Sharon Flank
Writing that Works

Writing has power. Your students, whether second graders or adult literacy or ESL students, can feel that power. If they've ever felt that something they bought did not live up to their expectations, they can provide valuable feedback to the manufacturer. Companies like to hear from customers, because it helps them make their products better, and avoid mistakes in the marketplace. And they generally reward the writer with coupons. Examples that have worked:

My markers ran out of ink very fast and made me not like your product.
(coupon for free replacement pack)

My chocolate yogurt did not have any chocolate in it. This has happened once before. I was not happy then, and I am not happy now.
(pack of yogurt coupons)

The writing can be simple, but it has to be clear, organized, and targeted to its purpose - not a bad lesson. The importance of a correct business letter format comes from the task, not the teacher: address the company representative respectfully, so they will do what you want, and provide your address so they can respond. More broadly, this assignment is a kind of Writing for Specific Purposes - a small step, perhaps, but an empowering one.