Leading and Communicating at Work: Fix the Team Email

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Business and Personal Finance · Business / Marketing / Entrepreneurship
SP-BUS-012 · Free to print and use in your classroom · substituteplans.com
Page 2
Leading and Communicating at Work: Fix the
Team Email
Business and Personal Finance · Business / Marketing / Entrepreneurship · Grades 9-12 · 50 minutes
Time needed
50 minutes (one class period)
Prep
Copy the 2-page worksheet (one per student).
Technology
None.
Student
independence
High. Students work alone, then compare rewritten emails with a partner.
Copies to make
One 2-page worksheet per student
Materials
Pencils, Worksheet
Goal for today: Students will identify leadership styles and rewrite a poorly written workplace email so it is clear and
respectful.
Before the bell
☐ Copy the worksheet, one per student (2 pages).
☐ Keep the answer key on your desk.
☐ No business background is needed.
Say this to start
At work, how a leader behaves and how people write to each other can make a team stronger or weaker. Today you
will read about three leadership styles, think about teamwork, and then fix a badly written email so it sounds
professional. When you finish, you may compare your rewrite with a partner.
Run of show
Minutes
What you do
What students do
0–5
Take attendance. Hand out the worksheet. Read the
leadership styles aloud.
Follow along.
5–17
Tell students to complete questions 1–4 (multiple choice)
and 5–7 (true or false).
Identify styles and decide true or false.
17–27
Tell students to read the email and answer question 8.
List problems with the email.
27–40
Tell students to write their improved email in question 9
and answer question 10.
Rewrite the email professionally.
40–46
Have partners compare rewritten emails for five minutes.
Then read the key’s sample answers.
Compare and check.
46–50
Collect the worksheets.
Hand in the worksheet.
If things go wrong
• If students want to write a joking or rude version: remind them the goal is clear and respectful.
• If a student asks which leadership style is best: none is always best; it depends on the situation.

SubstitutePlans.com
Business and Personal Finance · Business / Marketing / Entrepreneurship
SP-BUS-012 · Free to print and use in your classroom · substituteplans.com
Page 3
• If partners cannot agree: both rewrites can be correct if they are polite and clear.
• If the room gets loud, move to silent work.
Early finishers
• Write a short thank-you email to a coworker for helping on a project.
• List three qualities of a good team member.
• Write a polite way to disagree with an idea at a meeting.
Support and challenge
• Support: Provide sentence starters for the email such as “Hello,” “Could you please…,” “Thank you.”
• Challenge: Ask students to write a short email that gives hard news while staying respectful.
Notes for the teacher (you fill this in)
Jot a few lines before you leave. A full Daily Sub Report is in the free Sub Survival Kit at SubstitutePlans.com.
How far the class got / what to pick up next:
Students who were especially helpful:
Anything the teacher should know: