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Email families about a field trip with the deadline first

Practice: Saying who it's for. About 5 minutes.

About this exercise

You're emailing families about next month's field trip. Write it under 90 words, plain text: the permission slip deadline and the corrected cost in the first sentence, then the date and what to send, then a quiet line that help with the cost is available by contacting you privately. Don't mention which students got help last time. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for "under 90 words" and it often lands well over. Try: Cap each part instead: "5 sentences, each under 18 words."
  • Opening with excitement. The AI starts "We're so excited to announce..." and the deadline is buried. Try: Add: "First sentence: slips due Fri Nov 21, cost $7."
  • Using the old cost. $12 appears first; the correction comes after. Try: Add: "Cost is $7 (PTA covers the bus)."
  • Leaving out what to send. The AI covers the trip but forgets lunch rules. Try: Add: "List: bagged lunch, no glass, water bottle, jacket."
  • Mishandling cost help. The AI makes cost help a big paragraph or mentions last year's families. Try: Add: "One quiet line about cost help with my email. Name no families."
  • Ignoring where it will be pasted. AI loves bold and headings, which show up as stray ** and # symbols in the school email. Try: Name the place and the format: "For the school email. Plain text, no bold or headings."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Puts the deadline first
  • Uses the corrected cost
  • Keeps cost help private
  • Lists what to send
  • Sets a word limit

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