Skill: Reading
Topic: Social Skills: compliments, apologies, requests, and invitations
Mode: Interpretive
Level: Intermediate
Can-Do/Competency: I can identify compliments, apologies, requests, and invitations in stories, emails, or other written passages
Excerpt: Students read three emails with similar content but must discern varying levels of formality.
Activity components: three emails
Instructions to the teacher:
At the beginning, the teacher can ask students about the general rules of emails (e.g., greetings, salutation, body of email, salutation). Prepare and distribute three emails that have the same content but different levels of formality (examples below). One email is socially appropriate, whereas the other two are not. Students will read and discuss which letter is more polite and appropriate for the given situation. Having done so, the teacher will ask students the following questions:
- What words/expressions do you think imply familiarity?
- What words/expressions should be avoided when writing an email?
Email 1
Hi Heather,
I missed your MTH 101 class last Thursday because I was sick. Is there something I need to do for the class? Also, I want to know what chapters I need to read.
Thank you,
Rachel
Email 2
Miss Smith,
I was unable to come to MTH 101 class because I had the flu. I will get the notes from the lecture soon, but I wanted to know if there are any additional readings I need to do.
Thanks,
Rachel
Email 3
Dear Professor Smith,
I hope this email finds you well. This is Rachel Brown, and I am in your MTH 101 class. I was unable to attend the class this Thursday as I had flu. Could you please tell me if there are any readings that were covered in class and that I need to make up for? I will gladly do that.
Best,
Rachel
Instructions to students:
Your instructor has prepared three different emails from a student to a professor. The content is the same, but the letters still vary. Read the letters and be prepared to discuss which letter is more polite and appropriate for the given situation. Your instructor will ask some follow up questions at the end.