Session 13: Email & Digital Communication
At a glance: pupils read an email address, fill in To, Cc, Bcc and Subject correctly, write a polite 4-part email with a safe attachment, and know what to do with a suspicious message. · Time: 90 minutes (adjust the timings if your period is shorter) · Workbook pages: 6
Learning outcomes
By the end of the session, pupils can:
- Name the three parts of an email address (username, @, domain) and explain why it can never contain a space.
- Use To, Cc, Bcc and Subject correctly and write a clear 4–7 word subject line.
- Write a formal email using the 4-part structure and the rules of netiquette.
- Tell safe attachment types (.docx, .pdf, .jpg) from dangerous ones (.exe, .scr, .bat, unknown .zip) and report a suspicious email instead of opening it.
Before the session
- Decide how pupils will "send": the page 5 simulator form in the workbook (default) or a supervised school email account. Do not ask pupils to create personal accounts in the session.
- Write a real email address that you control on the board for the page 5 lab. The workbook no longer gives one, and the example addresses in it (such as example.org) are made up.
- If using real accounts, check they work and can send to that address.
- Put a small, safe file such as Water_Project_Draft.docx on each PC or USB so pupils can practise attaching.
- Load Internet Town and Spot the Phish on the projector PC and test both.
Running order
| Time | Activity | Workbook | What the mentor does |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–10 min | Typing warm-up | – | Pupils open the typing trainer (Typing in the menu, or the warm-up banner on the session page) and do the 10-minute warm-up. Walk round checking posture and home-row fingers. |
| 10–20 min | The digital post office and email addresses | Page 1 | Compare a Ghana Post letter to an email. Break an address into its three parts. |
| 20–30 min | The compose window: To, Cc, Bcc, Subject | Page 2 | Walk through Figure 13.1 and the subject line examples. |
| 30–40 min | Netiquette and the 4-part email | Page 3 | Link to greeting an elder before making a request. |
| 40–49 min | Attachments and the panic button | Page 4 | Use a real paperclip. Sort file types into safe and dangerous. |
| 49–61 min | 3D labs: Internet Town email mission, then Spot the Phish | — | Demonstrate, then pairs play. |
| 61–77 min | Hands-on lab: your first email | Page 5 | Check each email against the pre-flight checklist before Send. |
| 77–85 min | Review: subject line makeover and inbox scenarios | Page 6 | Pupils work alone, then compare in pairs. |
| 85–90 min | Self-assessment, sign-off, sign out | Page 6 | Sign off. If real accounts were used, every pupil signs out. |
Key ideas and how to explain them
- The digital post office: write the letter, seal the envelope, write the P.O. Box address, the van delivers. Email does the same in under three seconds.
- Email address anatomy: username, the @ sign, the mail provider's domain. Zero spaces, ever: use a full stop or underscore (ama.mensah@gmail.com).
- To vs Cc: To is the person who must read and reply; Cc (carbon copy) is for people who just need to know, like your mentor when you email the headteacher. Bcc (blind carbon copy) is a hidden copy: other recipients cannot see who was Bcc'd. Use it when emailing many people who do not know each other, so their addresses stay private.
- Subject line: a 4–7 word headline. "hi" looks like spam, "URGENT HELP ME!!!!" creates panic, blank looks like an accident.
- Netiquette: bringing home training into digital messages. Greeting, courteous opening, 2–4 sentence body, polite sign-off with full name and class.
- Attachments: a digital paperclip. Normal schoolwork is .docx, .pdf, .png, .jpg; never open .exe, .scr, .bat or a .zip from a stranger.
The 3D lab
In Internet Town, demonstrate Send an email to Kofi with your teacher in Cc and ask the class to count the envelopes that arrive at the friend's mail server: one for To, one for Cc. Then switch to Spot the Phish. Demonstrate Read the first email and decide: Safe or Phishing?, pointing at the sender's full address, not just the name. Pairs then work through Catch 3 phishing emails and shred them and Sort all 8 emails, reading the explanation after each answer. This prepares pupils for the inbox scenarios on page 6.
Common mistakes and quick fixes
| Pupils often… | Try this |
|---|---|
| Put a space in the address (ama mensah@…) | Point to the Golden Rule box: no spaces, use a full stop. |
| Type the @ sign wrongly or cannot find it | Shift + 2 on most keyboards; on some UK-layout keyboards it is Shift + the apostrophe key. |
| Put the mentor in To and the headteacher in Cc | Ask "Who must reply?" That person goes in To. |
| Leave the subject blank or write "hi" | Formula: topic, class, name, as in "Capstone Project Idea - JHS 1A - Ama Mensah". |
| Forget to attach the file they mention | Make "Is the paperclip there?" part of the pre-flight check. |
When things go wrong
- No internet: use the simulator form on page 5 (it needs no connection) and the 3D labs from the offline pack.
- Not enough PCs: pairs: one types, one reads the pre-flight checklist aloud. Each pupil must still write their own subject line.
- A PC freezes or the power goes: most email services save drafts, but tell pupils not to rely on it. The workbook page is the backup; pupils finish on paper.
Answer key
1. Subject Line Makeover Challenge. Look for: 4–7 words that say what the email is about, with no ALL CAPS, no "!!!!" and, ideally, a name or class. Examples:
- hello sir: "Science Project Inquiry - Kofi Mensah" (given in the workbook).
- URGENT OPEN THIS NOW: for example "Request for Help - Coding Challenge 3".
- homework: for example "Maths Homework - JHS 1B - Ama Mensah".
2. Safe vs Suspicious Inbox Scenarios
- Email from headteacher@school.edu.gh, "End of Term Examination Timetable.pdf": Safe to Open. It comes from a known school address and the file is a .pdf.
- Email from winner-claim99@lottery-prize.xyz with claim_money.exe: Report to Mentor. Prize you never entered, strange address and an .exe file.
- "Your account will be deleted in 10 minutes unless you click and type your password": Report to Mentor. Panic deadline plus a request for a password.
Pre-flight Send Checklist: every box should be ticked truthfully before sending.
Support and stretch
- Needs more support: give them the page 5 simulator text to copy, then ask them to change just the subject line and one body sentence.
- Finished early: write a second email to the headteacher with the mentor in Cc, or aim for Score 7 or more out of 8 in Spot the Phish.
Evidence for sign-off
The pupil shows a finished email (sent, simulated or on paper) with a correctly spelt recipient, a clear 4–7 word subject, all four parts of the structure, a safe attachment type, and correct answers to the three inbox scenarios.
Safety and wellbeing
Pupils use only the fictional addresses in the workbook, the address you write on the board, or supervised school accounts; never personal accounts or real passwords. Remind them: never click links or open attachments from strangers, never reply with a password, phone number or home address, and raise a hand to show you. Thank pupils who report something, even if it turns out safe. If real accounts are used, check every pupil signs out before leaving a shared PC.