WALT write a formal email

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Electronic mail

When we need to ask questions or give information to people, most of us would send an email. How often do we send a letter through the mail now?

Back in the day, there were strict rules about how we wrote formal letters. If we are writing to someone we don’t know, or we are writing about something really important, what should our email look like?

Of course, we are not invisible - as every email we send tells that we are from Pt England School.

When to use a formal email

• Applying for a job
• Asking people for information to answer questions for school projects
• Asking Mr Burt if we can change a school rule
• Thanking an organisation for doing something kind, like paying for our buses to go to Stardome.

Subject - title: what do we write?

A few words that tell the reader what your email is going to be about. This is just like deciding on a title for a blog post. For example:

• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Ambassador Meeting
• Trip to Stardome

This helps the reader (recipient) decide how important the email is. You are being clear about your reason for writing. It also tells the reader that your email is not “spam”.

Greetings and sign offs

Words

Sometimes we use slang and shorten words when we write to our friends or text. Please the full words when writing a formal email.

An example

Yo Mr Burt

I can’t make it to ambassadors

Mrs B

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Good morning, Mr Burt (or Good afternoon, Mr Burt, or Dear Mr Burt)

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I am really sorry but I cannot make it to our ambassador meeting today because I have to go to a doctor’s appointment to check my sore throat.

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Yours sincerely (Best regards/Kind regards)

Mrs Buchanan

Your task: what to do

We have been learning about space and the solar system. Talk to a buddy and think of a question (or some questions) you would like to ask Chris Hadfield about life on the International Space Station.

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On the next slide, write your email with your question(s).

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Your task: write here

Dear Commander Hadfield

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I am a Year 5 student at Point England School in Auckland, New Zealand. We have been learning about life on the International Space Station this term.

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