Literacy Lessons
Who will be the Literacy President?


Writing our Presidential candidates
Courtesy of The Change Agent



Lesson Summary

This lesson is an extension activity following the lesson Questioning our Presidential candidates. This is designed to give teachers additional ideas on how to integrate civic education and student leadership with a particular focus on the presidential election, while helping students to acquire basic skills. The suggested activities are aimed at identifying reasons for attending adult basic education, literacy, and ESOL classes, reflecting on needs, researching candidates' interests in education, and writing a short, concise letter to all candidates. It is hoped this activity will also raise awareness of adult literacy and encourage stronger support.

Learning Outcomes

After this project learners will:


Preparation and Materials

Warm Up

  • Ask students to discuss, What are some ways you can share ideas with people who make decisions that affect your life? Examples might include writing a letter to the editor, advocating for their children's needs with teachers or school officials, or inviting a public official to attend a community event. Have them share examples from their own experiences.

  • Discuss the differences in speaking as an individual versus speaking with a group of people. Ask students for examples of times in their past when individuals and groups spoke out and were heard. http://tech.worlded.org/docs/vera/immigrant.htm

  • Tell students that they will have the opportunity to write to candidates, but that there are other ways later on that the class can determine how each candidate plans on meeting the adult learners' educational needs.

  • Discuss that they will be writing letters to Presidential candidates either as individuals, in pairs, or as a class. The purpose for the letter is to research how each candidate plans on best supporting their educational needs.

  • Have students go online and identify one thing about education that is important to each candidate. Write it down and save it for the activity.


Pre-Letter Writing Activity

  1. In class discussion, initiate the "5 Whys" teaching activity adapted by Emily McDonald from the Process Improvement Guide: Quality tools for today's Air Force (Holmes and Balance 1994). (Emily adapted the "5-Whys" from the Tennessee Knox County Adult Education program's quality training and used it throughout her classroom and presentation practices. The "5-Whys" is a quality management tool first introduced by Taiichi Ohno, Toyota Quality movement.)

    Responses may be To get a GED. Continue probing. Why do you want to get a GED? Encourage students to explore in depth why they are here. Discuss why this may be important to include in a letter.

  2. Encourage the class to find a summary sentence as to why they participate in adult basic education, literacy, or ESOL. (Ex: We, as mothers, tell our children how we want a better life for them.) Discuss the summary sentence. Discuss what they need to learn to read and write.

  3. Give students 5 minutes to write about the summary sentence as it relates to their lives. They are to put pen to paper and not stop writing for 5 minutes, even if it begins with I don't know what to write but I'm writing anyway… Let students know that right now, it is not important to spell the words correctly, or to use correct grammar. That will happen later. The purpose is to put their ideas on paper (Martin, 2001).

  4. Partner students, and give them opportunities to read their own narrative out loud to their partner.

Initial Response and Revision Strategies
  1. After sharing, ask each student to read his or her story over. Have them place a checkmark where each has more to say. Ask them to look at the items they have checked. Encourage them to write more. (Calkins, 1983).

  2. Ask students, "What is the most important thing you are saying?" Encourage them to keep writing, as what is most important to say may not yet be on paper. Revise the most important thing to 1 paragraph. Save this work for later.

These and many more writing strategies can be found in Listening Up: reinventing ourselves as teachers and students by Rachel Martin (2001).

Activity

  1. Develop the message:

    • Have students identify their purpose for writing candidates (see pre-writing activity). Determine if they choose to write a letter as a class or as individuals.
    • Have the class brainstorm what they think would be important to include in a letter to the candidates. What do they want them to know:
      • About themselves?
      • About their adult literacy program?
      • About their community?

  2. Check for understanding: candidates' interests.

    • Check to see if learners understand each political candidates' interests in education (see warm up). How are they similar? How are they different?

  3. Pull it all together

    • Ask students to revisit their pre-writing activity. Revise the paragraph they wrote.

    • Add an introduction:
      • Describe in 1-2 sentences, the student's purpose for writing.
      • Describe in 1-2 sentences the candidate's initiative for education.
      • Craft a message - the point - you are communicating, in 1 sentence.

    • Add a conclusion:
      • Ask your question (keep it to only one question)
      • Thank them for their support
      • Invite each candidate (be impartial) to visit your classroom to see the impact of adult literacy education
      • Encourage each candidate to respond (“I look forward to hearing from you” etc).
      • Keep letter less than 1 page long

    • Help students keep their message simple and clear.
      • Revise and edit as necessary
      • Make word lists of difficult terms
      • Support with individualized, explicit skills instruction


Action Plan and Follow Up

  • Provide stationery and stamps for students. Have them write or type using the computer, then sign their letter. Mail the letter.

  • Research and discuss other venues for raising the students' important questions. Check out the campaign tour dates and locations online. Will any of the candidates be in your area?

  • Look for follow up activities about participating in town/community meetings.

  • Read the Change Agent's Voting in the 2004 Elections.
    (1,300 KB PDF file - could take several minutes to download using a modem).

  • Visit the VALUE Web site and see how adult learners can get involved with its mission to "expand the role of adult learners in adult literacy efforts in the United States."


Evaluation

Pair students, and have them take turns:

  • Writer reads aloud the finished product or gives the partner the letter to read.

  • Writer is evaluated on the degree to which meaning they intended is addressed in the letter by one of following:

    • Partner responds as if they are the candidate, in writing or orally.

    • Partner completes a rubric/checklist that includes questions/points such as:

      • Author described reason for writing...
      • Question was clear...
      • Desired response from the candidate was stated... etc.


Resources

Calkins, L. 1983. Lessons from a Child. Exeter, NH: Heinemann Educational Books.

Martin, R. 2001. Listening Up: Reinventing ourselves as teachers and students. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Holmes, S and Balance J. 1994. Process Improvement Guide. Maxwell Airforce Base, AL: Air University.

 

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