Writing An Issue Letter Lesson
Plan:
Lesson Idea: Writing an Issue
Letter
Level: Intermediate/literacy
Purpose: To familiarize students
with the process of writing to the officials who represent them and,
for those who have never done so, to demonstrate a structured format
for writing formal letters.
Materials: draft paper, letter
paper, envelopes, pencils/pens, stamps. Optional: directory of local
or federal offices or local phone book (to look up the address of
the official you will write to), newspaper photo of this official.
Time: Two to three hours (or two
class sessions)
Activity:
1. In the course of discussing current events/community issue, identify
any issues that students feel strongly about and ask if they would
like to contact a leader to express their concerns.
2. Discuss the issue with students to clarify their purpose in writing
a letter and to identify any specific action(s) they want to request.
Make sure that the person you decide to write to is the appropriate
official to address the issue. (For example, state legislators have
little control over federal issues such as INS procedures, but can
be of help with matters relating to state funding or state offices
such as the Department of Education or Dept. of Motor Vehicles.)
2. Give students a sentence generation exercise such as the following:
(Beginner level)
oMy name is _______________.
oI am from _________________.
oI am studying citizenship at ____________.
ooo (add sentences that give personal background information more
pertinent to the issue involved)
oI am writing to you because ______________.
oI think _________________.
oPlease _______________.
oThank you for ____________________.
(Advanced level)
oTell about yourself or your family.
oTell why you are writing the letter (What are you concerned about?
What do you think about the problem?)
oHow can (name of official) help with the problem? Make a request.
oThank (name) for his/her help.
(If writing a collective letter, that is, one letter for the whole
class, change the sentences above to say "we" rather than
"I" and change the first sentence, about personal background,
to a few sentences that tell about the class as a whole.)
3. Assist students in shaping and "polishing" their sentences.
(For a group effort, facilitate this at the board, using sentence
suggestions from the class.)
4. Pass out letter paper and, on the board, show students a formal
letter format:
5. Show students how to arrange their sentences into paragraph form
using the letter format above. Have them write a rough draft on letter
paper, and check it for them. You may want to have students read their
letters aloud to you or to each other for practice.
6. Have students write a final draft. This step may be done as a
homework assignment if desired. (If this is a group letter, have the
class select one person to write the final draft. Make sure all participants
who wish to are given a chance to sign the letter.)
7. Show students how they can locate the address of the official they
are writing to. With very beginning level students it may be best
to simply provide the address for them to copy. If necessary, show
students the conventional format for addressing an envelope:
Discuss why it is important to write the address clearly and offer
a return address. Pass out envelopes and have students address them.
Give students stamps or show them examples of the correct postage
for a letter. If necessary, discuss where they might mail the letters.
(If this is a group letter, use the school address for a return address.
This is important because it is likely that there will be a response
that you will want to share with students. Have the class designate
one person to address the envelope and mail the letter).
8. If and when any responses are received, bring in (or encourage
students to bring) the letter(s) to class and help to clarify the
contents so that students understand them. If interest in the issue
remains high, discuss additional steps that students might take, for
example, writing a second letter, writing to a different official,
writing a letter to a newspaper, making an appointment to visit the
official, or inviting the official to visit and discuss the issue
with the class.
