Welcome to class! LAST WEEK of the grading period.● When you come in…

o Get out your SSR book and be prepared to report your page number.● Today we are…

o Learning to properly address and format a business letter.● Activities…

o AnnouncementsThe Skimm.com – stay informed, check it outMicrosoft Offer – if you do not have Microsoft Office at home, COME TALK TO ME – It’s FREEDungeons and Dragons Club – Meets today, Monday, at 4:30, room 2403

o Compose letters to candidates, while learning proper business letter format● When you leave you should be able to…

o Understand how to properly format a business letter for a specific recipient--specifically, a government official. (block format)

● Homework…o Quack TEST Friday/Mondayo Business Letter due next class

General Guidelines● You should have 1 inch margins on all sides of your paper.

● Your letter should be single spaced.

● Your font should be Times New Roman, 12pt

Sender’s Address● First, at the top of your letter,

write your return address--use your home address. (You don’t need to include your name because your name will be in your closing.)

● Skip a space

● On the next line, write the date in this format: o October 30th, 2014

Example - 300 N. Lake Creek Dr.Round Rock, TX 78681October 30th, 2014

Recipients Address (Governor-Elect)● Leaving a blank line after your sender’s

address, write the address of your recipient.

● If you are addressing...o Governor-Elect

The Honorable __________

300 N. Lake Creek Dr.Round Rock, TX 78681

October 30th, 2014

The Honorable Greg AbbottGovernor-Elect of TexasPO Box 308 Austin, TX 78767

OR

The Honorable Wendy DavisGovernor-Elect of TexasP.O. Box 1039Fort Worth, TX 76101

Recipients Address (President)● Leaving a blank line after your sender’s

address, write the address of your recipient.

● If you are addressing...o President

The President ● it is NOT APPROPRIATE to

use either the given name or the surname of the president in a business letter - you would never say President Obama, or President Barack Obama.

300 N. Lake Creek Dr.Round Rock, TX 78681

October 30th, 2014

The PresidentThe White House1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.Washington, DC 20500

Salutation● Leaving a blank line after your recipients

address, write your salutation.

● To a governor-elect...o Dear Mr. Abbott:o Dear Mrs. Davis:

● To the president…o Dear Mr. President:

● To anyone else…o Go to formsofaddress.info.

300 N. Lake Creek Dr.Round Rock, TX 78681October 30th, 2014

The Honorable Greg AbbottGovernor-Elect of TexasPO Box 308 Austin, TX 78767

Dear Mr. Abbott:

Body of Letter● Leave another blank line before starting

the body of your letter.

● Do not indent your paragraphs, but make sure to skip a line between each.

● Special note:o If you are addressing the President,

you should refer to him as Mr. President throughout your letter.

o Wendy Davis can be referred to as Mrs. Davis (although she is unmarried, she retained her first husband’s surname and is thus a Mrs.), and Greg Abbott can be referred to as Mr. Abbott.

300 N. Lake Creek Dr.Round Rock, TX 78681October 30th, 2014

The Honorable Greg AbbottGovernor-Elect of TexasPO Box 308 Austin, TX 78767

Dear Mr. Abbott:

My name is Bilbo Baggins, and I am a hobbit of the Shire. I am writing to you regarding your promise to control the sale of rings of power in Middle Earth should you become elected. Although I believe that your plan to reinstate strict background checks is a step in the right direction, the sale of these dangerous objects can only truly be controlled through complete illegalization.

Having faced the War of the Ring, haven’t the men, elves and dwarves of Middle Earth suffered enough? Scholars in Minas Tirith have published that 87% of Gondor’s citizens have lost a family member to Saruman’s forces. Rohan suffered even more acutely, with entire villages burned to the ground by Orc’s bearing the white hand of Sauron. These deaths could have been avoided had the rings of power never been legalized.

Closing● Skip a line.● Options…

o Sincerely, (appropriate for governor-elect and most other recipients)

o Most respectfully, (appropriate for president)

300 N. Lake Creek Dr.Round Rock, TX 78681

October 30th, 2014

The Honorable Greg AbbottGovernor-Elect of TexasPO Box 308 Austin, TX 78767

Dear Mr. Abbott:

My name is Bilbo Baggins, and I am a hobbit of the Shire. I am writing to you regarding your promise to control the sale of rings of power in Middle Earth should you become elected. Although I believe that your plan to reinstate strict background checks is a step in the right direction, the sale of these dangerous objects can only truly be controlled through complete illegalization.

Having faced the War of the Ring, haven’t the men, elves and dwarves of Middle Earth suffered enough? Scholars in Minas Tirith have published that 87% of Gondor’s citizens have lost a family member to Saruman’s forces. Rohan suffered even more acutely, with entire villages burned to the ground by Orc’s bearing the white hand of Sauron. These deaths could have been avoided had the rings of power never been legalized.

Sincerely,

Signature

● Skip 4 lines to leave room for your signature.

● Type your full name.

300 N. Lake Creek Dr.Round Rock, TX 78681

October 30th, 2014

The Honorable Greg AbbottGovernor-Elect of TexasPO Box 308 Austin, TX 78767

Dear Mr. Abbott:

My name is Bilbo Baggins, and I am a hobbit of the Shire. I am writing to you regarding your promise to control the sale of rings of power in Middle Earth should you become elected. Although I believe that your plan to reinstate strict background checks is a step in the right direction, the sale of these dangerous objects can only truly be controlled through complete illegalization.

Having faced the War of the Ring, haven’t the men, elves and dwarves of Middle Earth suffered enough? Scholars in Minas Tirith have published that 87% of Gondor’s citizens lost a family member to Saruman’s forces. Rohan suffered even more acutely, with entire villages burned to the ground by Orc’s bearing the white hand of Sauron. These deaths could have been avoided had the rings of power never been legalized.

Sincerely,

Bilbo Baggins

Look at your neighbor’s formatting.

● Your letters should look basically identical!

Basic Persuasive Letter Structure (for this assignment)

As long as your letter contains all of the required elements--three devices from notes, all three appeals - ethos, pathos, logos, and two quotes from your research--you do not need to follow any, specific structure! These are just basic guidelines in case you get stuck.

1. An explanation of who you are and why you are writing. If you support your candidate, you may note it in this section of your letter, or in your concluding paragraph. You can also explain why you are writing to them, specifically.

2. An overview of your issue. This is when you should incorporate your research. Prove that you are knowledgeable about your topic! Why is your issue an important one? Who does it affect?

3. A suggested, specific plan of action, that addresses what consequences will result if your recipient does not act upon your issue. What will happen if no changes occur? How can your candidate combat this important issue?

4. A concluding paragraph in which you remind your reader of your purpose and thank them for their time. Again, if you support the candidate you are writing to, you can wish them luck in the upcoming election, or simply note that they would have your vote. (if you could vote ☺)

Highlight those required bits...

● Three devices (yellow)● Ethos (green)● Pathos (pink)● Logos (blue)● Two pieces of research with signal

phrases (orange)