The prompt
Score 10 of 10, Excellent
Use it when You are running a lab in a science class and need a handout students can follow alone, with safety steps taken from your own rules.
- {{topic}}
- {{students}}
- {{aim}}
- {{time}}
- {{group_size}}
- {{materials}}
- {{safety_info}}
Full prompt and why it works
Prompt
Write a lab activity on {{topic}} for {{students}}, as a student handout plus a page of teacher notes. Students will follow the handout at the bench without me reading it aloud, so every step has to be clear on its own, and the safety section has to tell them exactly what to do, not just to "be careful". Aim of the lab: {{aim}} Time available: {{time}} Group size: {{group_size}} Equipment and materials we have, with quantities and concentrations where they apply: """ {{materials}} """ Our safety rules and the hazard information for these materials (from our lab rules, safety data sheets or risk assessment): """ {{safety_info}} """ Student handout, in this order: 1. Title and the question the lab answers. 2. Background: under 120 words, only what students need to make a prediction. 3. Prediction: a sentence starter, such as "I think ... because ...". 4. Materials: a list per group, with quantities. 5. Safety: each hazard from the safety information that applies to this lab, with the precaution, the protective equipment, what to do if something goes wrong (a spill, a splash, broken glass, skin or eye contact), and how to dispose of each material. 6. Method: numbered steps, one action per step, with each measurement and its unit, and a safety reminder placed at the step where it matters. 7. Results: a blank data table with column headings and units. 8. Questions: four to six, moving from describing the results to explaining them and then evaluating the method (sources of error, how to improve it). Teacher notes: setup and quantities for the whole class, timing for each stage, the pattern of results students should see, and common mistakes to watch for. Use only the equipment and materials listed, at the quantities and concentrations given, and fit the method into the time available with time left at the end for cleanup. Do not substitute a material, raise a concentration or add heating, flames or sharp tools that the materials list does not include. Never describe a material as safe or harmless unless the safety information says so. If the safety information does not cover a hazard of a listed material or step, write [CHECK SAFETY: material or step] in the safety section instead of supplying the precaution yourself. Mark any expected results "(trial first)", because I should run the lab myself before the class does.
Variables
- {{topic}}
- What the lab is about, for example "the effect of temperature on dissolving".
- {{students}}
- Who does the lab, for example "8th grade science" or "first-year apprentice electricians".
- {{aim}}
- The question the lab answers, in your words.
- {{time}}
- The time you have, for example "one 50-minute period".
- {{group_size}}
- How many students per group, for example 3.
- {{materials}}
- Every piece of equipment and material available, with quantities and concentrations.
- {{safety_info}}
- Your lab rules and the hazard information for these materials, from safety data sheets or your school's risk assessment.
Why it works
- What to avoid. Only the listed materials and concentrations are used, with no substitutions, heating or sharp tools added, and nothing is called safe unless your safety information says so.
- If unsure. A hazard your safety information does not cover is marked [CHECK SAFETY] rather than filled in, and expected results are marked for you to trial before the class runs the lab.
- Format. Safety reminders sit at the step where they matter as well as in the safety section, since students at the bench read the step they are on.