Sending an email to a partner school in Lesotho

Part 1: teacher script

Read the words in the boxes aloud. Show the stimulus sheet and the pictures on the activity page as you go.

1. 6 min Step 1: Wales and Lesotho. Show the sketch maps on page 2 of the stimulus sheet.

   Say: “Today we are going to write to children in a country far away. It is called Lesotho. Say it with me: leh-SOO-too. Here is Wales, at the top of the map. Lesotho is way down here, in the south of Africa. It is a small country, and it has another country, South Africa, all the way around it.”

   Say: “Lesotho has lots of high mountains. Even the lowest land in Lesotho is higher than the top of Yr Wyddfa, the highest mountain in Wales! The capital city is Maseru (ma-SEH-roo). People speak Sesotho (seh-SOO-too) and English. In Sesotho, hello is Lumela. It is written with an L, but we say doo-MEH-lah. Wales and Lesotho have been friends since 1985, and many schools in Wales have a partner school in Lesotho.”

   Ask: “Lesotho is a very long way from us. How could we send a message all that way?” Take 3 or 4 ideas.

2. 8 min Step 2: ways to send a message. Show the “How fast?” cards on page 2 of the stimulus sheet.

   Say: “Here are 4 ways to send a message. A letter goes in an envelope with a stamp. A letter to Lesotho by post can take more than a week. A phone call lets you talk and listen straight away, but you cannot send a picture. An email is a message you type on a computer or tablet. It gets there in seconds, and you can add a photo. A video call lets you see each other’s faces and talk at the same time.”

   Say: “In Task 1, draw a line from each word to its picture. Then draw a ring round the fastest way to send words and a photo.”

   Ask: “Which did you ring?” (Email.) “Why not a letter?” (It takes more than a week.) “Why not a phone call?” (You cannot send a photo.)

3. 7 min Step 3: which is best? Task 2. Read each sentence aloud, then give pupils time to ring one picture.

   Say: “Number 1. You want to see your friends’ faces and talk to them now. Ring the best way.” (Video call.) “Number 2. You want to send your class photo today, so they can look at it later. Ring the best way.” (Email.) “Number 3. You made a card with paper and glitter. You want them to hold it in their hands.” (Letter.)

   Ask: “Why can’t you send the glitter card by email?” (An email can send a photo of the card, but not the real card.)

4. 9 min Step 4: read the email. Task 3. Show page 1 of the stimulus sheet. Point to each part as you name it.

   Say: “Class 2 in Lesotho have sent us an email. This line says who it is From. This line says who it is To. The Subject tells us what the email is about. The paper clip means something is attached: a photo.”

   Say: read the email aloud slowly: “Lumela, Year 2 in Wales! We are Class 2 at Mountain Star School in Maseru. Maseru is the capital city of Lesotho. There are 30 children in our class. Our country has lots of mountains. We can see mountains from our classroom window. In winter it can snow on the high mountains! We speak Sesotho and English. Lumela means hello in Sesotho. At break time we play football and skipping games. We have sent you a photo of our class. What is it like where you live? Please write back to us! From Class 2 and Mrs Mokoena.”

   Say: “Mountain Star School and Class 2 are made up for today’s lesson, but Lesotho and Maseru are real places. Now answer the 2 questions in Task 3 by ringing a picture.” (Mountains. A photo.)

   Ask: “What question did Class 2 ask us?” (What is it like where you live?) “So what should our reply tell them about?” (Wales, where we live.)

5. 10 min Step 5: talk and plan. Task 4. Pupils work with a talk partner first, then tick.

   Say: “Class 2 have never been to Wales. What would they like to know? Look at the 6 pictures in Task 4. Tell your partner which 3 you would write about, and say one sentence about each. For example: There are lots of sheep on the hills near our school. Then tick your 3.”

   Say: “Good emails ask a question too, so the other class can write back. Think of 1 question for Class 2. You can start with one of the words in the boxes, like What or Do. Write it on the line.” Model one: “Do you have sheep in Lesotho?”

   Walk round and listen. Ask pairs: “Who is going to read your email?” (Children in Lesotho.) “So what do you need to explain?” (Things they might not know, like what a Welsh cake is.)

6. 16 min Step 6: write the reply. Task 5. Draw the email screen on the board and fill in the top lines together.

   Say: “An email address must be copied exactly, or it will not arrive. On the To line, copy Class 2’s address from the email: class2@mountainstar.example. On the Subject line, write what your email is about, for example Hello from Wales.”

   Say: “Start with a greeting: Lumela Class 2 or Hello Class 2. Then write 3 sentences about Wales from your plan, and your question with a question mark. At the end, write From and your first name only.”

   Say: “Here is an important safety rule. When you write to people you have not met, never put your surname, your address or the name of your street. Only your first name. And a grown-up at school always sends emails like this, not children on their own.”

   Sentence starters for the board: In Wales we have … · Near our school there is … · I like … · A Welsh cake is … Help pupils who finish early to add a fact about the weather or a game they play.

7. 4 min Step 7: safety check and pretend send.

   Say: “Before an email is sent, we check it. Read the checklist under your email and tick each box. Only when every box is ticked can you colour in the Send button.”

   Ask: 2 pupils to read their email aloud. “Did they use a greeting? Did they ask a question? Did they use their first name only?” Finish with the “I can” boxes: read each one aloud; pupils tick if they agree.

   Nothing is sent today: Class 2 is made up. If your school has a real partner school in Lesotho, leave the best emails for the class teacher, who can choose whether to send them.