that his son Jaylen has a D in your 7th grade science class. Reply under 110 words, in plain text with no bullet points or lists, so it reads like a personal note, and say what Jaylen still needs to turn in and the makeup deadline within the first three sentences. Keep it warm and not defensive (mention something good about Jaylen), and use only your notes: one assignment the gradebook shows as missing was actually turned in. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.","materialLabel":"The parent's email and your notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"From: Mark Dawson\nSubject: Jaylen's science grade??\n\nMs. Rivera, I just logged in and Jaylen has a D in science. Nobody told us anything was wrong. What is he missing and what can he do? - Mark Dawson\n\n---\nMy notes (Ms. Rivera, 7th grade science)\nJaylen Dawson - current grade D (64%)\n- Lab 3 (Plant Cells): shows missing in gradebook, BUT he turned it in late on 10/28, graded 82. Gradebook not updated yet, my fault, fixing today.\n- Lab 4 (Density): missing\n- Chapter 5 Reading Questions: missing\n- If he turns in Lab 4 and Ch. 5 by the makeup deadline, Friday 11/13, his grade should come up to about a C+.\n- Makeup help: Tue & Thu, 3:00-3:45, Room 118.\n- Progress report went home 10/20 by email but bounced. Address on file is old. Ask dad for the best email.\n- Positive: Jaylen asks great questions in class discussions, helped his lab partner set up the microscope last week.\n- All classes: aquarium trip permission slips due Monday.\n- My car's still in the shop, carpool w/ Ms. Tran.","rules":[{"type":"maxWords","max":110},{"type":"maxBullets","max":0},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Just saying \"reply to this parent\"","why":"The AI writes a formal letter with a bulleted list of assignments, which feels cold to a worried parent.","fix":"Add: \"Write it as a short personal note. No bullet points or lists, plain text.\"","checks":["maxBullets","plainText"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for \"under 110 words\" and it often lands well over.","fix":"Cap each part instead: \"4-5 short sentences, each under 16 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"title":"Trusting the gradebook line","why":"The AI lists every assignment marked missing, including Lab 3, which your note says was turned in.","fix":"Add: \"Lab 3 was turned in. Only Lab 4 and Chapter 5 are missing.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Opening with a long apology","why":"The AI spends the first paragraph on empathy, and the answer to his question comes last.","fix":"Say the order: \"Sentence 2: what's missing and the makeup deadline.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Sounding defensive","why":"The AI may point to the gradebook or the bounced email, which reads like blaming the parent.","fix":"Add: \"Warm, not defensive. Mention one good thing about Jaylen from my notes.\"","checks":["r2"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Says who the reader is","patterns":["parent","dad","father","mr\\.? dawson"]},{"label":"Sets a word limit","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","word (limit|count)"]},{"label":"Asks for no lists","patterns":["no (bullet|list)","personal note","paragraph"]},{"label":"Puts the missing work early","patterns":["first (two|three|2|3)? ?sentences?","sentence (1|2|one|two)","start with","lead with","open with"]},{"label":"Says Lab 3 was turned in","patterns":["lab 3","turned in","only.{0,20}(missing|notes)"]}],"hint":"The AI doesn't know which gradebook entry is wrong or how this parent feels. Tell it who's reading, what to say first, which work is really missing, and the tone you want.","rubricLabels":["Names only the two assignments still missing (Lab 4: Density and the Chapter 5 reading questions) and never says Lab 3 is missing (it was turned in on 10/28; saying it was graded or the gradebook is being fixed is fine)","Within the first three sentences after the greeting, says what Jaylen needs to turn in and the makeup deadline (Friday, November 13)","Sounds warm and not defensive: mentions something good about Jaylen from the notes (his questions in class or helping with the microscope) and doesn't blame Mr. Dawson or suggest he should have checked the gradebook"]}