WorksheetsFormal Email
Total questions: 13
Worksheet time: 7mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
Your last name
4 lines
2.
Your first name
4 lines
3.
Element #1: Salutation
Right off the bat, here’s where you can establish that you view your relationship with your instructor, coach, or other staff member as a professional one. Use “Dear,” or if that feels horrifically formal to you, you can use “Hello” or “Hi.” (“Hi” is pushing it in a formal setting).
What are the two safest options for use in a salutation?
a)
Dear
b)
Hi
c)
Hello
d)
Yo
4.
Element #2: Honorific
Add Mr./Mrs./Ms./Miss/Coach before the recipient’s last name. If you are unsure whether to use “Miss” or “Mrs.”, use “Ms.” to be safe. If you happen to be emailing a college professor (at Running Start, for example), use the title “Professor”. If the recipient has a military title, use the formal abbreviation before their name.
Why use an honorific?
4 lines
5.
Element #3: Name
You might be surprised at how frequently students get their teacher’s name wrong. This is not difficult information to look up. It’s on your syllabus, your Google Classroom, and at the top of the very email you are composing. Use their last name. Spell out the whole thing. Spell it correctly, using correct capitalization. If there’s a hyphen in it, use both names and the hyphen (this really falls under spelling out the whole thing and spelling it correctly).
Where can you find the person's name spelled correctly? Check all that apply.
a)
The course syllabus
b)
The course Google Classroom
c)
The top of the email you are composing (if in NKSD)
6.
Element #4: Meaningless Nicety
It never hurts to say something like “I hope you’re enjoying the beautiful weather today,” or “I hope you had a relaxing weekend,” to start off. It shows that you see them as a person who has some kind of life. Adults like it when you see them as people who have lives outside of their classroom. It doesn’t really matter what you say here, it’s more the ritual of polite interest that counts. If you can make it come off like you genuinely mean it, bonus points for you. Some other ideas: “I hope your year is off to a good start” or “Thanks for taking time to ______.”
Define "meaningless nicety" in your own words.
4 lines
7.
Element #5: Reminder of how they know you
This one is key, especially if it’s the first time you are contacting them. You can’t count on them to remember your name from their rosters or to be able to put your face with your name. If there’s something distinctive about you that would jog their memory and make them look upon you fondly, include that. For instance, “I stayed after class to ask you about the reading that one time,” or “I sit in the front row and have blue hair.” If you haven’t met them yet, explain your desired relationship to them, such as “I am interested in enrolling in your class next semester.” If you’re fairly certain they will know you by name, you can leave this out. But some adults are very bad at remembering names, so you might as well help them out.
How does this step help you in your request?
4 lines
8.
Element #6: The real reason for your email; This is where you make your polite request
This is the whole reason you’re sending the email, so make it good. The important thing here is to get in and get out, while remaining courteous. Concisely state what it is you need from them without offering a bunch of excuses or going into excessive detail or sounding like you are making demands. If you can’t explain why you’re emailing in a sentence or two, consider making an appointment to meet with them in person, in which case your line here will be “I was hoping we could meet to talk about X. What would be a good time for that?” If they can’t meet and just want to discuss it over email, they’ll let you know.
If you’re asking a question you need an answer to, you can say something like “If you could let me know at your earliest convenience, I’d really appreciate it.” If you need them to fill out a form, or contact someone on your behalf, or do something that requires more action than just answering your email, state that very clearly here.
Why make your request courteously?
a)
They are more likely to fulfill it.
b)
It builds or maintains a respectful relaitonship.
c)
All of the above
9.
Element #7: Sign-off
If you’re not sure how to sign off an email, “Thank you” is nearly always appropriate. You can do “Best,” or “All the best,” or “Sincerely,” or whatever you choose, but some form of thanks here does double duty as both sign-off and expression of gratitude.
What are appropriate sign-offs? Check all that apply.
a)
Thank you
b)
Best
c)
All the best
d)
Sincerely
10.
Element #8: Overall effectiveness
CHECK FOR CORRECT SPELLING, GRAMMAR, AND CAPITALIZATION
Take time to communicate properly. Sloppy writing reflects poorly on the writer. It shows a lack of interest and can be seen as disrespectful.
What does sloppy writing do?
4 lines
11.
Element #9: Subject
What is your email about? Briefly summarize in the subject line. Use either sentence capitalization (capitalize the first letter of the line) or title capitalization (capitalize the first word and all others except “the”, “a”, “an”).
Which is an example of a strong subject line for an email?
a)
Nothing, leave it blank
b)
Give Me What I Want
c)
Request for letter of recommendation
d)
I am in your 4th period and would really like some help with problem 4 on page 77, because I forgot how to divide fractions.
12.
Element #10: Timeliness
If there is a deadline, honor it. This shows a solid work ethic, attention to detail, and respect for the person you are contacting. Questions about assignments, for example, need to be addressed long before deadlines and after using resources available to you in class (the answer might be found by reading the assignment instructions). Give the person you are contacting ample time to respond.
What does timeliness show?
a)
solid work ethic
b)
attention to detail
c)
respect for the person you are contacting
d)
this is a priority for them to complete for you immediately
13.
You are ready to practice. Send Ms. Roberts a formal email requesting that she bring your favorite snack food to a Friday class this year.
a)
I have sent a formal email to Ms. Roberts.
b)
I will send a formal email to Ms. Roberts before I submit this form.
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