Detailed instructions to help students produce higher quality letters to the editor

1. Letter to the Editor Project
• Choose a topic to write on that you feel strongly about.
• List your topic and the three major arguments that you will address separately in
the three main body paragraphs of your letter. Example:
Joe Student
P. 1, 5/17/06
Topic: We need an 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. school day.
Argument #1 (¶ 1): The need for better educated Native Americans.
Argument #2 (¶ 2): The current trend in GPAs at SIHS.
Argument #3 (¶ 3): The current failure to turn in HW or study in any
other way.
• Prepare a rough draft of the complete letter.
• Go to the computer lab to:
• Find the addresses you want you letter sent to:
 Go to www.newseum.org.
 Click on “Today’s Front Pages.”
 Click on “List by Region.”
 Select the first letter of the state of the newspaper you want to
write to.
 Click on the newspaper’s name.
 Go to the newspaper’s website.
 Go to the bottom of the page and click on “Contact Us.”
 Copy down the newspaper’s address.
 If you prefer to send your letter to a member of Congress:
 Go to www.congress.org.
 Type in your zip code.
 Click on the Congress person you want to write to.
 Click on the “info” link, not the “e-mail” link.
 Copy down the address you need.
 If you want to contact SIHS board members, see me for the addresses.
• Type up and print your letter:
 Go to www.readwritethink.org/materials/letter_generator.
 Answer the questions you are asked and type up your letter.
 Carefully check your spelling and grammar since the site does not
have spell-check.
 Print your letter when prompted to do so.
• Friday is the last day you can turn this in.