Business Letter

Lesson 1 (Parts of a Business Letter):

• See the back of the "Penguin Page" in your notes in your English section of your binder, or go to the Business Letter Format page.

Lesson 2 (Creative Writing):

1. Draft a business letter to a company to persuade the company to fix a problem that you have with a product you ordered as a Christmas present. Be sure to include ALL of the parts of a business letter! Skip lines. You may choose to write in print or cursive. The body of the letter should be at least 3 paragraphs in length. The first paragraph should tell about the item you ordered (type, size, color, number, cost) and the reason you ordered it (describe who you planned to give it to, and why they would enjoy it). The second paragraph should tell about the problem that you have with the product that was sent to you (not as described, wrong size/color, torn/broken, cost was not as expected, etc). The third paragraph should tell how you want the company to resolve the problem (replace item, refund money, send a coupon for a discount on your next order, etc.). If you ask for a refund or coupon, be sure to include the first and last name of the person that the money order/check/coupon should be sent to, as well as your complete mailing address. These three paragraphs should be 3 to 5 sentences each.
2. Have an adult help you edit your letter. Check first that all parts of the letter are included. Verify that your address is correctly written; pay special attention to spelling, capitalization, and punctuation in the address. Then, use your Revising and Editing Guide to improve the body of your letter.
3. Type a final copy of your letter. You should type on every line, and double space (hit return/enter twice) or quadruple space (hit return/enter 4 times) only when indicated on the business letter format.

• Alternate ideas (check with your teacher before using):
  • Write a business letter to a company asking for information on their products or services.
  • Write a business letter to a company or individual to persuade them to donate items/services or to assist you in funding a project you wish to implement.
  • Write a business letter to a famous person asking for their picture, autograph, or other memorabilia.

Lesson 3 (Sending Letters):

1. Follow your teacher's instructions to properly fold a business letter to fit into a standard #10 business envelope.
2. Draw lines on the back of your folded letter to make it look like an envelope.
3. Place your own name (first and last) and home address (or school address, at parent's request) in the upper left-hand corner on the front of the "envelope". This is called the return address. Print neatly in small-size writing.
4. Place the Attn: name/title, company name, and address of the person to whom you will mail the letter starting slightly above the center of the "envelope", and writing to fill the lower, right quarter of the envelope's front. Print neatly. Write a little larger than your return address.
5. Draw the "postage stamp" in the far upper right corner of the front of the envelope.