One of the most important things we can do in this technological age is review Email Etiquette with our students. Even if the students have practiced Email Etiquette before, reviewing this material helps reinforce good habits and gives them opportunities to practice good communication.

Here are a few things to remember while planning an email etiquette unit.

Check the formatting.

Throughout the school year I will undoubtedly receive numerous emails where the entire body of the message is in the subject line. Reviewing the formatting of a proper email will remind students where to write the important information.

I focus my instruction on the to and from lines, subject line, greeting, body, and the closing.These 5 areas will make up the body of EVERY email that is sent. When students can remind themselves of these five areas they will have more success writing professional and purposeful emails.

Show Models of Good and Bad Emails

Modeling good and bad examples is a great way to show the difference between what you want and what you don't want. Lots of students are visual learners and seeing examples will help them to remember the best ways to write a professional.

Students might laugh at the bad examples, but this will further reinforce the idea that these are not the emails you want to send to a teacher.

Proofread before you send!

As an English teacher, I hound proofreading skills throughout the entire year. It is so important that students — and adults — proofread their emails (and everything they write) before sending it out. Sending a misspelled email to your boss, or your teacher, or your colleague, makes you look less intelligent than you are. Save yourself the embarrassment and proofread!

Review the five sections of the email and make sure that they are structured correctly. Then read through the email out loud and see how it sounds in your ear. Have your students gauge if they are still writing in a professional way or if it has moved to texting speech.

These three simple tips could help change the course of your school year. Remind your students of proper email structure, model the good and bad, and push them to always proofread what they are sending. It will help them grow into successful young adults and help alleviate your stress of reading and understanding confusing emails all year.

Happy teaching!

For stress free planning, check out my 3-Day Mini Unit on Teachers Pay Teachers!