EMAIL Check your email daily at least n

EMAIL Check your email daily (at least) n Your teachers will communicate with you through email. It is not a valid excuse to not know important information just because you neglected to check your email. n

Step 1: Open Gmail Start by opening your Gmail inbox. Step 2: Create a New Gmail Message From the open Gmail inbox, click the Compose button in the upper left of the screen.

The New Message form displays.

The New Message form displays. Before we begin filling out the New Message form, you can maximize it on your screen by clicking the Maximize icon in the upper right corner of the screen (it looks like two diagonal arrows).

Step 3: Fill Out the New Message Form On the New Message form there are four basic areas to fill out: • the To field • the From field • the Subject field • the body of the message There also links in the upper right corner of the New Message form that allow you to copy others on the message.

1. How Fill Out the To Field The first field to fill out is the To field. Type the email address of the individual you want to receive your message. The email address needs to be exact. 2. How to Fill Out the Subject Field The next field to fill out is the Subject field. The Subject field is a brief description of the message. It displays in the recipient's inbox before they open the message. Be specific. Be careful what you type into the Subject field. Typing an unprofessional subject line or leaving the subject line blank could get your message filtered to your recipient's Spam folder.

Subject Line n Short. Don’t write an entire sentence or a long phrase n Strategic. Be as specific as possible

Sample Subject Lines Ordinary Subject Line Better Subject Line Why It’s Better Information you wanted Bake sale statistics Specifies what kind of information you are sending Homework Chapter 5 Questions Specifies which homework assignment you are sending You might notice a trend – a better subject line is more specific. Think how much easier the emails with the better subject lines would be to find in your inbox.

Step 4: Build Your Message In addition to typing the text of your message, you can control the way your message looks. You can send attachments with your message. Start by typing the text of your message below the subject line. Let’s look at ways to format the email.

1. How to Incorporate Formatting in Gmail's formatting options appear in a menu at the bottom of the New Message form. If they are not visible, click the Formatting options icon (it looks like an underlined Capital A) next to the Send button.

Formatting Your Email n Type in a standard font and size (Arial 12) n When writing to teachers, skip any fancy formatting, such as colored fonts and backgrounds n Write like a letter, not like a text message

Formatting Your Email n Don’t write in ALL CAPS –that is shouting n Use proper grammar and punctuation n Be polite. Say please and thank you! Don’t use internet abbreviations such as BTW and TTYL n Do NOT write as a Text Message!!! n

2. How to Attach a File from Your Computer To attach a file from your computer or from Google Drive, click the Attach files icon (it looks like a paperclip) at the bottom of the New Message form. Windows explorer opens. Select the file you want to attach to your message. Click the Open button to attach it.

3. How to Insert a Link into Your Gmail Message You can also insert an email link or a URL into your email message. To insert a link, place your cursor in the text where you want the link to be and click the Insert link icon (it looks like a chain) in the Formatting Options menu. The Edit link box appears:

In the Text to display field, type the text you want to appear over the link. Next, choose whether the link should be a web address or an email address: To choose a web address, click the circle next to Web address and type the URL. To choose an email address, click the circle next to Email address and type the email address. n If you want to, you can test the URL address by clicking Test this link. n Click the OK button when you are done. The hyperlink is inserted into your message.

1. How to Check Spelling in Gmail To check the spelling in your message, right click on your mouse and you should find the spell check box. You can also click on the three vertical dots near the trash icon to find a spell check box. For either method, click Check spelling:

How to Save as a Draft in Gmail It's not difficult to save your message as a draft. Simply click on the X in the upper right corner of the New Message box. Your message is saved in the Drafts folder and the New Message box closes. How to Discard a Message With Gmail If you decide to not ever send your new Gmail message, you can discard it. Click the Discard draft (it looks like a trashcan) icon in the lower right corner of the New Message box.

Step 6: Send Your Message in Gmail 1. How to Send a Gmail Message When you are ready, it's not difficult to send your new Gmail message. Click the Send button in the lower left corner of the New Message box. A message displays notifying you that your message has been sent.

Greeting & Closing n Just like a traditional letter, you should have a salutation and a closing

n After you have already begun a conversation with someone, it is okay to leave off your salutation and signature. After Mr. Anderson writes back to Jeff, he can reply with a simple “Thank you” as opposed to: Dear Mr. Anderson, Thank you. Sincerely, Jeff

Creating Excellent Email Format your emails n Proofread your emails for errors n Use a greeting and a signature n Use subject lines that are specific n Be polite n Don’t write anything that could embarrass you or someone else n

Email is not necessarily confidential n Many schools and businesses monitor email communication Don’t write anything that could embarrass you if it passed in front of the wrong eyes