Business Writing · Lesson Plan

Writing a Business Letter

A well-formatted business letter is a basic professional skill. This worksheet teaches the parts of a formal business letter — return address, date, inside address, salutation, body, complimentary closing, signature, and typed name — with a matching exercise to lock in the terms, then has students write a complete, correctly formatted letter of their own. An answer key is included.

Grades 6–12 Lesson Plan 45–60 minutes Free Lesson Plan Worksheet: Full Membership

Writing a business letter lesson illustration

For Teachers

Lesson at a glance

Topic: Business Writing
Grade Level: Grades 6–12
Resource Type: Lesson + Worksheet
Estimated Time: 45–60 minutes
Format: Worksheet + answer key
Materials: Printable lesson, worksheet, pencils

What Students Learn

Learning objectives

Name the parts of a formal business letter
Match each part to its purpose
Place the parts in the correct order and format
Write a clear, concise business letter
Proofread for spelling and grammar

Materials

What you’ll need

Printed worksheet and answer key (one per student)
Paper for the student’s own letter
Pencils

Key Terms

Vocabulary

Salutation: The greeting line, e.g., ‘Dear Mr. Johnson.’
Inside address: The recipient’s name, company, and address.
Body: The part that states the purpose of the letter.
Complimentary closing: The sign-off, e.g., ‘Yours truly.’
Return address: The address of the letter writer.
Signature: Where the writer signs by hand.

For Teachers

Lesson plan

Estimated time: one 45–60 minute class period.

Lesson sequence

Parts of a letter (12 min). Introduce each part and where it goes.
Matching (10 min). Students complete the worksheet matching parts to descriptions.
Write one (20 min). Students write a complete formal business letter with all parts in order.
Proofread & review (8 min). Check against the answer key for format and errors.

Assessment

Assess the matching answers against the key and the student letter for correct format and clean writing.

Discussion

Discussion questions

What are the parts of a formal business letter?
Where does the inside address go?
What is a complimentary closing?
Why does a business letter need to be error-free?
How is a business letter different from a text message?

Printable Worksheet & Answer Key