Relax. We're not going to explain this chapter like a textbook — just like a friend talking you through it, in plain, easy-to-follow terms.
Let's think about it this way for a second
There are really only four things worth including. 1) Goal — what needs doing. 2) Evidence — text that actually matches this question. 3) Constraints — what not to do. 4) Output shape — how the answer should come back. What doesn't belong: secrets, someone else's notes, yesterday's unrelated answer, a long tool log. The prompt-engineering course already covered GCCO. Context engineering is the actual work of choosing what goes into GCCO's Context slot. If you want to add a fifth plate, you should be able to explain why.
Let's connect it to everyday life
One study turn — Goal: explain it in 5 sentences. Evidence: the photosynthesis excerpt from week-1-notes.md. Constraints: no jargon, say so if you can't find it. Output: a summary plus an example. Don't include a WhatsApp export, the teacher's mood, or last year's grades. Give files names a human can actually read. week-1-photosynthesis.md is a lot easier to find on the table than note-final-FINAL2.txt.
Let's try it out together
Pack this turn:
- Goal: explain in 5 sentences
- Evidence: week-1-notes.md / photosynthesis
- No: hard words, guessing
- Shape: summary / exampleChoose the right notes to include for a given turn.5-Minute Try
For one question, write 3 things you'd include and 3 things you wouldn't. Explain why for each.
One Quick Heads-Up
When in doubt, leave it out. An empty plate is safer than a fish that's gone off.