Lesson Outlines
for the
E-Mail to Learning
Project

Lesson Plan Outlines

Phase 1: Learning E-Mail	Phase 2: E-Mail Pal
Phase 3: Communicating with an Author	Phase 4: The Internet as a Resource

Learning E-Mail

Procedure
1. Students will already be familiar with the computer and its components.
2. The HTML for Learning e-mail will be in the Netscape window.
3. Students will work in cooperative groups of two.
4. Students will read through the directions on the page.
5. Each student in the group will send an e-mail message to the person in the class whose name he/she drew.
6. After everyone in the class has had a chance to send an e-mail communiction,we will move on to part 2 of the lesson-retrieving e-mail.
7. Again, the students will work in cooperative groups.
8. Students will read through the HTML on retrieving e-mail.
9. After they finish the reading, students will complete the task of retrieving their own e-mail.
10. Students will print out their e-mail message after they retrieve it from the system.

Student Pages

E-Mail Pals

Procedure
1. Students will have already completed the lessons on learning e-mail.
2. The teacher will have already planned with a third grade teacher from another school to have e-mail pals.
3. Each student in the class will pick the name of student from a grab bag.
4. The class will brainstorm ideas of what could be written in message to an e-mail pal. What kind of information do they want to share? What information they would like to find out about their pal?
5. Lists will be made and left on display for later reference.
6. Before going to the computer, each student will write out what they plan to put in their e-mail letter.
7. When a student has his message written down, he/she will go to the computer and type out his message.
8. Following the procedure already learned about sending e-mail, the student will send the e-mail using the mail window in the HTML on E-Mail Pals.
9. This project will continue throughout the year with e-mail being exchanged as often as possible.
10. Students will be encouraged to use their e-mail pal as a resource for information about what we are studying.
11. Since the students are in the same district, it is possible they could even do some kind of collaboration on a project through e-mail.
12. It is planned that e-mail pals will meet at the end of the year if not before in some central location.

Student Pages

Communicating with an Author

Procedure
1. Students will have already have done Learning E-Mail and E-Mail Pals.
2. For the first experience, the teacher will choose an author to study.
3. The students will read works by the author and will be read works by the author.
4. Students will compare and contrast the author's different works using Venn diagrams, feature analysis, and webbing. This will be done in cooperative groups of 2 or 3.
5. The class will then come together as a whole to compare what they had done.
6. Next, students will find information about the author. Students will work in groups with each group using a different source.
7. Groups will then share their information the class.
8. Information will be charted and displayed.
9. Students will be introduced to using the Internet as a tool.
10. What a search engine is will be explained.
11. Yahoo will be put on the Netscape screen.
12. Ideas on what should be put in the search box will be brainstormed along with what kinds of words or topics would be good to use.
13. Students will work in cooperative groups to use Yahoo and search for information about the author so everyone in the class will get a chance to see how a search engine works.
14. Hopefully, in our search we will find the author's homepage.
15. In cooperative groups, students will brainstorm ideas for questions to ask the author.
16. Groups will be brought together and questions shared. What makes a good question will be discussed.
17. Students will then e-mail the author with their questions and then wait for a response.
18. The class will then make an HTML page to be put on the WEB of what they found out about the author including interesting facts, a book list, and book reviews by the students.
19. This project will go throughout the year with a new author every month. Students will help choose authors that they would like to learn more about.

Student Pages

The Internet as a Resource

Procedure
1. Students will have already had some experience with how to use Yahoo from the Communicating with an Author phase.
2. If they need some review, students may go the HTML on search engines.
3. Students will do searches on the Internet to get information about a topic being studied in a curriculum area.
4. Student will pick a topic related to the area being studied.
5. Student will list different resources they will use to find information with the Internet being only one possible source.
6. Students will be encouraged to e-mail experts and e-mail pals for information.
7. Students will pool their group as found together.
8. The group will then present what they learned to the class. This could be done in a written report, a display, a presentation, or could even be publishing a page on the WWW.

Student Pages

Return to E-Mail to Learning

Updated on May 10, 1996
by Diane Backes