Cover Letter – Can Less Be More
This is a 30-minute FFA lesson plan titled “Cover Letter: Can Less Be More?” that teaches students how to write an effective, concise cover letter to help land a job interview. Students read a short example cover letter, analyze a Harvard Business Review article, complete the “Less is More” worksheet, and compose their own five-sentence cover letter.
At a glance
- Learning objectives
-
- Identify the components and format of cover letters.
- Discover favorable and less favorable examples of cover letters.
- Compose an individualized cover letter.
- Time required
- 30 minutes
- Materials
-
- A copy of the "Less is More" worksheet for each student
- Internet access to view the article above
- Resources
- 1. FFA.org 2. Website: The Best Cover Letter I Ever Received, https://hbr.org/2009/06/the-best-cover-letter
- This Quick Lesson Plan Would Work Well As Part Of
- 1. A career unit. 2. A job interview lesson/unit.
- Created
- 05/2017 by the National FFA Organization
Downloads & Links
Aligned Standards
AFNR Career Ready Practices
- CRP.04Communicate clearly, effectively, and with reason. Career-ready individuals communicate thoughts, ideas and action plans with clarity, whether using written, verbal and/or visual methods.
- CRP.10Plan education and career path aligned to personal goals. Career-ready individuals take personal ownership of their own educational and career goals, and they regularly act on a plan to attain these goals.
AFNR Cluster Skills
- CS.05Describe career opportunities and means to achieve those opportunities in each of the Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources career pathways.
Common Core – Speaking and Listening
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Common Core – Writing
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
FFA Precept
- FFA-CS-M.CommunicationEffectively interact with others in personal and professional settings.
- FFA.PG-I.Professional GrowthAssume responsibility for attaining and improving upon the skills needed for career success.
- FFA.PL-A.ActionAssume responsibility and take the necessary steps to achieve the desired results, no matter what the goal or task at hand.
- FFA.PL-F.Continuous ImprovementAccept responsibility for learning and personal growth.