Hi Sami! Writing an Informal Email to a Friend

About This Resource

A complete Grade 7 ESL writing pack on informal emails to friends and family. Students read a model email, identify the subject line, greeting, opening, news, questions, closing phrase and sign-off, compare informal and formal phrases, practice useful expressions and write a reply. Includes slides, a lesson plan, worksheet, quiz, homework, flashcards, a rubric and answer keys.

Overview

An informal email is a friendly message to someone we know well, such as a friend, a cousin or a classmate. It has a clear structure: a short subject line, a friendly greeting (Hi Sami,), an opening that responds to the other person, paragraphs with news and questions, a closing phrase (Write back soon!) and a sign-off (Take care, Lina). The language is relaxed, with contractions (I've, there's) and everyday expressions. Students read Lina's email to her cousin about moving to a new town, answer questions, sort informal and formal phrases, practice useful expressions and write Sami's reply.

Resource Details

Subject: ESL
Topic: Writing an Informal Email
Category: Writing
File Type: PDF
File Size: 320.1 KB
Published: 12 Nov 2026
Downloads: 0

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Grade 7 ESL (ages 12–13), A2–B1 55 minutes Writing reading register (formal and informal) paragraphing

Learning Objectives

Identify the parts and features of an informal email.
Choose informal phrases and distinguish them from formal ones.
Write an organized informal email that shares news and asks questions.

How to Use This Resource

Show the slides. Ask: "Who do you send messages to? How do you start and end them?"
Read Lina's email and do worksheet activities 1 and 2 together.
Students complete activities 3 to 6, then use the quiz and send the homework page home.

Classroom Activity Ideas

Phrase sort: groups sort phrase cards into informal and formal and add one more of each.
Email chain: students write a short email to a partner, swap, and write a reply that answers every question.
Fix the tone: students rewrite a very formal email to a friend so it sounds natural.

Differentiation

Support: give a writing frame with the greeting, opening and closing phrases and two sentence starters for news. Challenge: students write a second paragraph that makes a suggestion or invitation (We could…, Why don't you…?).

Assessment

Use the worksheet and quiz to check knowledge of email features and register. Use the rubric to assess the reply in activity 6 or the homework email.

Teacher Tips

Informal does not mean careless: students should still use paragraphs, capital letters and full sentences. Avoid text-message abbreviations. Remind students to answer the other person's questions and ask at least one question so the conversation continues.

What's Included

14-page printable PDF lesson pack: teacher lesson plan with timings, materials and differentiation
Key vocabulary list (7 words with meanings and examples)
Student worksheet (6 activities)
Quiz / assessment (3 parts)
Homework practice page
Printable flashcards: 7 A5 picture cards (separate PDF)
Assessment rubric (4 levels)
Lesson slides (editable PowerPoint)
Editable Word version of all student pages
Complete answer key (also as a separate PDF)

Additional Files

Lesson Slides (PPTX)
Editable Student Pages and Lesson Plan (DOCX)
A5 Flashcards (PDF)
Answer Key (PDF)

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