Business Letter - This learning experience may be utilized in any class where students are writing a business letter. Students may write to a company or university to acquire information. Another option is to write a thank you letter, or a letter to solicit money for the yearbook.

Business Letter

Learning Context:

NYS Standards

ELA #1

MST #5

CD & OS #1 and #2

Curriculum Connection:

This learning experience is integrated into Mohawk Central School’s Business Computer Applications Class, using a computer lab setting. Students will develop a career survey designed to obtain data about work skills, occupations, and course work. A business letter designed to entice a response from the reader will accompany the survey.

This learning experience is derived from a unit project entitled Mohicans on the Move. This unit is posted on the website. A synopsis of the unit is as follows.

The goal of this unit is to survey high school alumni to assess their career choices and the work skills they use on the job. Once the responses are received and analyzed, students will draw conclusions as to which work skills are the most common among a variety of careers. The most popular work skills will be matched with the high school class that teaches that skill. In addition, students will compile a list of work skills that are not taught and propose ideas for new classes.

Students begin by preparing a career survey as a class group. The survey must list the major career clusters and specific work skills. Ideally, the survey can be organized into a bubble sheet format so responses can be easily scanned and tabulated. In addition, a comment section at the conclusion of the survey can be utilized to catalog miscellaneous information. Each student may want to prepare a section of the survey, or you may choose to have students work in groups.

Once the survey is complete, students will prepare a business letter to accompany the survey. Depending on the size of your school and class, you may choose to have students work in groups of two or three. The target audience for this unit is alumni who graduated at least five years prior. You may choose to target only one year, or depending on the number of estimated alumni two or three years. Ideally, a postage paid, pre-addressed envelope should accompany the business letter and career survey. Your class may also choose to select the best letter and post it on your school’s web page, so responses can be garnered electronically.

While students are waiting for responses you may use this time to teach the mechanics of a data base or power point slide, depending on student skill levels. In addition, public speaking and report formatting techniques may be reviewed.

Once the responses are received, students will catalog the results into a database and create database reports to summarize the information. Students will prepare a typed report highlighting their findings and conclusions, incorporating graphics and database reports. Students will then utilize their typed reports to prepare an oral presentation using power point slides as visuals. The oral presentation will highlight the survey results and propose conclusions and curriculum suggestions. The audience for the oral presentation may be the Faculty, Administration, and the Board of Education.

Adaptability:

This learning experience may be utilized in any class where students are writing a business letter. Students may write to a company or university to acquire information. Another option is to write a thank you letter, or a letter to solicit money for the yearbook.

Prior Knowledge:

Students will know how to touch type and use the mechanics of word processing to produce a professional business letter. These skills were learned in Keyboarding I, or the equivalent.

Procedure:

Students will:

Review the format for a business letter and identify which style they will use: block, modified block, open or closed punctuation.
Compose a rough draft of the letter identifying themselves, the letter’s purpose, and the action required by the recipient.
Edit the letter to produce a final copy.
Insert clip art, graphics… to make the letter visually stimulating and appealing.
Use a label maker program to address envelopes.
Print the final copy, sign, fold, insert, and seal the envelope.

Teacher Preparation:

Reintroduce the format of a business letter.
Review process for inserting clip art, drawings, utilization of the scanner, and label maker program.
Provide project guidelines:

a. Timelines for: rough draft of business letter

insertion of clip art, graphics…

produce mailing labels

print final copy of letters

assemble materials and mail envelopes

b. Monitor student progress:

4. Obtain address of letter recipients.

5. Edit the rough draft and proof the final copy

6. Assess student project, including: rough draft

final copy

mailing labels

assembly of materials

Instruction Modifications:

Support services from Special Education Teachers and Computer Lab Assistants will be provided to those students that need to be accommodated or assisted. Additional cooperative groups may be utilized for peer assistance.

Materials and Supplies:

Computer access to word processing program, clip art, scanner
Laser printer
Colored paper, envelopes, letterhead paper, labels, recipient addresses
Model business letters

Assessment Tools & Techniques

Teacher will employ the following activities as evidence of student progress:

Observations

Teacher will monitor student progress at each step to offer advice, encouragement, answer questions…

Review of Rough Draft

Fifty percent of the grade will be based on teacher evaluation of the rough draft. Assesment will include an evaluation of the letter components: return address, dateline, salutation, body, complimentary closing, enclosure notation. Did the letter introduce the writer and explain its purpose? Did the letter refer to the enclosd career survey? Did the letter entice the reader to respond? Did the letter use standard grammar, formatting techniques, and is error free?

Student Conferences

The teacher will review student progress via conferences, to ensure deadlines are met. Student conferences wll also be utilized to help students utlilize the technology to accomplish goals.

Review of Final Copy

Fifty percent of the grade will be based on teacher analysis of the final copy. Did the student make all the revisions correctly? Does the letter grab the reader’s attention. Is the letter visually stimulating and appealing. Did the student incorporate graphics in an appropriate manner to enhance the letter’s appeal. You may also choose to evaluate the envelope’s appearance in the final copy grade.

Time Required:

Planning: 1 day

Instruction: 1 week

Assessment: 1 day