Using Email
(By Michele Papageorghiou)

Writing for a purpose and for a different audience is very important for a child. The thought that another person, perhaps thousands of miles away, can be sent an electronic letter which can be received in less than a minute, is a very powerful experience for most people.

There are various ways of emailing:

• WebMail - WebMail interfaces (e.g. Yahoo Mail) allow you to compose, send and receive email, but all of this has to be carried out on-line. If you pay for phone charges when you connect to the internet, this can be very expensive.

• Using Email Software (e.g. MS Outlook Express, Netscape Messenger) - These programs let you compose, draft, re-draft and store mails off-line. You only need to go online to actually simultaneously send and receive messages, which takes seconds and therefore saves on phone charges.

Once a school has the necessary e-mail facilities the next stage is to try to set up some links with other local, national and international schools.

Underlying the idea of communicating information is the need to consider purpose and audience. For example, a children’s party invitation must include details of the date, time and place, but it must look fun and inviting. These elements will influence decisions about layout, typefaces, graphics, colours etc. Children will therefore need to analyse existing genres of writing in order to make appropriate choices when creating their own texts from different genre.

Click here to find out some activities involving the use of E-Mail in the classroom.