Basics of Writing a Cover Letter
Overview
Middle and High School educators across Lebanon County, Pennsylvania developed lesson plans to integrate the Pennsylvania Career Education and Work Standards with the content they teach. This work was made possible through a partnership between the South Central PA Workforce Investment Board (SCPa Works) and Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13 (IU13) and was funded by a Teacher in the Workplace Grant Award from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. This lesson plan was developed by one of the talented educators who participated in this project during the 2019-2020 school year.
Title of Lesson: Basics of Writing a Cover Letter
Course Name: 7th grade ELA
Grade Level: 7th grade
Author’s Name: Jessica Huber
Author’s School District: Palmyra Area Middle School
| PA Academic Standards for English Language Arts | |
CC.1.4.7 Writing CC.1.4.7.E - Write with an awareness of the stylistic aspects of composition.
CC.1.4.7.T - With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed. | |
| PA Academic Standards for Career Education and Work | |
13.2.8 Career Acquisition 13.2.8.C - Prepare a draft of career acquisition documents, such as, but not limited to:
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| Learning Objectives | |
| In bulleted format, list your student learning objectives for this lesson. | |
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| Conceptual Background | |
| While 7th grade students are not necessarily old enough to begin applying for part-time jobs, most will be before they leave middle school.In a world where text-speech runs rampid, it is important for students to learn how to write a formal letter. Students also need to learn how to present themselves in a positive light for a job, without the use of instagram, snapchat, or TikTok. This lesson will help students to establish the basic formatting for a formal letter as well as the purpose of the letter and each section it contains.It is important for students to understand that the purpose of a piece of writing can dictate the style of writing. | |
| Instructional Procedure | |
| Pacing | Instructional Procedure |
| Day 1 - 10 minutes | Teacher poses the following question:What part time job would you like to have once you turn 15/16/18?Students respond verbally |
| Day 1 - 5 minutes | Discussion:How do you go about getting that job that you said?Students responses varyFollow up question: who has heard of a cover letter/what is a cover letter?What is the purpose of a cover letter?Answer: To present yourself in a positive light in order to gain a desired job/ position. |
| Day 1 - 15 minutes | Think back to that job you want. What are 3 (2-4) characteristics or skills that someone would need in order to be successful in that position?As a class, brainstorm experiences that middle school students may have that could develop/show these traits as examplesExamples:
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| Day 1 - 5 minutes | So how do we do this/where do we start??Show PowToon Video on how to write a cover letterHave students summarize with a partner what they learned from the videoHave students share out what they learned from the video |
| Day 1 - 10 minutes | Open a new google docLet’s begin with formatting:Write the following at the top of the page in the left corner:
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| Day 1 - 5 minutes | Salutation:After you’ve written the address you are sending the letter to, hit return so there is a space before the next lineThen type the “salutation” or opening.It can begin with “Dear” or “To” followed by the person’s name.If you don’t know the person’s name, you can write “Sir or Madam” or the department/job title you are sending the letter to “Director of HR at the Hershey Company”After the name what do you put?Answer: a colonWhy don’t we use a comma?Answer: because this is a formal letter, not a friendly letter |
| Day 2 - 15 minutes | Identifying characteristics and examplesNow that we have the salutation completed, let’s decide what qualities/characteristics you want to emphasize about yourself.Think back to those characteristics that you felt are necessary for your desired position. Pick the two or three that you feel that you inhabit.Type those in a list below your salutation on your letter. You will delete these later, but they will help keep you focused as you write your letter.Hit return twice to start a new paragraph.This is the introduction paragraph. In this paragraph you need to state:
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| Day 2 - 15 minutes | Hit return twice to start a new paragraph.This is the first paragraph where you will highlight your strengths or characteristics that you can bring to the position.Start this paragraph with a transition. Examples include but are not limited to:
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| Day 2 - 10 minutes | After these two paragraphs are completed, there is one more that needs to be written.Hit return twice to start a new paragraph.This paragraph would include any additional skills or relevant information that would help you in this position. This could include: good grades, honor roll, other languages, work ethic, technology skills, etc.End the paragraph with a statement about how these skills make you a great candidate for the position.Give the students 5 minutes to write this paragraph.Provide students with the example should they need it. |
| Day 2 - 5 minutes | Hit return twice to start a new paragraph (but it won’t be a whole paragraph).Write a 1-2 sentence statement thanking them for their time and encouraging them to reach out.For example:
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| Day 2 - 5 minutes | ClosingHit return twice and time an appropriate closing. Examples include (but are not limited to):
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| Day 2 - follow up/homework | Finish whatever paragraphs have not been completed and bring it back for submission tomorrow. |
| Formative Assessment | |
| Students will submit a FIRST DRAFT of a cover letter for a hypothetical position they would like to have. | |
| Materials Needed | |
| PowToon VideoIntro paragraph exampleCharacteristic paragraphs exampleAdditional skills paragraph example | |
| References | |