Cover lesson · Humanities · Year 6 · Intermediate
DCF: Interacting and collaborating → Communication
Name: Class: Date:
What this practises: digital communication, all on paper: the parts of an email, comparing email, video call and letter (including time zones), writing a clear and polite email with an attachment, and staying safe online. The literacy is planning and organising writing: pupils talk, make a plan, then write a reply for a real-feeling audience with an introduction, paragraphs and a conclusion. The topic is Y Wladfa, the Welsh settlement in Patagonia, Argentina.
Print: this sheet, one per pupil, and the stimulus sheet “An email from Elen in Gaiman”, one between two. No computers are needed.
Run: 12 min read the stimulus sheet aloud together and do Step 1 · 10 min Step 2 · 10 min Step 3 (3 minutes of partner talk first) · 15 min Step 4 · 5 min Step 5 · 6 min Step 6. Total 58 minutes.
Collect: this sheet. Steps 3 and 4 are the literacy evidence: the plan made after talking, and the reply organised into at least 3 paragraphs with an introduction and a conclusion. Quick checks: subject line “Shwmae from Gaiman, Patagonia!”; attachment tea-house-gaiman.jpg; 7 paragraphs and 5 questions; 2pm in Wales in winter is 11am in Gaiman; Elen sent her email at 10:15am Gaiman time in July, which was 2:15pm in Wales; 9am in Wales in winter is 6am in Gaiman. Replies must have no home address, phone number or full surname.
Elen is 11. She lives in Gaiman, a town in Patagonia, Argentina, where Welsh settlers made their homes in 1865. She has emailed a Year 6 class in Wales. Imagine she has written to your class. You will read her email, compare ways to keep in touch, then plan and write a reply on a pretend email screen. Then you will check it is safe and kind, and make it even better.
Elen and her school are invented, but the history and geography in her email are real.
Read the email on the stimulus sheet. Fill in the table.
| Part of the email | What it says in Elen’s email |
|---|---|
| Who it is from | |
| Subject line | |
| Greeting (how she says hello) | |
| Attachment (name of the file and what it shows) | |
| Sign-off (how she says goodbye) |
(a) Count the paragraphs between the greeting and the sign-off. The numbered list of questions belongs to the paragraph just before it. Then write a few words about what each paragraph is about.
| Paragraph | What it is about |
|---|---|
| 1 | Who Elen is and where she lives. |
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| 6 | |
| 7 |
(b) Elen asks your class some questions. Write them in short.
| Q | Elen’s question |
|---|---|
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 4 | |
| 5 |
(c) Fill in the gaps about Y Wladfa.
In ______, about ______ Welsh settlers sailed on a ship called the ______________. They landed on ______________ at the place now called ______________. They made their homes in the ______________ valley in Patagonia, Argentina.
(d) Elen says it is winter in Gaiman in July. Why?
Email and video calls are online. A letter sent by post is offline. Think about keeping in touch with Elen, who is far away in Argentina.
| Way to keep in touch | How fast is it? | Does it cost money? | One advantage | One disadvantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Video call | ||||
| Letter by post |
Time zones. For a video call, both classes must be free at the same time. Use section 3 of the stimulus sheet.
(a) It is 2pm in Wales in winter. What time is it in Gaiman? Draw the hands on the Gaiman clock and write the time.
(b) Elen sent her email at 10:15am Gaiman time on 7 July. July is summer in the UK. What time was it in Wales?
(c) Your class wants to make a video call at 9am Wales time in winter. What time is it in Gaiman? Is this a good time for Elen? Why?
(d) When would a video call be better than an email? Give one example.
(e) When would an email be better than a video call? Give one example.
Talk first (3 minutes). With a partner, take turns to say out loud what you will tell Elen. Answer her questions out loud. Your partner gives you one tip. Write the tip here:
Now plan. Write notes, not full sentences. Each row will become a paragraph (you may join the last two rows into one paragraph).
| Part of my reply | My notes |
|---|---|
| Introduction Greeting, thank you, who I am | |
| Answers to Elen’s questions Questions 2 to 5 | |
| About our area Question 1, and the attachment I will send | |
| Questions back At least 2 questions for Elen | |
| Conclusion Ending, sign-off, first name |
Write your reply on the pretend email screen. You need: a subject line, a greeting, at least 3 paragraphs in the order of your plan, a sign-off and your first name only. Choose one attachment to send, for example a photo of your town, and mention it in your email.
| To: | Elen, Year 6 class account, Ysgol Glan yr Afon, Gaiman |
|---|---|
| From: | |
| Subject: | |
| Attachment: |
Why did you choose that attachment? Is it safe to share?
Read your email. Tick Yes or No for each check. If you tick a box that is not safe or kind, fix your email now.
| Check | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| I have not written my home address or street name. | ||
| I have not written a phone number. | ||
| I have used my first name only, not my full surname. | ||
| My attachment does not show my home or anything private. | ||
| My words are polite and kind, as if Elen were standing in front of me. | ||
| An adult will check my email before it is sent. |
What did you fix? If you did not need to fix anything, write one thing Elen did in her email to stay safe.
Read your email quietly to yourself, as if you were Elen. Choose one paragraph to make better. You could add a detail, use a joining word (because, so, although, when), fix punctuation, or make a question more interesting.
Paragraph number: ______ What I will change: ____________________________________________
My improved paragraph: