A couple weeks ago, Google added an "Email Draft" template to their "Building Blocks" in Google Docs. You can access it through the Insert menu in a blank document (or by typing "@email draft").
Essentially, this creates a place where multiple people can work on an email at the same time and provide feedback to each other prior to sending it! So, for example, you could have your students draft an email and share it with you. Then you can make suggestions or leave comments just like any other Google Document. Alternatively, you could have students work collaboratively to draft an email together. Anything you can do in a regular Google Doc, you can do with the Email Draft template. And the icing on the cake...click the Mail icon once you are done, and the message is sent - without leaving the document!
(Note - the email is sent from the account of whoever clicks the Mail icon.)
Consider the project possibilities! Back in my teaching days, I asked my freshmen to contact a college admissions representative to ask which high school classes they would recommend taking if the student was interested in a specific major. The project was an opportunity to research careers and colleges, get some practice with writing professional emails, and think about high school course selection. Back then, the students wrote the email in a Google Document and then pasted it into Gmail after I approved it. Not exactly difficult, but with "Email Draft" in Google Docs, students can prepare the email, get feedback, make changes, and actually send it all in one place.
Here are some other ideas:
Send an email to a professional in an industry the student is interested in
Send an email to a local or state representative about a current issue
Send an email to a company with feedback (positive or constructive) about their product
Send an email to a person who has made a difference in the student's life
If this is something you are interested in doing and you would like some email etiquette tips, here is a quick infographic I made to help:
(Click to get a full-size pdf for downloading/printing.)
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