Lesson Plan #3
Name: Britta Schmaeh
Lesson Title: Writing Business Letters
Class: Junior Honors
Duration: 50 min period
Date: 04/24/2010
1. Lesson Overview: In this lesson the students will be introduced to the format of a
business letter. The students have been learning about different genres of written
communication. Because the students have just learned how to write friendly
letters they will now learn to write in a more serious manner. After learning about
the main parts of a business letter, the students will analyze a sample for its
effectiveness. The students will also refresh their memories about friendly letters.
Then, after being introduced to the business letter format the students will use
their newly gained knowledge to compare/contrast the two forms of letters.
Finally, the students will be given prompts to write their own business letter in
small groups.
2. Lesson Rationale:
Every business and organization (including schools) in today’s society
requires communication which extends the exchange of information. And proper
communication is the means of a good business letter. Communication is simply a
method of sending a message from one person or group of persons to another.
And communication happens every day at the workplace. It is of vital importance
to all businesses because it involves all the people and organizations connected
with a business. And good communication will ensure that all these persons and
organizations understand the message sent. Bad communication has the exact
opposite effect – people will be confused by the message and are less likely to act
upon an issue, for example.
Business letters are suitable for both simple and complex messages. They
are particularly useful for contracts, dealing with any matter where it is important
that a written record should be kept, answering queries, when applying for a job
or to a university etc. Formal communication is a skill that has become essential
to the world today. Almost every student will deal with a business in one way or
another because business principles apply to every single field in today’s society.
The students of this class are part of a new program in FL in which they learn
about administration jobs, for example, which means business letters also tie into
their career. Students need to realize that business does not only revolve around
accounting but also around managing and organization. All of this requires good
communication and shows students need to learn when and especially how to use
business letters to communicate effectively. All students need to learn how to use
business letters – one of the most important communication tools.
3. Lesson Objectives:
Upon successful completion of the lesson, students will be able to:
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review examples of business and friendly letters.
compare business and friendly letter formats.
write letters in response to specific writing prompts.
apply knowledge of language structure and conventions.
adjust their use of writing conventions, style, and vocabulary for a variety of
audiences and purposes.
4. Sunshine State Standards:
LA.910.2.2.2 - use information from the text to answer questions or to state the main idea
or provide relevant details;
LA.910.2.2.4 - identify and analyze the characteristics of a variety of types of text (e.g.,
references, reports, technical manuals, articles, editorials, primary source historical
documents, periodicals, job-related materials, practical/functional text); and
LA.910.3.1.1 - generating ideas from multiple sources (e.g., brainstorming, notes,
journals, discussion, research materials or other reliable sources) based upon teacherdirected topics and personal interests;
LA.910.3.1.1 - generating ideas from multiple sources (e.g., brainstorming, notes,
journals, discussion, research materials or other reliable sources) based upon teacherdirected topics and personal interests;
LA.910.3.5.3 - sharing with others, or submitting for publication.
LA.910.4.2.4 - write a business letter and/or memo that presents information purposefully
and succinctly to meet the needs of the intended audience following a conventional
format (e.g., block, modified block, memo, email);
5. Instructional Resources and Lesson Materials Needed:
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Venn Diagram handout
ELMO
Grouping materials
Notebook paper
Pen/pencils
Business letter prompts
Business letter samples
Business letter format handout
6. Lesson Sequence
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Introduction/Lead-in/ Focus: To introduce the lesson there will be a short
teacher-lead discussion in which the students debrief their understanding and
knowledge about friendly letters. The students will share their thoughts and
refresh their memories. Then the students will be directed to the main activity of
the lesson by asking them who they would or would not write a friendly letter to.
The students will realize that the friendly letter format can be inappropriate in
some situations and this is when the actual focus will fall upon the business letter
format.
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Explicit Instruction:
What I do
What the students do
Time
I will ask each student to draw a number
at the beginning of class or as the students
enter the room.
Quickwrite: Refresh your memory. What The students will write down a 3 min
do you know about “friendly letters”?
few notes to help them with
the teacher-lead discussion that
follows.
Short Discussion: I will lead a discussion
in which the students brainstorm their
knowledge about “friendly letters”. I will
ask the students what the characteristics
are and who they would write them to.
The students share their
knowledge about friendly
letters and what they know
about the format.
4 min
Whole-class activity
Business Letter: In this section of the
lesson I will distribute a sample business
letter to introduce the format of business
letters. I will identify the main parts of a
business letter (heading, inside address,
greeting, body, closing, and signature) and
ask the students to label each of the six
main parts. I will also ask the students to
volunteer and help identifying some of the
main parts. (I will also discuss the
differences between the full-block and
modified-block formats)
Small group activities
Directions: I will provide the directions
for the next activities.
The students label all main
8 min
parts of the business letter and
familiarize themselves with the
new format. The students can
volunteer to identify parts they
see.
Students listen.
3 min
Feedback: I will make sure the students
understand the directions and give them
time to ask questions.
Students ask questions for
clarification.
2 min
Grouping: I will ask the students to look
at their number. The students will be
working in small groups to work on the
following assignments. The students will
be divided according to their numbers. I
will direct the students to each group’s
location.
The students get together in
their group.
1 min
Venn Diagram: I will walk around the
room and assist/observe each individual
group.
In this activity the students
will compare and contrast the
characteristics of business
letters and friendly letters
based on what they have
learned.
5 min
Letter Analysis: I will distribute a new
(and less effective) business letter sample
to each group and ask the students to
analyze the sample letter for its
effectiveness. Are all parts included? Is
something missing? Is the letter
effectively written? Etc.
In small groups the students
7 min
will analyze a sample letter for
its effectiveness. The students
will share their findings with
the rest of the class.
Writing a Business Letter: After having
the students review multiple business
letters, I will randomly assign prompts to
the groups. The students will be asked to
write their own business letter. While the
students work I will walk around and
communicate with the individual groups.
In small groups the students
13 min
will write their own business
letter with regard to their
writing prompt and with
regard to the knowledge they
have gained from the previous
activities.
Sharing: I will ask each group to share
their first draft of the business letter with
the rest of the class.
The students will select a
5 min
spokesperson to read their
business letter to the rest of the
class.
7. Assessment and Assessment Criteria: The students will be assessed through close
observation:
- Do the students come up with more than one characteristic when
comparing and contrasting both letter formats?
- Do the students write a business letter with regard to the given prompt?
- Do the students use appropriate language in their business letter?
- Do the students include all main parts in their business letter?
Ineffective Letter Sample:
June 1, 2009
Mr. Peter Michaels
REWE Feldman
6050 34th Street West
Tampa, FL 33333
Dear Peter,
This letter is requesting your financial support for a very important annual event. If you have any
questions or would like additional information, please contact me at 999-9999. Email inquiries can be sent
to sia@valleyfieldhs.org.
Your support for this important annual event would be greatly appreciated by everyone involved. We are
requesting the financial assistance of REWE Feldman to help cover the costs directly related to holding the
event. Your contribution would be used to offset such costs as: room rental, DJ fees, food and drink, prizes,
etc. An amount in the area of $xxx would be an appropriate contribution by your company. Any surplus
funds remaining after all bills are paid will be donated.
We believe that involving students in community volunteer activities is one of the most effective ways to
engage them in something meaningful during their after school time. Our experience has shown this to be
true; and that is why our school puts a great deal of emphasis on a program which actively promotes
student involvement.
Each year we honor the many student volunteers who have served in our community during the past year.
Those students have worked as volunteers in many different capacities. Our SIA students have served our
community over the past year in many different ways. We briefly put the spotlight on those doing the
giving; as an expression of gratitude for their selflessness throughout the year.
Hopefully I will hear from you soon,
Ursula Kindle
SIA Volunteer Co-ordinator
Business Letter Format