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Seasons of Service
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Writing Campaign: Letters
to Public Official &/or to the Editor
Objective: Students
identify and analyze a specific community problem and communicate problem
to the appropriate public official or to a newspaper.
Students:
- Identify community problem.
- Review business letters and envelope formats.
- Discuss situations that call for public official's
attention and/or publication in local papers.
- Determine difference of the purpose in the letters
to the editor and letters to officials.
- Use correct formats for both letters.
- State purpose of letters in opening paragraph.
- Include all necessary information.
- Revise letters focusing on clarity, word choice,
and conciseness,
- Edit letters correcting grammatical, mechanical
and usage errors.
Activities
- Discuss possible situations that call for public
attention.
- List student responses on board.
- Have students bring in article or editorial
from newspaper for next day's exercise
- Ask students the following:
- How can you bring this issue to the attention
of the public and public officials?
- What is the purpose of that greater attention?
- What necessary information should the writer
include?
- Choose the appropriate recipients for public
official letter or letter to the editor.
- Choose the correct format and tone for letters.
- Upon completion, exchange letters and proof
read them using the Letter Check List.
- Return letters to authors and discuss edits
in small groups before revising and mailing.
Letter Check List
- Is the heading correct?
- Is the inside address correct?
- Does the greeting address the individual properly?
Is the punctuation correct?
- Is the purpose of the letter stated in the opening
paragraph?
- Are the language and tone appropriate for the
audience?
- Are the evidence and reasoning sound and complete?
- Is the vocabulary clear, concise, and accurate?
- Have all grammatical, mechanical and usage errors
been corrected?
- Is the closing correct and punctuated correctly?
- Is the spacing of the letter correct including
margins?
- Does the envelope follow the correct format?
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