Hire Me! Writing a Cover Letter

About This Resource

A complete Grade 10 ESL writing lesson pack on writing a cover letter for a part-time job, volunteer role or internship: its purpose, layout and four-paragraph structure, formal greetings and sign-offs, matching your skills to the job with evidence, confident but polite language, analyzing a model letter and writing your own letter for a job advertisement. Includes slides, a timed lesson plan, flashcards, worksheet, quiz, homework, rubric and answer key.

Overview

Students learn how to introduce themselves to an employer in writing. They study why a cover letter matters, how it is laid out, and the job of each paragraph: the opening (which position and where you saw it), the skills paragraph (what you can offer, with examples), the motivation paragraph (why this organization) and the closing (availability, thanks and a polite request for an interview). They compare formal and informal phrases, turn vague claims into evidence-based statements, analyze a model letter for a summer volunteer position at a library and write their own letter for a job advertisement.

Resource Details

Subject: ESL
Topic: Writing a Cover Letter
Category: Writing
File Type: PDF
File Size: 363 KB
Published: 05 Nov 2026
Downloads: 0

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Grade 10 (ages 15–16) 55 minutes Formal writing organizing paragraphs persuasive language reading job advertisements editing

Learning Objectives

Identify the purpose, layout and paragraph structure of a cover letter.
Use formal, confident language and support skills with specific examples.
Write a well-organized cover letter tailored to a job advertisement.

How to Use This Resource

Start with slide 1: two opening lines, one informal and one professional. Ask, "Which applicant would you invite to an interview? Why?"
Teach the layout, the four paragraphs and formal language with the slides, then do activities 1 and 2 together.
Students complete activities 3 to 6, then use the quiz to check and write a full letter for homework. Answers are in the answer key.

Classroom Activity Ideas

Job fair: display several short job advertisements around the room. Students choose one and list the skills it asks for.
Evidence upgrade: students swap vague claims ("I am hard-working") for specific examples ("I have kept a part-time paper route for two years without missing a day").
Hiring panel: groups read three short cover letters and decide which applicant to interview, explaining their choice.

Differentiation

Support: give a cover letter template with sentence starters for each paragraph and a bank of formal phrases. Challenge: write two versions of the letter for different jobs and explain how each one is tailored to its advertisement.

Assessment

Worksheet activities 1 to 5 and the quiz check structure, formal language and evidence (answer key included). Activity 6 and the homework letter are assessed with the rubric.

Teacher Tips

Students often list adjectives about themselves without proof. Teach the rule "claim + example": every skill they mention needs a real example from school, a hobby, volunteering or family responsibilities.

What's Included

12-page printable PDF lesson pack: teacher lesson plan with timings, materials and differentiation
Key vocabulary list (8 words with meanings and examples)
Student worksheet (6 activities)
Quiz / assessment (3 parts)
Homework practice page
Printable flashcards: 8 A5 picture cards (separate PDF)
Assessment rubric (4 levels)
Lesson slides (editable PowerPoint)
Editable Word version of all student pages
Complete answer key (also as a separate PDF)

Additional Files

Lesson Slides (PPTX)
Editable Student Pages and Lesson Plan (DOCX)
A5 Flashcards (PDF)
Answer Key (PDF)

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