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Session 1

Research, Report, Publish

You've got Claude running in VS Code. Let's put it to work.

In the next 45 minutes you're going to ask Claude to:

  1. Search the web and collect information on a topic
  2. Write a structured report with sources
  3. Build a multi-page HTML page — with charts — that opens in your browser
  4. Save the raw data as a CSV

You won't write any HTML. You won't build any charts. You'll just tell Claude what you want.

Before you start

Create a new folder on your Desktop called my-research.

In VS Code: File → Open Folder, and open that folder. This is your workspace — everything Claude makes goes in here.

Step 1 — Search the web

Starter prompt — copy this exactly:

Search the web for nature diversity in south warwickshire — wildlife, habitats, protected
sites, and any local initiatives. Find at least 10 distinct facts or items. Save your raw
findings to a file called findings.md, including source links.

Watch what happens. Claude searches, reads results, and writes a file — without you touching anything.

Step 2 — Write a report

Read findings.md and write a structured report called summary.md. Include an introduction,
sections organised by theme, a summary table of key facts, and cite your sources with links.

When it's done, open summary.md. In VS Code press Cmd+Shift+V (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+V (Windows) to see it rendered as a document.

Step 3 — Build the HTML report

This is the satisfying bit.

Read summary.md and create a multi-page HTML report called report.html. Include a home
page with key stats, a section for each major theme, and at least two charts using Chart.js.
Make it clean and easy to read with navigation between sections.

When it's done: find report.html in your my-research folder on the Desktop and double-click it to open in your browser.

Step 4 — Save the raw data as CSV

Read findings.md and save the most structured data as data.csv — for example a table of
species, sites, or initiatives with consistent columns. Include a source column.

You can open data.csv in Excel, Google Sheets, or Numbers — or just view it in VS Code.

Things to try once you have your report

Push Claude further and see what happens:

  • "Add a section to report.html comparing the top 3 findings in more detail."
  • "Rewrite the introduction in summary.md for a 10-year-old."
  • "Update the charts in report.html — use a colour scheme that fits the topic."
  • "Add a column to data.csv: what action could a local person take for each item?"
  • "Turn summary.md into a one-page leaflet in HTML — something you could print."

Stuck or curious? Ask your neighbour first — that's half the point.