A taste of business writing

Andrew Edwards

Elementary school is full of tests -- math tests, spelling tests,

science tests. At Harbour View Elementary School fifth-grade teacher

Carol Parish added a little flavor to what could have been a typical

writing assignment by incorporating a taste test.

In a lesson designed to teach students how to write a persuasive

business letter, Parish instructed students to sample three different

flavors of snack chips, and then write a letter to the manufacturer.

The letter was to explain what they liked or did not like about

the snack, adding how the chips could be improved.

“It’s always nice when you try to involve food in a lesson,”

Parish said.

The kids tested three flavors of Doritos, the bright orange

Spicier Nacho, the equally bright green Guacamole, and the

not-quite-as-bright yellow Cooler Ranch.

As they sampled the chips, the class took notes on the flavors,

colors and smells to prepare to write a letter to snack food titan

Frito-Lay.

Elementary school children, who probably rank among the world’s

greatest connoisseurs of salty snacks, offered several ideas on how

the various flavors could be improved.

One of the students suggested the manufacturers should offer chips

in a range of spiciness.

“The Spicier Nacho is really good, but if we try a Cooler Spicier

Nacho for people who can’t have hot things they can have that,” said

10-year-old Patrick Clark.

He added that his idea would lead more people to buy chips.

“Their ratings would go up a lot, even for this financial market

this year,” Patrick said.

Others in the class came up with ideas for new snacks.

“I hope they can make, like, a new kind of flavor chips, like

tomato chips,” 10-year-old Victoria Mullen said.

Normally, people do not simply write business letters to suggest

new products, but often write to companies to complain.

A good time to have written a business letter, said 11-year-old

Chaunte Pawlacyk, was after a birthday visit to Disneyland when the

park was very crowded.

Chaunte said she could have written a letter complaining and

asking for “another ticket to go on more rides.”

While people can write to businesses for many reasons, students

got the idea that letters can be used to help companies make better

goods.”You get to share your choices with somebody else and help them

to know you like their things, or you don’t, so they can get better

and better and better,” 10-year-old Jair Rios said.

* ANDREW EDWARDS covers education and crime. He can be reached at

(714) 965-7177, (949) 494-4321 or mike.swanson@latimes.com.