Writing the Opening Part

In the first part of your letter, you should do two things.

• Identify the position that you are applying for.

  I am interested in going to SeaScapes Scuba Camp this summer.

• Tell what you know about the organization, such as where you learned about it.

I read about your camp in the most recent issue of Scuba Kidz magazine. I understand that your camp is for kids aged 10 to 16 with all different levels of experience.

Opening Paragraph

Writing the Middle Part

Prewriting to Find the Right Opportunity

Warm-Up for Application Letters

When applying for a job or other opportunity, you'll often be asked to write an application letter. In such a letter, you reveal your goals, qualifications, and skills. This unit will show you how to write a winning letter.

What Is an Application Letter?

© Thoughtful Learning 2016

What happens when you meet someone new? You probably tell the person your name and a few details about yourself. Next, you might talk about common interests. If the two of you become friends, you will learn more about each other over time.

Sometimes, it’s important to tell key details about yourself right away. For example, if you want to spend a week at soccer camp or volunteer at the local animal shelter, you may need to write a special letter to introduce yourself and make your request. This type of business letter is called a letter of application.

In an application letter, you give information about yourself and tell your reasons for applying for something. When writing your letter, be sure to state all of your ideas clearly and politely. If you do, you will make a good first impression, which is very important.

Thinking About Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Before you can write your letter of application, you should evaluate which skills and qualities you have and which ones you still need to work on. Here's how one student took stock of her skills.

Things I Do Well

Editing In-Text Citations

Always place in-text citations in parenthesis at the end of a sentence but before the end punctuation. In a direct quote, citations come after the closing quotation mark but before the end punctuation.

• Correct: Ride wished the science part of her mission got more attention (Hurwitz 28).

• Incorrect: Ride wished the science part of her mission got more attention. (Hurwitz 28)

• Correct: “She inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars” (Macy 5).

• Incorrect: “She inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars (Macy 5).”

1. Thurgood Marshall changed the course of the Civil Rights Movement. (Smith 18)

Thurgood Marshall changed the course of the Civil Rights Movement (Smith 18).

2. Marshall believed in justice for all people. (Smith 24)
3. “Every day we live with the legacy of Justice Thurgood Marshall.” (Feldman 45)
4. In grade school, he had to memorize the Constitution as a punishment for goofing around. (“Biography”)

Revising to Cite Evidence

As you revise your first draft, search for and replace general ideas and unsupported opinions with factual evidence from your sources.

• General Idea: Sally Ride did some important things in space.

• Factual Evidence: Sally Ride spent six days in space, where she helped place satellites in orbit.

• Opinion: I bet Ride was surprised to see an advertisement from NASA.

• Factual evidence: It was the first time that women were invited to apply to astronaut program (Smith).

1. General idea/opinion:

Specific evidence:

2. General idea/opinion:

Specific evidence:

3. General idea/opinion:

Specific evidence:

Writing the Beginning Paragraph

1. Ask a question about the topic.

Did you know women couldn’t become astronauts for almost the first three decades of the space program?

2. Start with a surprising fact or detail about the topic.

Before Sally Ride, space travel was mostly a club for men.

3. Tell a little story about the person.

Sally Ride didn’t always want to be an astronaut. When she was young, going to space was not a realistic aspiration for girls.

Prewriting to Select a Topic

For your report, you will research an important person from the past or present. As you consider topic choices, note people who truly interest you, because you will be spending a lot of time learning about them.

Other Ways to Discover Topic Ideas

Search online or scan your school books for influential figures. Also try freewriting for topics.

Prewriting for Research Questions

Now that you have decided on a topic for your report, you need to find out what you already know about the person and what you want to learn.

Reading a Research Report

Before you begin the process of writing a research report, you'll want to see how others did so. This lesson shows you a sample research report, explaining each of its main parts. As you read the sample, think about how the writer integrated information from different sources to explain the topic in an informative manner.

Reading a Sample Research Report

A research report has some special features, but the actual report has three main parts, just like an essay. The beginning paragraph introduces the topic and leads to a focus statement. The body paragraphs support the focus statement by citing evidence from sources. The ending paragraph revisits the main idea.

Research reports end with a works-cited page, which lists the sources used in the writing. Source material is cited within the report using in-text citations.

Sample Research Paper

Editing for Pronoun Agreement

A pronoun is used in place of a noun or another pronoun. The word that the pronoun refers to is called an antecedent. Pronouns and antecedents must agree. This means that they must both be singular or they must both be plural. It also means that the gender should match. Here are some examples.

1. That linebacker should pay more attention to their diet. That linebacker should pay more attention to his diet.
2. Teenagers think that he or she can eat poorly and not get sick. Teenagers think that they can eat poorly and not get sick.
3. My friends believe they can eat chips for breakfast and lunch. My friends believe they can eat chips for breakfast and lunch.
4. Tess knows junk food affects their health. Tess knows junk food affects her health.
5. Sickly people may get well just by changing his or her diet. Sickly people may get well just by changing their diet.
6. Doctors tell patients to put fruits and vegetables on their plates every day. Doctors tell patients to put fruits and vegetables on their plates every day.
7. Those boys put too much food on his plates. Those boys put too much food on their plates.
8. Bev trusted his own diet plan. Bev trusted her own diet plan.
9. Many people try to watch his weight. Many people try to watch their weight.
10. Charlie always eats the food he takes. Charlie always eats the food he takes.

Revising to Appeal to Readers

You can't convince people to buy your product by showing how it will help you. You must convince them by showing how your product helps them. To do so effectively, you need to think about the needs of your audience.

The American psychologist Abraham Maslow created a pyramid that showed different levels of human need. At the bottom, you'll find basic needs: air, water, food, and so on. On the next level, you'll find needs that build on those, and so on, going up to morality, creativity, and problem solving at the top. You can use this pyramid to connect your product to the needs of your readers.

1. How does your product connect with readers' basic needs (bottom-level)?
2. How does your product connect with readers' intermediate needs (middle three levels)?
3. How does your product connect with readers' upper-level needs (top triangle)?
4. Choose three needs from the list above. For each one, write a sentence that appeals to your reader, showing how the person benefits from the product.