TITLE: Creating a Business Letter from Unformatted Copy
TASK DEVELOPER: Jacquelyn Andrews
CONTENT AREA AND GRADE: Introduction to Word/Advanced Word
SCHOOL: John F. Kennedy High School

STANDARDS:

New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards Writing

STANDARD 3.2: All students will write in clear, concise, organized language that varies in content and form for different audiences and purposes.

Strand D. Writing Forms, Audiences, and Purposes (exploring a variety of forms): By the end of grade 12, students will:

6. Compile and synthesize information for everyday and workplace purposes, such as job applications, resumes, business letters, and college applications.

New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards--Technology

STANDARD 8.1 (Computer and information literacy) All students will use computer applications to gather and organize information and to solve problems.

A. Basic Computer Skills and Tools

2. Create documents including a resume and a business letter using professional format.

ISTE National Educational Technology Standards for Students

I. Basic operations and concepts

Students are proficient in the use of technology

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PERFORMANCES:

LESSON OBJECTIVES:

Students will be able to:

  • understand the relevance of the business letter
  • proofread unformatted copy and correct all spelling and punctuation errors
  • properly construct a formatted block style business letter by placing key elements in sequential order
  • create and key directions for proper letter construction

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SETTING:

REAL WORLD SETTING - TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS:

You are a clerical assistant at a local company. You are faced with creating a letter from unformatted material that your boss left for you to complete. You must review the copy that he left, then key and format the letter into a mailable document.

Once you have completed your letter, you will create instructions for the company reference manual entitled Properly Formatting a Letter. Be sure to include clear and concise step-by-step formatting directions which should include the proper names of the parts of a letter.

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SMARTSKILLS:

Level I: Acquiring Data - Data students will acquire in this standards-based task:

VOCABULARY
formatting reference initials
mailable key
letterhead paragraph (¶)
inside address proposal
complimentary closing auction
body fund
salutation antiques
signature line patron

Level III: Applying Knowledge - Visualized information that is applied knowledge in this standards-based task:

Making decisions: The students will need to make decisions to determine what information should be included in the script and how that information should be organized into a script.

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PREFERENCES:

Student Involvement - The students will complete the task:

  • individually, utilizing a computer connected to the Internet

Instruction - Activities will be organized and delivered:

  • by differentiating the activities or strategies to offer appropriate ways for students to learn

Special Education Accommodations - Students with special needs will require the following materials:

  • Sign Language Interpreter, amplification, or visual display of required instructional activities assessment test directions, and examiner led activities

Use of Resources - The school will provide:

  • Computer hardware and software
  • Classroom time to complete the task

Assessment of Student Work - The following people will be involved in assessing student work generated to complete the task:

  • The student's teacher

Assessment of Student Work - The following forms of assessment will be used to determine progress and results:

  • Performance assessment

Reporting Results - The assessment results will be reported:

  • As a score point on a rubric, rule, or key

Timeline - The estimated time needed to plan, teach, and score this task is:

  • Two to three block class periods

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ACTIVITIES:

Technological Equipment:

  • Computer Lab Work Stations
  • SMARTBoard/LCD Projector
  • Internet
  • Microsoft Word

Student Engagement:

*Instructor: Access the following web site links to provide students with direct instruction or review of the correct formatting procedure for the construction of a business letter utilizing the LCD projector and SMARTBoard.

*Students: Also access the web sites for reference.

NOTE: The instructor will:

  • explain the purpose of the letter
  • review the Business Letter Rubric
  • print and give students the unformatted copy for the assignment
  • facilitate learners as they work on the assignment
  • complete the metacognitive activity

CREATING a BUSINESS LETTER from UNFORMATTED COPY

Directions--Part I:

Click on the following link to proofread the unformatted business letter for spelling errors and correct punctuation.

Then format and key letter parts in correct sequence with proper block style formatting. The letterhead should include the following: Marketing Associates, 1482 Market Street, Lexington, NY 23210; Phone No. 1-800-456-7831; Email: marketingassociates@comcast.net

Directions--Part II:

Create instructions for the company reference manual entitled Properly Formatting a Letter. Be sure to include clear and concise step-by-step formatting directions which should include the proper names of the parts of a letter.

Upon completion of the letter and the instructions, submit them to your boss (your instructor).

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SCORING:

Scoring Approach: The teacher will use the following rubric to score each student's work analytically and provide feedback to the learners.

Business Letter & Creating Instructions Task Rubric
Score 1 2 3 4
Formatting Letter is not properly formatted and spacing and/or alignment rules not followed Letter is partially formatted with some spacing or alignment rules lacking The letter is basically formatted with minimal spacing or alignment errors The letter is properly formatted and represents a mailable copy
Sequential Letter Parts/
Information		 Letter parts are not in sequence and/or information is inaccurate or incomplete. Some letter parts are not in sequence and/or information is provided, but is inaccurate due to omission of text or a part of the letter A sequential letter element is out of order, but information is accurate. Information is accurate and complete. All letter parts are in sequential order.
Spelling and Punctuation

Lacks spelling correction and proper punctuation.

(4 errors or more)

May have some spelling and or punctuation errors.

(3 errors)

 Spelling and or punctuation errors are minimal.

(1 or 2 errors)

Excellent spelling and punctuation.

(error free)
Classroom Activity and Letter Activity Directions Failed to participate in class learning activity and follow activity directions Poor participation in class learning activity and did not follow some of the directions Participated in the class learning activity and followed most of the directions Participated in the class learning activity and followed all of the directions.
Creating Legible Instructions Instructions are not clear and concise, and user cannot follow them to complete a letter construction task Instructions are partially clear, but user cannot complete the letter construction task without some assistance Instructions lacks at least one direction, but user can still complete letter construction task Instructions are clear and concise, and user can complete the letter construction task

Notes:

  • 1 = "NP", 2 = "BP", 3 = "P", and 4 = "AP"
  • For those teachers that have to use letter grades, you easily can convert the scores or an average of the total score to a letter grade.
  • Anything below a "1" obviously constitutes the grade "F," which means that the student has failed to complete the assignment.
  • *NP = Not Proficient

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METACOGNITION:

Cognitive Information:

  • I will collect the following information upon task completion in a group discussion:

Describe what skills you needed to complete this task.

  1. Each student will key a list of the skills needed for task completion.
  2. Students will share the entries for a list to be created on the SMARTBoard for the entire class.

Attitude Information:

  • I will collect the following information upon task completion in a class group discussion.
  1. Did you find this task to be difficult?
  2. Did you see the usefulness of what you were asked to do in a real life situation?
  3. Did you enjoy the task?

Benchmarking Student Performance:

Click here to see a sample of student responses to the Metacognitive questions and prompts.

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RESULTS:

Organize: I will use the following chart to display student data for each time that I assess and score the same learning standard(s):

Data-Driven Results Disaggregated by Gender and All Students
Content Standards:

Technology Standard 8.1 (Computer and information literacy) All students will use computer applications to gather and organize information and to solve problems.

Writing Standard 3.2 D6 Compile and synthesize information for everyday and workplace purposes, such as job applications, resumes, business letters, and college applications.
Students
Scoring Results
Last Name and First Name
Male
Female
All Students
1. Student 1
 
 4
4
2. Student 2
 4
 
4
3. Student 3
 3
 
3 
4. Student 4
 3
 
3 
5. Student 5
 2 
 
2 
6. Student 6
 
2 
2 
7. Student 7
 
1 
1 
# Of students at the Advanced Performance Level
1
1
2
# Of students at the Proficient Performance Level
2
0
2
# Of students at the Basic Performance Level 1 1 2
# Of students at the Non-Proficient Performance Level   1 1
% of Students equal to or greater than the Proficient Level (Total # of students at the proficient and advanced levels divided by the total number of students) 57% 29% 86%

Analyze: Out of the seven learners evaluated in this lesson, there were four boys and three girls. When analyzed by gender, all of the boys performed at or above proficiency level (57%). Two of the three girls performed at or above proficiency level (28%) and one girl performed below the proficiency level (14%). The class had an 86% proficiency level.

Reflect: As I relate my students' results with my lesson activities, 100% of the student feedback on the assignment indicated that the task was useful and that having knowledge of how to properly create a business letter which is properly formatted is a relevant real world assignment.

When analyzing why the one student performed below the proficiency level, the students's class attendance played a factor. The student missed the introductory lesson to the assignment, as well as several class periods during the assignment. However, the lesson incorporated differentiated learning techniques and some basic prior knowledge, so an Advanced Microsoft Word student should have been able to complete the lesson at proficiency level even if absent for the introductory lesson.

Upon further reflection, an additional similar assignment should be given as a reinforcement lesson and as a challenge for learners to perform at a higher proficiency level, and for those learners who scored at an advanced proficiency level to maintain that proficiency level.

As I relate my student's results with my lesson activities, 100% of the student feedback on the assignment indicated that the task was useful and that having knowledge of how to properly create a business letter which is properly formatted is a relevant real world assignment.

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