Lesson Plan: Social Studies 9-12 Letter to Senate

ProQuest Standards-Based Learning Activity Letters to the Senate A Social Studies Lesson -- Teacher Procedures

APPROPRIATE FOR: Social Studies, Grades 9-12

TIMELINE: Two class periods

SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS ADDRESSED THROUGH THIS LESSON

NCSS: http://www.educationworld.com/standards/national/soc_sci/index.shtml II. Time, Continuity and Change High School Upper Grades f. Apply ideas, theories, and modes of historical inquiry to analyze historical and contemporary developments, and to inform and evaluate actions concerning public policy issues. VI. Power, Authority and Governance Upper Grades j. Prepare a public policy paper and present and defend it before an appropriate forum in school or community. X. Civic Ideals and Practices Upper Grades e. Analyze and evaluate the influence of various forms of citizen action on public policy g. Evaluate the effectiveness of public opinion in influencing and shaping public policy development and decision-making i. Construct a policy statement and an action plan to achieve one or more goals related to an issue of public concern

NCTE: http://www.ncte.org/standards Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.

Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.

Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.

Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and non-print texts.

Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.

Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge

© ProQuest LLC – 2010 (May be copied for educational use only) Page 1 Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Learning Objectives:  Students will leverage the latest online research tools (such as ProQuest) to identify and access opinion and news articles about a political issue.  Students will gather key facts on their topic using notes that include bibliographic information.  Students will synthesize what they have learned and create an argument.  Students will organize their ideas with an outline.  Students will write a well organized, correctly formatted letter to a senator about their topic.  Students will participate in civil society and, in some small way, affect greater American politics.

Materials Required:  Envelopes and stamps for mailing  Pens and paper  Computers with access to the Internet and ProQuest SIRS, eLibrary, or Platinum

ACTIVITY PROCESS: DIRECTIONS TO THE TEACHER

Description of Activity For this lesson, students will use ProQuest to learn more about a current political issue such as health care, War on Terror, Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, Budget Deficits, and Immigration Reform. By reading news and opinion articles, students will be exposed both to the facts of the issue and to some possible solutions. On the second day, students will synthesize what they have read and work towards a preliminary articulation of their opinions. Finally, students will draft and send letters to their senator(s) expressing their beliefs.

Outline of Procedures -- Day One Begin the first day with an overview of the lesson. Have your class brainstorm a list of political issues they could research and write to their senators about. Some broad topics might include: national defense, the environment, health care, foreign policy, tax policy, etc. Students should attempt to be as specific as possible within these or other general policy areas. Before beginning actual research, students should get your approval for their topics.

Using ProQuest, students should locate at least five articles about their subject. Here are a few guidelines and suggestions:  To encourage a diversity of perspectives, students should find a minimum of two news articles and three opinion articles.  Students should try a variety of simple search strings, e.g., missile defense, military technology, missile shield, star wars, etc., to receive the best results.  Searches may be made more current and relevant by making sure that results are sorted by date.

As they browse the list of returned articles, students should select the five articles most relevant to their issue and add them to “My List,” or “My eLibrary,” or “My Research” or Marked List” to save them for use in their reports

Students should take careful notes while reading their articles, always making sure to include the relevant bibliographic information. ProQuest provides integrated note taking tools in SIRS and eLibrary. ProQuest also provides citation tools in each resource.

In the final minutes of the period, reconvene your class and ask them to discuss some of the things they’ve learned. Did students’ opinions change as a result of what they read?

Outline of Procedures -- Day 2 Before class:

© ProQuest LLC – 2010 (May be copied for educational use only) Page 2 Use the following ProQuest Editor’s Choice Website to access the addresses of your state’s senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

During class: Begin today’s class with a discussion of the concept of writing letters to politicians. What is the point? Why is it important to be politically active? What are some other ways of being politically active? Why is letter writing an effective strategy in a democracy? What responsibilities do citizens of democracies have to participate in their government?

Next, students should create outlines of the letters they wish to compose. Remind students of the importance of organizing their ideas to make their argument more effective. Emphasize that students must build their letters around central arguments, or theses, so that they can convince their senator(s) that their opinions are correct. For help with outlines, students should access the following ProQuest editor selected website: http://www.ash.udel.edu/ash/tutor/writing/comp_defs/outline_def.html

Finally students will be ready to write the letter itself. Ask students to access the following ProQuest editor selected website for help with formatting their letter: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/653/01/.

If time allows, end class by having several students share their letters with the rest of the class. Ask students to comment on what in a given letter accomplishes the most. And last of all: don’t forget to address, stamp and mail the letters!

ASSESSMENT

Research  Did students identify articles relevant to their topic?  Did students locate and read at least two news and three opinion articles on their topic?  Did students take complete notes on the articles they read, including bibliographic information?

Writing  Did students actively engage in class discussions?  Did students successfully use an outline to plan their letters?  Did their letters refer to and utilize information students had gathered in their research?  Were their letters structured around theses and evidentiary paragraphs?  Did students’ letters follow grammatical rules?  Were students’ letters persuasive and insightful?

OPTIONAL EXTENSION ACTIVITIES 1. Consider posting copies of students’ letters to their senators in a visible place in the school to encourage political discussion among the student body. It might be productive to engage students in a debate of whether or not they want their names listed (is it important to democracy to hold individuals accountable for their free speech?), and whether or not a space should be left to encourage fellow students to post replies. Would students expect any replies?

2. Organize a debate in your class around some of the issues explored in the letter writing exercise.

3. Use your discussion from the beginning of the second day and require students to take their political action one step further. What else could they do to raise awareness about their issues? Organize a rally? Create posters? Call a radio talk show? Write a letter to the editor? Work on a political campaign? Help raise money for a non- profit? Change their behavior locally?

4. Have students respond to their own letters as though they were senators who disagreed with what they read. Is it possible to make a strong argument for something you don’t believe in?

In this lesson you will get involved with a political issue by writing to your senator to let him/her know just what you think. First you will research the issue so that you are well informed, then you will craft your ideas into a convincing argument. Finally you will send your letter to Washington D.C.!

In this lesson you will:  Use ProQuest to identify and access opinion and news articles about a current political issue.  Take complete notes, including bibliographic information, on your topic.  Synthesize what you have learned and craft an argument.  Use an outline to organize your ideas.  Write a well organized, correctly formatted letter to a senator about your topic.  Consider further ways in which you are able to influence politics in the United States.

Day One 1. Select a specific policy issue you are interested in. Be sure to get your teacher’s approval before starting on research.

2. Using ProQuest SIRS or eLibrary or Platinum, you should locate at least five articles about your subject. At least two of the articles should be newspaper news articles; at least three should be opinion articles.

 Newspapers usually provide the best current information and opinion.  Try a variety of simple search strings, such as, “missile defense,” “military technology”, “missile shield”, “star wars”, etc., to receive the best results.  Select the five most relevant articles and add them to “My List” or “My eLibrary,” or “Tagged List’ or “My Research” or “Marked List.”  When you have finished selecting your articles, retrieve your saved selections and either email them to home or print them.

3. Be sure to take careful notes while reading your articles, including bibliographic information. You will want to refer to articles you have read when writing the letter to your senator.

 What are the specific facts relevant to this issue? (For example, if you are researching welfare reform, you might want to know the number of Americans on welfare, the average amount of assistance they receive from the government, the average length of their use of welfare, what is needed to qualify for assistance, etc.)  What are some of the policy solutions that have been proposed or put in place?  How might this issue affect other areas of government policy? (For example, would increasing welfare create a need for a tax increase?)

© ProQuest LLC – 2010 (May be copied for educational use only) Page 5 Day Two 4. You will need to create an outline of the letter you want to write. It’s important to organize your ideas first in order to make your argument stronger. Build your letter around a central argument, or thesis, so that you can convince your senator that your opinion is correct.

 What is your main argument? Why is this the right thing to do?  What pieces of evidence support your argument?  Which of these pieces of evidence are most important?

For help with outlines, try the following ProQuest editor selected website: http://www.ash.udel.edu/ash/tutor/writing/comp_defs/outline_def.html

5. Finally you are ready to write the letter itself. You will need to use the modified block format. Check out the following ProQuest Editor’s Choice site for help with formatting your letter: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/653/01/

6. And last of all, don’t forget to address, stamp and mail your letter! Your teacher will have your senators’ addresses.

ASSESSMENT You will be evaluated using the following criteria:

Research  Did you identify articles relevant to your topic?  Did you locate and read at least two news and three opinion articles on your topic?  Did you take complete notes on the articles you read, including bibliographic information?

Writing  Did you actively engage in class discussions?  Did you successfully use an outline to plan your letter?  Did you utilize the correct letter format in composing your letter?  Did your letter refer to and utilize information you gathered in you research?  Was your letter structured around a thesis and body paragraphs?  Did your letter follow grammatical rules?  Was your letter persuasive and insightful?