Email Tips for 2nd Grade
As you begin to
send emails, the communication of the future, here are some tips to help you
get started.
1. Create a good
subject line. Let the reader know why
you’re sending them an email. If it’s important,
write urgent on the subject line. If
you’re responding to an email they sent you, use “re” to let them know it’s the
reply they may have been waiting for. In
a world where we get as much spam as regular email, a good subject line let’s
the reader know that your email is real.
2. Tell who you are. If you’re sending an email to someone for the
first time, tell them who you are first.
That way if for some reason the rest of the email doesn’t go through,
they’ll at least know who you are and why you’re sending them an email (from
your subject line).
3. Use complete sentences. If you’re replying to an email that was sent
to you, try to use complete sentences in your response. If a friend sends you an email on Monday
asking you to come to play this weekend, sending them an email on Wednesday
that just says “yes” might be confusing.
Instead, use a complete sentence like, “Yes, I’d love to come over and
play on Saturday.” That way they
remember what they said!
4. Know your audience. If you’re typing an email to a friend, you
don’t have to worry about spelling and grammar very much. They’ll be able to understand you even if you
don’t spell every word perfectly. If you’re
writing an email to someone you don’t know, or a grown-up, you might want to
take some extra time to spell check your message and to make sure your grammar
is correct.
5. Don’t get too fancy. Some email systems don’t read the same way
yours does. That means that if you use
fancy text, it might look funny to the reader, or they may not be able to read
it at all. The best idea is just to keep
it plain.
6. Add web links. If you want a friend to visit a favorite web
site of yours, tell them about it in the email and then type it in on a
separate line. That way when your friend
reads the email, they’ll be able to just click on the link and go straight to
the site. Here’s an example:
Dear Bob,
Here is a website that I
love! The math games here are really
cool. You should check it out!
Sincerely,
Ms.
King
7. If you want to
send something big, like a story or a poem, or even something you made on the
computer, send it as an attachment instead of putting the whole thing in the
email. That way the reader can download
whatever you’ve sent and it will be easier for them to read/look at.
8. Keep it short. Like I’ve said before, some email systems may
not read the same as yours. If you keep
your emails short and to the point, your reader has a better chance of getting
the whole thing and having it read normally.
Also, people are getting busier and busier. Sometimes people may not have time to read a
big long email, but short ones can be read in just a few seconds.
9. Use your text to show emotions. It’s very hard for people to tell how a
person feels in email. Sometimes you may
mean something as a joke and the reader may think you’re serious. To avoid this sort of confusion, use these
tips.
~ Type in all capitals when you want
to SCREAM (either excitedly or angrily)
~ Type in all lower case when you want
to whisper, or even make the font smaller so they know it’s a secret
~ Use exclamation points to show excitement
and periods as pauses. Hey Bob!!! Guess what!!! . . . I got a new puppy!!!
10. Use smileys. You can also use smileys
to help your reader know how you feel.
Here are a few examples, you can find more by
searching the internet. (hint: turn your head sideways to see the smiley)
:) happy
:( sad
:O surprised
; ) just
kidding (wink, wink)