I am writing to ask about...

Objective & content

This functional language sheet teaches pupils to write a formal email to ask for information (Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to ask about... Could you tell me...? I would like to know... I would be grateful if you could... I look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully,) and to understand the reply (Thank you for your email. Yours sincerely,). Pupils read Elsie's email to a summer camp and the camp manager's reply, find the missing words and read the useful phrases, given in a box. By the end, they can write a short formal email, or make a phone call, to ask about dates, a price and what to bring.

Pedagogical guide

Page 1 has the two emails, with a picture of Elsie and of the camp manager. Elsie, who is fifteen, writes to Hillcrest Summer Camp about its language and sports camp in July: she asks about the price for two weeks, the sports, the dates and her tennis racket. The manager answers: the camp is open from 6 to 19 July and costs £720 for two weeks, with a room and all meals; there are French, Spanish and German lessons every morning, and tennis, sailing, climbing or football in the afternoon; the camp has rackets for everyone, and Elsie should bring trainers and a swimsuit. Pupils find eight missing words in lines from the two emails. Page 2 has the useful phrases in a box, with the key words in bold, when to use Yours faithfully and Yours sincerely, and no short forms in a formal email; five informal phrases to match to a formal one (why you write, the price, the dates, the end, the signature) and six more questions from Elsie with three replies each, where pupils tick the one that matches the camp's information. Page 3 has a phone call in which Aziz asks the camp about the price and the dates, to number from 1 to 8, and Bridget's email to a riding school, to complete with six words in a box. The last task is a role-play: pupils cut out cards A and B. A is fifteen and wants to go to Pine Lake Camp for two weeks: A writes the email, or says it as a phone call, and asks about the dates, the price, the sports and what to bring. B works at the camp and answers with the information on card B. Every exercise opens with a worked example.

Suggested procedure

1. (5 min) Say "Hi! How much is it?", then "Could you tell me the price?"; pupils say which one they would write to a camp.
2. (10 min) Read the two emails aloud; pupils find the missing words.
3. (5 min) Read the useful phrases in the box with the class; pupils find them in the emails.
4. (10 min) Page 2: pupils match the informal phrases to the formal ones, then tick the best replies.
5. (10 min) Page 3: pupils number the lines of Aziz's phone call, then complete Bridget's email.
6. (10 min) Role-play: A writes or says the enquiry, B answers with the information on card B.
7. (5 min) Check with the answer key on page 4.

Adaptations

[S] Pupils say the role-play as a phone call instead of writing it.

[A] A writes the whole email and B writes the whole reply, with "Dear..." and "Yours...".

Materials & prerequisites

One copy of pages 1 to 3 per pupil, and scissors for the role-play cards. Page 4 is the answer key and teacher notes: keep it. The key gives B's answers: Pine Lake Camp is open from 1 to 14 August and costs £680 for two weeks with all meals; the sports are kayaking, climbing, swimming and tennis; campers bring trainers, a swimsuit and a warm jacket. Could you tell me how much the camp costs? is taught as a fixed phrase. Pupils need the present simple, can, would like to and the words for holidays, sports and languages. To take it further, pupils find a real summer course or sports club on the internet and write the email they would send.