Curated OER
Expressing Your Views to the Letter
Analyze the motivation, purpose, and value of letters to the editor by examining letters written in response to the violence at Columbine High School. For homework, middle and high schoolers write their own letters to the editor about an...
Curated OER
Protest Letter
What a fantastic resource to guide youngsters in persuasive letter writing. They read a brief letter to the editor and answer question about the author's purpose, word choice, and structure. Next, scholars draft their own letter by...
K12 Reader
1850: My Letter to the Editor
Young writers assume the voice of a person living in the US in the 1850's with an engaging historical lesson. They craft a letter to the editor of their local paper that details why they believe slavery should be abolished.
Media Smarts
Fact versus Opinion
Part of a series aimed at breaking down cultural bias from the Canadian Media Awareness Network, this activity identifies where opinions do and don't belong in a newspaper. Pupils review handouts about the purpose of editorial comments...
Curated OER
How To Write Good Letter to the Editor
Students discover how to write a letter to the editor that would be good enough to be considered for publication. They include her or his opinion about the story, share a story of a similar experience to the author's or offer advice to...
Aurora City School District
Do Not Try to Kid a Kidder: The Art of Persuasion
The power to convince others of your argument lies in your knowledge of rhetoric! A thorough packet covers the basics of persuasion, including logical appeals and fallacies, and applies strategies to letters to the editor,...
Curated OER
Writing a Letter to the Editor
Pupils examine the structure and elements of a letter to the editor. They identify letter elements, read and discuss newspaper letters, and write and submit a letter to a local newspaper.
Curated OER
Examining Letters to the Editor
Students write letters to the editor. In this written communication lesson plan, students read sample letters to the editor and use the active voice to compose letters to the editor about issues they are interested in.
Curated OER
Examining Letters to the Editor
Students write letters to the editor. In this written communication lesson, students read sample letters to the editor and use the active voice to compose letters to the editor about issues in which they are interested.
Curated OER
Letter to the Editor
Students analyze and interpret letters to the editor, and use this information to write their own. Groups of students analyze letters, then submit one of their own design to an actual newspaper.
Curated OER
A Letter to the Editor Worksheet
In this letter to the editor worksheet, students use the provided phrases and the provided outline for a letter to write their own letters to editors of newspapers.
Curated OER
Diversity in Media: Looking Critically at What We See
This learning experience fosters awareness of representations we see, and don't see, in the media. Learners list TV programs, games, and films they enjoy, identify characters' ethnic, religious, (dis)ability, and sexual orientation...
Curated OER
Planning for A Letter to the Editor
In this letter to the editor worksheet, students brainstorm and fill in the blanks to a graphic organizer that would help them write a letter to an editor. Students complete 12 spaces in the graphic organizer.
Curated OER
Opinion/Facts: letters to the editor and endorsement
In this opinion and facts worksheet, learners write the opinion and facts of letters to the editor that are for and against a candidate running for office. Students also write the propaganda technique used and example of an endorsement...
Curated OER
Persuasive Elements
Investigate letters to the editor and their persuasive qualities. Break your class into reading groups and give each one a different article. As they read, they complete a graphic organizer to record their thoughts and opinions. There is...
Dream of a Nation
Creating Awareness through Action Oriented Writing and Research
Middle schoolers aren't too young to feel strongly about politics, social issues, consumer rights, or environmental problems. Demonstrate the first steps toward social change with a project about action-oriented writing. Eighth graders...
Curated OER
Opinion through the Ages: Exploring 40 Years of New York Times Op-Eds
What is the role of a newspaper's Op-Ed page? High schoolers explore the New York Times' "Op-Ed at 40," an interactive feature that lets them browse through 40 years worth of op-ed features, and consider the purpose and value of this...
Curated OER
Miscast and Seldom Seen
Consider how well students' favorite TV shows, movies and video games reflect the diversity of society. The lesson plan introduces your class to several media literacy concepts, such as how media conveys values and messages, as well as...
Annenberg Foundation
Student Voices
Whether it's an election year or not, a unit on voting patterns and political campaigns will awaken the civic pride in your high school citizens. Divided into six parts, the curriculum covers various facets of an election, including...
Curated OER
Writing a Letter to the Editor
Students identify the main elements/structure of a letter to the editor. They brainstorm for thoughts and opinions on a specific topic and write a first draft of a letter to an editor of a newspaper. They give each other preliminary...
City University of New York
The 15th and 19th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution
Who gets to vote? Learn more about struggles for suffrage throughout United States history with a instructional activity based on primary source documents. Middle schoolers debate the importance of women's suffrage and African American...
Curated OER
Hoot: Persuasive Writing Assignment
Can your class convince the townspeople to support the rally in Carl Hiaasen's Hoot? Have your young writers exercise their persuasive writing skills in a lesson that prompts them to write a letter or a speech based on Chapter 18 from...
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
From Ben’s Pen to Our Lives
What would Ben do? Jumping off from the pseudonymous letters Ben Franklin fooled his older brother into publishing when he was still a teenager, young literary lovers dive into acting, writing, and addressing a local issue with wit and...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Unauthorized Immigration and the US Economy
As part of a study of immigration and the U.S. economy, class members assume the role of newspaper editors to determine which submitted letters to print on their paper's editorial page to present a balanced view of the debate.