Civic Literacy Curriculum

Introduction

Keeping in touch with their constituents and knowing what their needs and concerns are is a vital part of a representative’s job. If they do not listen to the people they represent, they will not be re-elected. In this activity, students will write a letter to their legislator and share their concerns about an issue. 

Preparation

• Print a copy of the letter-writing guidelines for each student. 
• Provide each student with a letter template.
• A rubric is available if this is a graded activity. 
• Find the names and addresses of your member of the House of Representatives at house.gov. 
• Have business envelopes and postage so that the students are able to mail their letters to their senators.

Note: an equivalent exercise can be adapted for members of the Senate (instead of using senate.gov to find which senators to contact). See Question 23.

Required files

The Teaching Materials for this exercise includes a rubric.

Instructions

1. Letter writing is generally a solitary activity. However, depending on the age and/or skills level of the students, you may want to have them work in pairs. a. Divide the class into pairs based on the students’ individual levels. Group A is the group that needs some extra support. Group B is the core group that has the core knowledge to complete the activity. Group C is the enrichment group who have mastered the material and are prepared to extend their knowledge. Pair those who need support (Group A) with those who have core knowledge and/or have mastered the material (Groups B and C).
2. Explain to the students that they are going to write letters to their representative to express their concern about a topic.
   • Brainstorm with the students on possible topics -- taxes, civil rights, war, laws, various protests, net neutrality, gun laws, healthcare, government investigations, etc.
   • If the students are struggling with this, ask them about current events. How do they feel about a political happening? Why do they feel this way? What do they want their representative to do about an issue (e.g. vote “no/yes” on an bill, sponsor a bill, or encourage members of a federal agency to vote “yes/no” on an issue)
     • If students are writing about a specific piece of legislation, make sure that they identify it correctly: 
       House Bills: "H.R._____" 
       House Resolutions: "H.RES._____" 
       House Joint Resolutions: "H.J.RES._____"
   • Be aware that some students may wish to write about personal topics, but may not bring these up during the brainstorming session. To make sure that they realize that they can write about the topics, end the brainstorm with a statement about how the list they see on the board is not exhaustive and that they can choose any topic they wish.
   • You may wish to emphasize the following:
     • You are the only person, other than the representative, who will read the letter.
     • You are not grading them on the topic they choose. The goal of this exercise is to write a letter and make their voices heard. It is not to choose a topic that everyone has to like or agree with.
3. Write the names and addresses of your local representative on the board.
4. Review the letter writing guidelines with the students.
5. Have them create an outline or rough draft on the template before writing a final copy.
6. Circulate throughout the room as the students complete their letters to check for understanding and help as needed.
7. Have them write the final copy on a clean sheet of loose leaf.