Below is a detailed **Lesson Plan** for **Week 2, Session 1** of the Prompt Engineering Specialization

course, titled *"Core Prompting Techniques: Zero-Shot and One-Shot Prompting."* This session
introduces students to foundational prompting strategies, building on Week 1’s exploration of prompt
anatomy. It’s designed for a 90-minute class (1.5 hours), combining lecture, demonstration, and hands-
on activities to deepen understanding and practice.

---

### Lesson Plan: Week 2, Session 1

**Title**: Core Prompting Techniques: Zero-Shot and One-Shot Prompting

**Date**: [Insert specific date, e.g., September 9, 2025, assuming a Tuesday/Thursday schedule]

**Duration**: 90 minutes

**Location**: Classroom or virtual platform (e.g., Zoom)

**Instructor**: [Your Name]

**Target Audience**: College students (beginner to intermediate level, mixed technical backgrounds)

**Prerequisites**: Attendance at Week 1 sessions; basic familiarity with a generative AI tool from
homework

---

### Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, students will:

1. Understand the concepts of zero-shot and one-shot prompting.

2. Recognize when and why to use each technique based on task complexity.

3. Apply zero-shot and one-shot prompts to generate specific AI outputs.

4. Analyze the effectiveness of their prompts through experimentation.

---

### Materials Needed

- Access to a generative AI tool (e.g., ChatGPT, Grok, or a free platform) for demos and student use

- Whiteboard or digital equivalent (e.g., Jamboard) for notes and student insights

- Handout: "Zero-Shot vs. One-Shot Prompting Guide" (optional, with definitions and sample prompts)

- Internet-enabled devices: Instructor’s computer for demo; students’ laptops/tablets (or lab computers)

- Homework submissions: Students’ notes from Week 1, Session 2 (two prompts: one successful, one
failed)

---

### Session Schedule

#### 0:00–0:10 | Welcome and Homework Debrief (10 minutes)

- **Activity**: Prompt Success and Failure Share-Out

- Instructor welcomes students, recaps Week 1 (prompt anatomy: instructions, context, examples).

- Ask 2-3 volunteers to share their homework:

- “What was your successful prompt and output?” (e.g., “Tell me a riddle” → “What has keys but can’t
open locks? A piano!”)

- “What failed, and why?” (e.g., “Be funny” → vague gibberish; lacked specificity).

- Note key lessons on whiteboard (e.g., “Clarity wins,” “Vague = chaos”).

- **Purpose**: Reinforce prior learning, highlight real-world prompt challenges.

- **Transition**: “Today, we’ll explore two techniques—zero-shot and one-shot—to get results fast,
even with tricky tasks.”

#### 0:10–0:30 | Lecture: Zero-Shot and One-Shot Prompting (20 minutes)

- **Content**:

- **Zero-Shot Prompting**: Asking AI to perform a task without examples or prior training on that
specific task. Relies on pre-trained knowledge.

- Example: “Classify this sentence as positive or negative: ‘I love sunny days.’” → “Positive.”
 - **One-Shot Prompting**: Providing one example to guide the AI’s response. Adds minimal context for
better accuracy.

- Example: “Classify this as positive or negative: ‘Rain is great.’ Example: ‘Snow is fun’ = positive.” →
“Positive.”

- When to use: Zero-shot for simple, general tasks; one-shot when precision or format matters.

- **Delivery**:

- Slides with definitions and paired examples:

- Zero-shot: “Translate ‘Hola’ to English.” → “Hello.”

- One-shot: “Translate ‘Bonjour’ to English like this: ‘Ciao’ = ‘Hello.’” → “Hello.”

- Live Demo (5 minutes):

- Zero-shot: “Write a tweet about coffee.” → Shows output (e.g., “Coffee is life.”).

- One-shot: “Write a tweet about coffee like this: ‘Tea is my morning hug.’” → Shows output (e.g.,
“Coffee is my daily boost.”).

- Ask, “What’s the difference?”

- **Engagement**: Pause at 0:25 to ask, “When might zero-shot fail?” (Quick responses, e.g., “Complex
tasks,” “Ambiguity”).

- **Purpose**: Clarify techniques and show their practical distinction.

#### 0:30–0:40 | Break (10 minutes)

- **Activity**: Students stretch or chat; instructor preps for activity.

- **Purpose**: Recharge for hands-on practice.

#### 0:40–1:15 | Activity: Experiment with Zero-Shot and One-Shot Prompts (35 minutes)

- **Content**: Students design and test zero-shot and one-shot prompts to compare results.

- **Activity**: Prompt Crafting Challenge

1. **Setup (5 min)**:

- Instructor explains: “You’ll write one zero-shot and one one-shot prompt for a task of your choice—
creative, analytical, whatever!”

- Suggested tasks: “Generate a tagline,” “Solve a riddle,” “Describe a scene.”

- Ensure tool access (e.g., Grok or ChatGPT link shared).

- Students craft:

- Zero-shot: e.g., “Write a tagline for a bakery.”

- One-shot: e.g., “Write a tagline for a bakery like this: ‘Fresh bites daily’ for a cafe.”

- Test both in the AI tool, record outputs, and note differences.

- Stretch goal: Tweak one prompt if results are off (e.g., add clarity).

3. **Pair Discussion (15 min)**:

- Pair up with a classmate.

- Share prompts and outputs, then discuss:

- “Which worked better? Why?”

- “What did the example add in one-shot?”

- Instructor circulates, asking, “Did zero-shot surprise you?” or “How could this improve?”

- **Facilitation**: Encourage experimentation (e.g., “Try a weird task!”) and reflection.

- **Purpose**: Apply concepts directly, compare techniques, and learn from peers.

#### 1:15–1:30 | Wrap-Up and Preview (15 minutes)

- **Content**:

- Recap: “Zero-shot leans on AI’s raw ability; one-shot gives it a nudge with an example. Both are
powerful starting points.”

- Debrief Activity: Invite 1-2 pairs to share (e.g., “My one-shot tagline was catchier!”). Note insights on
whiteboard (e.g., “Examples focus AI”).

- Next Session Preview: “We’ll level up with few-shot prompting and role assignment—more tools to
shape AI behavior.”

- Homework: “Test a zero-shot and one-shot prompt for something practical (e.g., study help, recipe
idea). Bring results and one question about them.”

- **Activity**: Quick Q&A (e.g., “Any tasks stump the AI?” “Need tool tips?”).

- **Purpose**: Tie the session together, celebrate progress, and prep for next steps.

---
### Assessment

- **Formative**:

- Participation in debrief and activity (observed engagement).

- Quality of prompts and reflections during pair discussion (informal feedback).

- **No graded deliverables**: Focus remains on practice and exploration.

---

### Contingency Plans

- **If time runs short**: Cut pair discussion to 10 minutes, summarizing key findings as a group.

- **If tech fails**: Use pre-prepared outputs (e.g., “Here’s what zero-shot gave me earlier…”).

- **If students struggle**: Offer a fallback prompt (e.g., “Describe a dog” vs. “Describe a dog like ‘The cat
is fluffy’”).

---

### Post-Session Notes for Instructor

- Reflect: Did students get the techniques? Any confusion to clarify next time?

- Prep for Session 4: Gather few-shot and role-based examples; check tool reliability.

---

This plan deepens Week 1’s foundation with actionable techniques, keeping it engaging and practical. It’s
accessible for beginners while challenging students to think critically about AI responses. Let me know if
you’d like adjustments—like more demo time or a different focus!