Description / Objective: Students will learn to how to write appropriate E-mails with an understanding that E-mails leave a digital footprint.

Grade:  Secondary Cycle 2

Vocabulary: Common Sense lesson

•  E-mail: A letter that is sent electronically to a recipient.
• header: information at the top of a message that contains the sender’s address and the date
• greeting: the opening or salutation
• body: the main part of a message
• closing: the sign-off or goodbye
• signature: the sender’s name

Introduction: Inform students that writing an E-mail is similar to writing a letter.. Review the conventions of letter writing: Header, Greeting, Body, Closing, Signature.

Discusion: Point out the last part of the E-mail where it says: P.S. I sent this e-mail to Brain, Francine, Binky, and Muffy, too. I know they’ll want to see your picture in the paper!

Ask the students the following questions:

1. Was it respectful for Arthur to send the E-mail to Brain, Francine, Binky and Muffy without Buster’s permission? Why? Note that Arthur’s E-mail has now left a digital trail that can’t be erased.
2. Why is it important to always be clear and respectful when writing an E-mail?
3. Why you should never post or send a picture of yourself or of others through E-mail? Extension

Essential Question

How is writing an email similar to or different from
writing a letter?

Lesson Overview

Students explore the components of a well-written email. They learn
that such emails have a 5-part structure that is similar to that of traditional letters. Students then analyze the parts of an email, making
note of the subtle differences. Lastly, students try to identify and correct
seven errors in an email, keeping in mind five proofreading guidelines.
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to …

• identify the five main parts of letter/email writing.
• compare and contrast the format of letter writing to that of writing
  emails.
• proofread a draft of an email.
  Materials and Preparation
• Chalkboard or whiteboard
• Optional: Preview the Venn diagram tool at ClassTools.net
  (www.classtools.net/education-games-php/venn_intro) prepare to
  project it for students to see.
• Copy the You’ve Got Mail Student Handout, one for each student.
• Review the You’ve Got Mail Student Handout – Teacher
  Version.
  Preview PBS Kids’s Arthur’s Letter Writer Helper: Email
  (Arthur: Letter Writer Helper (puhinui.school.nz).

Family Resources

Send home the Effective Email Communication Family Tip Sheet
(Elementary School)

https://kpbsd.org/Workarea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=33716