Lesson Plan

• Describe the purpose of mail merge and its main components.
• Apply sorting and filtering rules to a data source.
• Create and use conditional fields in a merge template.
• Execute a mail merge to produce personalized documents.

• Computer with word‑processing software that supports mail merge (e.g., MS Word).
• Sample spreadsheet of student data (digital or printed).
• Projector and screen for demonstration.
• Handout with merge‑field syntax and example rules.
• Worksheet for the practice activity.

Begin with a quick question: How many of you have ever sent a personalized letter or email to a group? Today we’ll build on your knowledge of spreadsheets and document templates to master mail‑merge rules. By the end of the lesson you will be able to sort, filter and apply conditional fields to generate accurate personalised letters.

1. Do‑now (5') – Short quiz on basic mail‑merge concepts.
2. Teacher demonstration (10') – Prepare the data source and create a template.
3. Guided practice (15') – Students apply a filter and sorting rule to the sample data.
4. Conditional fields workshop (10') – Demonstrate IF‑field syntax; students craft their own conditional paragraph.
5. Full merge activity (10') – Run the merge and review the output letters.
6. Check for understanding (5') – Whole‑class review of key points and Q&A.

To recap, we sorted, filtered and used conditional fields to tailor our merge documents. For the exit ticket, write one new conditional statement you could use in a future mail merge. Homework: design a mail‑merge template for a school event invitation, including at least one filter and one conditional field.