Warm-up (30 seconds): Think about the last time you got a DM from a teacher or someone important. Would you reply the same way to an email from them? Why or why not?

This lesson adds your first sent email to your Digital Portfolio (Lesson 9 Portfolio Build).

Why Email ≠ DMs/Teams

• DMs/Teams: Quick, casual, disappears from view, good for 'are you free?' or 'see you in class'
• Email: Permanent record, professional style, gets printed/shared with others, attachments, right for 'here's my proposal' or 'feedback on your work'

Professional Email Structure

1. Subject: Clear, specific (not 'hi' or nothing)
2. Salutation: Dear [Name], (not 'hey' or 'yo')
3. Body: Short paragraphs, one main point per paragraph
4. Closing: Best regards / Kind regards, [Your Name], [Contact info]
5. Attachment: Mention it in the body ('see attached')

Security Checklist

• Double-check recipient email address
• Don't click links in suspicious emails
• BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) hides all the email addresses from each other - find BCC field next to the To: field when needed
• Attachments typically ~25MB (check your school account limits)

Follow these instructions to compose a practice professional email to your teacher about your Something Real project. Do not send this practice email — this builds the structure you'll use in the next activity.

Common Issues

• Issue: Can't find Compose/New Email button
  Solution: Look for a pencil icon ✏️ or + button, or press {{kbd:C}} (Gmail, keyboard shortcuts must be enabled in Settings) / {{kbd:Ctrl+N}} (Outlook)
• Issue: Screen looks different from images
  Solution: Look for buttons with the same names (Compose, Send, Attach)
• Issue: Email won't send
  Solution: Check internet connection and that you're logged into your school account

Now send a real email to your teacher using the same steps from the practice activity above (steps 1-3: New mail → To field → Subject), but this time use the real email content below, click Send, and attach your two real project files. This becomes Lesson 9's portfolio page (sent email screenshot).

Email content:

1. Subject: [YourName] Something Real - Feedback Request
2. Body:
   Dear [Teacher's Name],
   
   Please find attached my polished proposal (Lessons 4-5) and [budget/timeline/chart] (Lessons 6-7) for my Something Real project.
   
   Could you review and let me know if this looks ready for the pitch deck?
   
   Thank you,
   [Your Full Name]
   LCA ICT Student
   Digital Portfolio: [OneDrive/Google Drive folder link]
3. Attachments: Your Lesson 5 Polished Proposal + Lesson 6/7 Numbers Sheet

Success criteria: Email sent, attachments included, professional structure followed, screenshot saved.