Year 7 · Autumn 1
Digital Citizen · Lesson 3 of 5
Email and shared-document etiquette
PracticalTopic 19 Digital life, law and ethics
Year 7 · Digital Citizen · Lesson 3 of 5
You will learn to
- Write an email with a clear subject, a greeting, one request and a sign-off.
- Explain why tone matters when the reader cannot see your face.
- Use comments to give polite, specific feedback on a shared document.
Year 7 · Digital Citizen · Lesson 3 of 5
Success criteria
You have got it when you can say:
- I can send my teacher a short, polite email with a clear subject line.
- I can explain when to use Reply all and when not to.
- I can leave a kind, useful comment without changing someone else's work.
Year 7 · Digital Citizen · Lesson 3 of 5
Retrieval starter
Questions from before. Write your answers, then show them.
- Last lesson
Logging into a friend's account 'just to look' is…
A Fine if you don't change anythingB Against the Computer Misuse Act
B. Against the Computer Misuse Act
- Earlier this unit
Which spreads across a network without anyone opening a file?
A VirusB WormC Trojan
B. Worm
- Last lesson
Copyright in the UK…
A Must be registeredB Is automatic
B. Is automatic
Year 7 · Digital Citizen · Lesson 3 of 5
Key words (1 of 2)
- Digital footprint
- The trail of everything you do online.
- Phishing
- Fake messages that trick people into giving details.
- Computer Misuse Act
- UK law (1990) that makes hacking and spreading malware crimes.
- Data Protection Act
- UK law (2018), with UK GDPR, controlling how personal data is used.
Year 7 · Digital Citizen · Lesson 3 of 5
Key words (2 of 2)
- Copyright
- Automatic legal protection for original creative work.
- Open source
- Software whose code anyone can see, change and share.
- Ethics
- AI that is biased because its training data was. Cameras that keep us safe and also watch us. The digital divide: who is left out when everything moves online. Screen time and sleep. Practise arguing both sides.
The explanation · step 1 of 3 · part 1 of 2
The parts of a good email
An email is a message sent from one account to another over the internet.
A good email has five parts. Each part has one job.
| Part | Its job | Example |
|---|---|---|
| To | Who gets it. Check the address twice. | Your teacher's school address |
| Subject | Says what the email is about, in a few words. | Question about Monday's homework |
| Greeting | Says hello politely. | Dear Mr Khan, |
| Body | Says the one thing you need. Keep it short. | Please could I have the sheet from Monday's lesson? |
| Sign-off | Ends politely and says who you are. | Thank you, Sam (7B) |
The explanation · step 1 of 3 · part 2 of 2
The parts of a good email (continued)
One email, one request. A short, clear email gets a faster answer.
The explanation · step 2 of 3 · part 1 of 2
Tone: how your words sound
Tone means how your words sound to the reader. The reader cannot see your face or hear your voice.
- Writing in CAPITALS looks like SHOUTING.
- Say please and thank you.
- Keep emojis and text-speak for friends, not for teachers.
- Read it again before you send. Would you say it face to face?
CC means 'carbon copy'. A person in the CC box gets a copy too.
The explanation · step 2 of 3 · part 2 of 2
Tone: how your words sound (continued)
Reply all sends your answer to everyone on the email. Use it only when everyone needs to read it.
Once you press Send, you cannot take it back. The reader can copy it or forward it to other people.
The explanation · step 3 of 3 · part 1 of 2
Shared documents: comment, don't change
A shared document is one file that several people can open and edit.
- Do not delete or change someone else's work.
- Use a comment to suggest a change. A comment is a note at the side of the page.
- Be kind and specific. Say what works, then one thing to improve.
- Do not type anything you would not say to the person.
The explanation · step 3 of 3 · part 2 of 2
Shared documents: comment, don't change (continued)
Helpful comment: 'Your opening is clear. Could you add one example in paragraph 2?' Unhelpful comment: 'This is bad.'
A shared file keeps a history of who changed what. Everything you type there is part of your digital footprint.
Year 7 · Digital Citizen · Lesson 3 of 5
Worked example
Fix this email. To: teacher. Subject: (blank). Body: 'hey i need the homework'. No name at the end.
- Add a subject that says what it is about: 'Homework sheet for Unit 1'.
- Swap 'hey' for a polite greeting: 'Dear Mr Khan,'.
- Make the request clear and polite: 'Please could you send me the homework sheet? I was absent on Monday.'
- Add a sign-off with your name and class: 'Thank you, Sam (7B)'.
- Read it once more, check the address, then press Send.
Year 7 · Digital Citizen · Lesson 3 of 5
Quick quiz · 1 of 3
A shop keeping your data for 20 years 'just in case' breaks…
- A The Computer Misuse Act
- B Data protection law
B. Data protection law
Storage limitation: data must not be kept longer than needed.
Year 7 · Digital Citizen · Lesson 3 of 5
Quick quiz · 2 of 3
Spreading ransomware that locks a company's files is which CMA offence?
- A Section 2
- B Section 3
- C Section 1
B. Section 3
Section 3: unauthorised acts that impair a computer. Up to 10 years.
Year 7 · Digital Citizen · Lesson 3 of 5
Quick quiz · 3 of 3
Which is the Spanish equivalent of the Data Protection Act 2018?
- A Ley de Propiedad Intelectual
- B Código Penal art. 264
- C LOPDGDD (Ley Orgánica 3/2018)
C. LOPDGDD (Ley Orgánica 3/2018)
With the EU GDPR, the LOPDGDD is Spain's data protection law.
Year 7 · Digital Citizen · Lesson 3 of 5
Exit ticket
Answer on paper before you go. Then check.
An email link says 'brightwell.example' but hovering shows 'brightwe11-login.xyz'. This is…
A Safe because it has HTTPSB A red flag: the real address is differentC Normal for banks
B. A red flag: the real address is different The visible link text can say anything. The real address is what matters.
A photo is licensed CC BY-NC. Can a company use it in a paid advert?
A Yes, if they credit the creatorB No: NC means non-commercial
B. No: NC means non-commercial NC forbids commercial use, even with credit. They would need to ask permission.