Lesson Plan

• Explain the purpose and benefits of using a mail merge.
• Identify appropriate data‑source formats and prepare them correctly for merging.
• Design a master document and insert accurate merge fields.
• Run a mail merge, preview results, and troubleshoot common problems.
• Evaluate the merged output and apply formatting switches where needed.

• Computer with a word‑processor (Word or LibreOffice Writer)
• Sample data source file (Excel .xlsx or CSV)
• Projector/interactive whiteboard
• Handout with merge‑field syntax and common switches
• Printer for test merges
• PDF viewer (optional for final output)

Begin with a quick question: “How could we personalize 100 letters without typing each one?” Connect this to students’ prior experience with email newsletters. State that by the end of the lesson they will be able to create a complete mail‑merge workflow and know how to fix typical errors.

1. Starter – Do‑now (5'): Students examine a printed merged letter and label the data source, master document, and merge fields.
2. Mini‑lecture & demo (10'): Explain data‑source types, show how to prepare a clean CSV/Excel file.
3. Guided activity (15'): Students create a CSV with guest details, then build a master document and insert merge fields.
4. Pair work (10'): Run the merge, preview results, and troubleshoot any blank or mis‑formatted fields.
5. Whole‑class review (5'): Discuss common issues (field names, formatting switches, encoding) and solutions.
6. Exit ticket (5'): Each student writes one tip for a successful mail merge.

Recap the key steps: preparing the data source, designing the master, inserting fields, and running the merge. Collect exit tickets and remind students to complete a homework task of creating a personalised invitation letter for a different event, saving the final merged PDF.