"Letter To The Editor" Project

"You have to respect every person, no matter how miserable or ridiculous he or she may be.  You should remember that in every person lives the same spirit which lives in us"

                                           - After Arthur Schopenhauer (A Calendar Of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy)

Today you will be introduced to "Letters To The Editor".  This project will help you to understand the meaning of the 1st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America.

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Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

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 DEFINITION

o·pin·ion

əˈpinyən/

noun

noun: opinion; plural noun: opinions

1.

a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.

"I'm writing to voice my opinion on an issue of great importance"

synonyms:

belief, judgment, thought(s), (way of) thinking, mind, (point of) view, viewpoint, outlook, attitude, stance, position, perspective, persuasion, standpoint;

  
Think about an important issue in your world today.  Choose an article that has an opinion about your issue.  You will use the following tools to complete your letters:

STEP 1:  Read "Write an Opinion Piece or a Letter to the Editor for Your Local Newspaper"

You must also read the following article from the New York Times about how to get your letter published:  NYTIMES ARTICLE (Click Here)


STEP 2:  Review the following websites to understand how the media may influence the reporting of subjects and events. 

 ACLU ACTION CENTER    
 FAIR.ORG

STEP 3:  Find An Article on an issue that is important to you online.

STEP 4:  Use the following tools to help you outline the article and write the letter.

READWRITETHINK Persuasion Map
READWRITETHINK Letter Generator

STEP 5:  Create a NEW Document in your GOOGLE DRIVE.  Name the Document "(Your Last Name) LTE"  Re-Type  or Copy the letter you created in the format we have been using in MS Word.  Include the link to your article in your EMAIL to me.  Turn in your work by clicking SEND AS ATTACHMENT under the FILE Heading of Google Drive.  In the body of your email, include a one paragraph written explanation about why you chose the article and why this topic is important to you and the link to your article.

Your final email should include the link to the article, your Letter to the Editor, and your explanation.  I hope this project gets you thinking about something important and helps you to focus your opinions.

Enjoy!!

- Mr S

Grading RUBRIC

Deliverables (Items That Must Be Turned In): 

1.  Email with link to article must be addressed to hscribnercaa@gmail.com
     Subject:  Letter To The Editor Article
     Email Main Body:  (Paste the link to your article)

2.  Complete the Newspaper Article Summary Questions Worksheet about your article. 
     (Handwritten with your name on it)

3.  Final Emails should include the following items: 

     Persuasion Map (PDF) & Letter Creator (PDF) are for an additional 30 points of extra credit

     GOOGLE DRIVE "Letter to the Editor"

     Body of Email:  2-3 Paragraph Explanation of why you chose this article/topic and paste the link   to article again for reference purposes.  LETTER must be in the class format (See Example Above), include proper formatting, date, address, topic, and greeting.  The letter must be no less than 11 font and no more than 12 font.  The letter must include introduction paragraph, at least two supporting paragraphs, a conclusion paragraph and finish appropriately.  The letter must also contain proper grammar, spelling, capitalization and punctuation.

Please list a REFERENCE at the bottom of your article similar to this:

Reference:  "Title of Article", by (Author), Name of Publication/Website, Date Published
                    (Copy and Paste Weblink Here)

You will be graded using the following rubric:



10 pts - Accurate Email with link to article.
90 pts - MS Word "Letter To The Editor"
                10 pts - Google Drive Document, Emailed as Attachement
                10 pts - Proper heading and addressing.
                40 pts - Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling, and Capitalization
                30 pts - Timely, Appropriate Theme, and Complete Content

Additional Points (Extra Credit For This Assignment)
IF YOU DO NOT TURN IN A COMPLETE, FINAL LETTER TO THE EDITOR, YOU CANNOT GET THE EXTRA CREDIT, EVEN IF YOU COMPLETE THESE STEPS!
15 pts - Persuasion Map (PDF)
15 pts - Letter Creator (PDF)

This assignment is designed to help you develop critical thinking skills, and to help you learn how to voice your opinion about a current topic in a responsible way.  Please take you time to complete this assignment correctly.  See the example below for an idea of how to submit this project.

- Mr. S

EXAMPLE BELOW:

Each picture is a step from the original directions.  I have chosen the following article to work with for my example Philly.Com Opinion Article (Click Here)

Article:  "Don't Set School Rules Based On Fear" by Bengston/Maranto (Philly.com Editorial)

STEP 1:  Read the articles about what makes a good "Letter To The Editor"

STEP 2:  Choose an opinion-based article on a topic you are interested in.

STEP 3:  Create a Summary of your article (SEE BELOW):

STEP 4:  Use your Summary to create a PERSUASION MAP (SEE BELOW):

Use your PERSUASION MAP to create a Letter to the Editor in the LETTER CREATOR

Retype your Letter to the Editor using our classroom format (discussed previously) in MS WORD

Email the letter to me at hscribnercaa@gmail.com in both MS Word (.docx) and Adobe (.pdf) format.