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33 Writing Business Letters

Page
237
from
All Write

Writing Business Letters Opening Page

Start-Up Activity

Read aloud and discuss the introduction. Share experiences when you have written emails or letters for business-related reasons. Then ask for volunteers to share their own experiences. Point out that the presentation of information in a business letter is culturally determined. For example, Pauline Gibbons in Learning to Learn in a Second Language states: “The style and tone of a business letter in Spanish is very different from one in English.” To help students better understand business correspondence used in the United States, share a number of examples.

Think About It

“Never write a letter while you are angry.”

—Chinese Proverb

Page 238 from All Write

Parts of a Business Letter

The next two pages work together: Page 238 explains the parts of a business letter, and page 239 shows a business letter with the parts labeled.

First, review the parts of a business letter. Pay careful attention to the information to include in the heading and inside address. (See the model on page 239.) To enrich the discussion of the salutation, refer to the information on abbreviations on pages 381, 399, and 405.

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Level:
Grade 6Grade 7Grade 8
Mode:
Business Writing
Form:
Business Letter

Page 239 from All Write

Sample Business Letter

Ask for a volunteer to read the sample business letter. Then make reference to the different parts of the letter as well as to the style and tone of the writing. The student writer uses a serious, polite tone throughout. The beginning paragraph introduces the writer and explains the reason for the letter. The body paragraph provides the important details. The closing paragraph makes a request. Have students label parts of other business letters, perhaps the ones that you shared from page 237.

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Level:
Grade 6Grade 7Grade 8
Mode:
Business Writing
Form:
Business Letter

Page 240 from All Write

Writing Guidelines: Business Letters

Review the guidelines for writing a business letter. Point out that word-processing programs provide templates to help students follow a proper business-letter format. Consider modeling the writing process before students write their own letters.

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Level:
Grade 6Grade 7Grade 8
Mode:
Business Writing
Form:
Business Letter
English Language Arts:
Writing Process

Page 241 from All Write

Types of Business Letters

Discuss the three reasons for writing a business letter listed on this page. Suggest possible topics for each type and share example letters. Consider sharing famous letters with students to help them appreciate their importance and impact in history. Examples: Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and President Lincoln’s letter to New York editor Horace Greely concerning slavery.

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Level:
Grade 6Grade 7Grade 8
Form:
LetterLetter to the Editor

Page 242 from All Write

Sending the Letter

The next two pages provide guidelines for sending a business letter. Review the sample envelope and the acceptable forms for addressing an envelope. Pay careful attention to the U.S. Postal Service guidelines.

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Page 243 from All Write

Sending Your Letter (Continued)

Discuss the guidelines for folding a letter, demonstrate it, and have students try it themselves. Then review the two tables on the page, which give the traditional and postal abbreviations for states and addresses. Consider modeling addressing an envelope using the postal guidelines before students address their own envelopes.

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