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(ii) Subject (iii) Message
Materials/Resources:
1 large sample e-mail form, 2 shoe boxes, e-mail addresses guaranteed to generate a response, a large sample
envelope, a postman’s hat, a handout/poster with clear step-by-step instructions.
Content/Methodology: 1. The teacher traces the journey of a letter from its composition to its delivery. A drama or some role play might be useful here.**LD children asked to recall experiences of getting mail and where it came from 2. Children are shown how to open their e-mail program, either by double clicking on the desktop icon or by following the Start/Programmes submenu. Children are also shown how to close the program. The word e-mail is explained to them, i.e. electronic mail.**LD children given longer time to handle this sequence. 3. The World Wide Web browser can be opened to demonstrate how it differs from an e-mail program. However, children must also learn how to access their e-mail facility from within the browser. 4. A large cardboard model of a typical ‘New Message’ window is used to explain the relevance of the To: , Subject: and Message dialogue boxes. The model should be approximately 80 cm by 50 cm.**LD children involved in construction of the same. Possible entries for the ‘Subject’ dialogue box are explored. Opening greetings and closing salutations are also discussed, e.g. Greetings Regards, Hello, Hi, etc. The Cc: dialogue box (and the Bcc: dialogue box) can also be explained, but emphasis should be placed on the 3 main headings.
5. The school e-mail address is presented on a chart or on the blackboard. Other e-mail addresses are written beside it. The children’s attention is drawn to the @ character common to every e-mail address. They should also see that all letters are lower case and that there are no spaces between the characters. The children now get an opportunity to compose and send their own e-mail. It is advisable that the teacher has pre-arranged a suitable destination for the children’s first e-mail. This may be another local school, the place of work of some of the children’s parents, another class in the school or any class, either in Ireland or abroad, where the teacher has arranged with a colleague to ensure that the e-mail is answered. Pupils ‘send’ their e-mail by clicking on the appropriate icon. 6. The Inbox and Outbox features are explained by using real boxes, approximately 20 cm by 20 cm by 30 cm. Explain that the Inbox will keep filling up. However, if the writer’s Outbox contains messages it signals that they have not been sent yet. This should help children to conceptualise the need for a third important category of message – ‘Sent Items’. The equivalent folders and their icons are identified and opened in the e-mail program. The position of the new message in the ‘Outbox’ is further explained. 7. The children then see the necessity for going on-line and watch as the newly written message leaves the outbox in seconds. (The importance of this procedure is even more evident if a number of e-mails are composed off line) The connection can be terminated as soon as the e-mails are sent. The Outbox is checked and seen to be empty. The Sent Items folder is opened and viewed. The Inbox should also be checked to heighten the children’s anticipation of the next e-mail lesson.
Children are asked to watch out for other e-mail addresses and to store them in a copy or a notebook. The week’s work could include a History lesson on Communication to compliment the e-mail lesson.
1. Individual children will recall by demonstrating the opening of the e-mail program. 2. The concepts of Inbox, Outbox and Sent Items are revised using the real boxes to help the children to grasp the concepts involved.**LD children get special emphasis 3. One child is directed to connect to click on the Send/Receive icon. The children are asked to watch carefully for any signs of incoming mail. Ask for suggestions as to where the mail might be stored on receipt. 4. The Inbox is opened and the children’s attention is drawn to the tell tale signs of new mail:- bold text, unopened envelopes and suggestive subject headings. The connection with the server should be terminated.**LD children demonstate the opened and closed envelop - we click to open - tear open the enveloe 5. The letter/letters in the inbox should be opened. Children should attempt to read the letter(s) on screen at first, thereby highlighting the need to make a hard copy to facilitate reading, especially with a large group. **LD children get the opportunity to open the enevelop 6. A copy of the printed e-mail message(s) should be pinned up for display on the notice board to allow all the children to read the message and to help maintain interest throughout the week. **LD children are the notice board managers. 7. Some discussion may follow on the etiquette (netiquette) of e-mail correspondence. It would be impolite not to reply to e-mails. Some e-mails are in the form of questions and often need an immediate reply. The convenience of the ‘Reply to Sender’ (or similar) facility is demonstrated. The value of including the original message within the reply might also be discussed. 8. Children can individually, in groups or as a class, respond to an e-mail using the ‘Reply to Author’. This activity can be spread over a number of days, but at least one group/pupil should give an immediate demonstration. **LD children do the clicking at the behest of the group. 9. Children are asked to present some of the e-mail addresses that they have collected. These can be used to demonstrate the use of the address book facility in the e-mail program. This activity could also be spread over a number of days, but at least one group/pupil should give an immediate demonstration. 10. A demonstration can also be provided for the use of the attachment facility. This should be preceded by a discussion of the occasional need to send more than a simple text message. Great family examples include: Photographs of children or recordings of children’s first words. The teacher (or possibly, one pupil or group) should demonstrate this. (If an e-mail attachment has been received, it should be opened. However, the children should be reminded that e-mails of uncertain type or origin may carry viruses, and need to be treated with caution. Children should be told not to open attachments without the teacher’s permission.)
The e-mail(s) on display in the class might be used as a stimulus for a creative writing class. The children’s interest can also be maintained by putting any related pictures or cuttings on the notice board to compliment the e-mails. Some children could produce some computer artwork or take digital photographs or scan some other materials for use as attachments to e-mails depending on the context.
Content 1. Greetings in French/German/Italian · Hello · Good Day · Good Morning · Good Night · Etc. 2. Asking each other their name in French/German/Italian and replying accordingly. · What’s your name? · My name is __________ . 3. Identify oneself and one’s age in French/German/Italian. · I am a boy. · I am a girl · What age are you? I am _______ years. 4. Numbers in French/German/Italian 5. Give information but also ask questions. This helps to encourage responses. Quizzes such as ‘I am green. I can hop. What am I?’ can also encourage prompt feedback. Methodology: 1. There is interaction between teacher and pupils and between pupils and pupils throughout the lessons – greeting each other, asking each other their names and stating their ages. Children can practise the numbers by speaking them in time to the sound of a rhythm. **LD children can be confined to the name greeting or extended if possible. 2. Children will write their greetings and a short personal introduction in French/German/Italian to their respective keypals. **LD children do this in English with only the foreign key word in use. 3. Children will take photographs of each other using digital camera. (This could be done prior to the lesson at a more opportune time.) 4. For those classes, where group work is more practical than individual work, it is best to assign a group name to each group. The following template can be used:
Copies of the sent e-mail(s) should also be put on display in the class, as this will especially encourage reading and discussion in the foreign language. Picture and objects related to France/Germany/Italy can be collected to help enrich the e-mail experience.
Materials/Resources: Charts with subjects and pastimes.
1. Children will greet each other and ask each other their name and age in French/German/Italian. 2. Children will state where they live.. · I live in Barefield which is about 210km from Dublin our capital city. 3. School subjects · Mathematics · English · History · Geography · Music · Physical Education · Etc. My favourite subject is ______________ . I am in ____________ class . 4. Passtimes. I love ___________ . 5. Working in pairs, children will state their name, age, homeplace, class, favourite subject and favourite pastime. **LD children matched with able pupils and fill in the form in English or may copy from more able pupil. 6. Children will write e-mails to their keypals incorporating the above information. Methodology: 1. There is interaction between teacher and pupils and between pupils and pupils throughout the lessons – greeting each other, asking each other their names and stating their ages. 2. Children will write their greetings and a short personal introduction in French/German/Italian to their respective keypals. 3. Children will take photographs of each other using digital camera. (This could be done prior to the lesson at a more opportune time.)
Again the sent e-mails could be displayed, with printouts of the digital photographs to help to sustain the children’s interest. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||