Write a Letter to a U.S. Senator

Andy Blair, St. Mary’s Academy (CO)

This resource was developed by teachers participating in the 2015-2016 USIPeace Teachers program of the Global Peacebuilding Center at the

U.S. Institute of Peace. The content of this resource reflects the views of its author alone, and is not intended to reflect the views and work of the

U.S. Institute of Peace. For the electronic version and additional information, visit www.buildingpeace.org/peace-teachers.

Rationale: The right to petition the government is guaranteed by the first amendment and plays

a critical role in the function of government. Students will be using The Olive Branch as a

springboard to research and advocate for an issue to their U.S. Senator.

Objectives: This lesson will teach students how to advocate in a representative government

and speak up for those with no voice. Students will also learn how the internet could be used as

a source for learning about the world.

Standards:

● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.1

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.

● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.2

Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an

accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.

● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.3

Identify key steps in a text's description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a

bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).

● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.4

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary

specific to domains related to history/social studies.

● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.5

Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).

Materials:

● Copies of USIP blog posts (If you don’t have access to the internet in the classroom)

● Lined paper or computers

● Envelopes with stamps

Time: Two 45-minute classes

Assessment:

● Final letter to the Senator.

Andy Blair, St. Mary’s Academy (CO)

This resource was developed by teachers participating in the 2015-2016 USIPeace Teachers program of the Global Peacebuilding Center at the

U.S. Institute of Peace. The content of this resource reflects the views of its author alone, and is not intended to reflect the views and work of the

U.S. Institute of Peace. For the electronic version and additional information, visit www.buildingpeace.org/peace-teachers.

Procedures:

Step 1: Read The Olive Branch, a blog from the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Step 2: Research

It is important to develop a greater understanding of the issue raised by The Olive Branch

article. Have students use some of the following sources to develop a deeper understanding of

the issue and collect evidence to use in their letter.

Students should then use congress.gov to see if they can find a bill regarding their topic. If a bill

does exist, students are encouraged to cite it to advocate for or against the bill. This can be

done with a simple key-word search.

U.S. Bilateral Relations Factsheet

Congress.gov

Step 3: Craft a letter

● Have students follow the format found in the Sample Letter to Your Senator.

● Paragraph 1: Who you are

● Paragraph 2: Why you are writing. What you read on The Olive Branch from the U.S.

Institute of Peace. Be sure to cite where information comes from because it supports

your argument and shows with whom you stand on the issue.

● Paragraph 3: Be sure to thank them for their time and request a response.

Step 4: Edit

Once the first draft is complete, allow students to edit a letter from a peer. This will allow them to

learn about a different issue or a different perspective of their issue while also practicing how to

edit.

Step 5: Revise

Allow students to revise their letter and be sure to read it (and grade using the rubric) and turn it

back.

Step 6: Send

Provide the opportunity to put the letter in the envelope and be sure to send the letters as soon

as possible. It takes time for congressional offices to go through the mail and you want to

minimize the time between this assignment and an official response.

Andy Blair, St. Mary’s Academy (CO)

This resource was developed by teachers participating in the 2015-2016 USIPeace Teachers program of the Global Peacebuilding Center at the

U.S. Institute of Peace. The content of this resource reflects the views of its author alone, and is not intended to reflect the views and work of the

U.S. Institute of Peace. For the electronic version and additional information, visit www.buildingpeace.org/peace-teachers.

SAMPLE LETTER TO YOUR SENATOR

U.S. Senate Mailing List

The sample letter below is provided to show the correct format for addressing your U.S. Senator.

Please use the left-hand column as a guide for the format, but make the letter unique to The Olive

Branch post your student is addressing.

Return Address

Date

Senator’s Address

Salutation

Introduce yourself: your

name, address and

school to identify that you

are a constituent

Why are you writing your

Senator?

Ask for a response

Thank your Senator for

his/her time

Closing with your name

Your Name

Address

City, State. Zip Code

[Insert Date]

The Honorable [Insert Senator’s Name]

[### Dirksen, Russell, or Hart Senate Office Building]

Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator [Insert Last Name]:

My name is [Insert Your Name] and I reside at [Insert

Your Address] in [Insert Your City], [Insert Your State]. I

am in the [Your Current Grade] at [Insert Your School].

I am writing to you in regards to an issue that came to my

attention through The Olive Branch, a blog from the U.S.

Institute of Peace.

[Be specific with your suggestion, idea or request. If

you are writing about a specific Bill, include the Bill

Number - for example, H.R. 1797: End Neglected

Tropical Diseases Act or. S. 2946: Senator Paul

Simon Water for the World Act of 2014]

I appreciate your help and ask that you please send me

a response letting me know what you intended to do on

the issue at hand.

Thank you for your time and considering my request.

Sincerely,

[Insert Your Name]

Andy Blair, St. Mary’s Academy (CO)

This resource was developed by teachers participating in the 2015-2016 USIPeace Teachers program of the Global Peacebuilding Center at the

U.S. Institute of Peace. The content of this resource reflects the views of its author alone, and is not intended to reflect the views and work of the

U.S. Institute of Peace. For the electronic version and additional information, visit www.buildingpeace.org/peace-teachers.

Rubric

Does Not Meet

Objective

Partially Meets

Objective

Meets

Objective

Exceeds

Expectations

Formatting

Student made

no attempt at

following the

proper

formatting.

Student failed to

follow the

formatting by

missing a

section.

Student followed

the formatting.

Student gave

attention to

detail and

structured the

entire letter to

have a nice

appearance.

Content

Student had

misinformation

and did not

provide a strong

argument.

Student included

research and an

appeal. Did not

make it personal

or push

themselves.

Student included

quality research

and compelling

appeal.

Student included

a substantial

amount of

quality research

to support their

argument. They

also gave a

compelling

appeal.

Editing and

Revision

Process

Student made a

minimal effort to

edit the work of

their peers. Did

not revise their

own letter.

Student edited

their peers work

and did not

revise their own

letter.

Student edited

their peers work

and accepted

the edits made

by peers.

Student provided

good edits for

their peers and

revised their

work to make it

better.

Points

Grade

Equivalent

Andy Blair, St. Mary’s Academy (CO)

This resource was developed by teachers participating in the 2015-2016 USIPeace Teachers program of the Global Peacebuilding Center at the

U.S. Institute of Peace. The content of this resource reflects the views of its author alone, and is not intended to reflect the views and work of the

U.S. Institute of Peace. For the electronic version and additional information, visit www.buildingpeace.org/peace-teachers.

Sample Letter

Clara Schroepfer

3901 S. Quebec St.

Denver, CO 80237

26 May 2016

The Honorable Cory Gardner

354 Russell Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Gardner,

My name is Clara Schroepfer and I reside at 3901 South Quebec Street in Denver, Colorado. I am in the

eighth grade at St. Mary’s Academy.

I am writing to you in regards to an issue that came to my attention through The Olive Branch, a blog from

the U.S. Institute of Peace. After reading about the recent issues in Ukraine, I researched the bills drafted

that are related to the current situation. Joining the EU will greatly improve Ukraine’s economic standpoint,

as well as deter Russia from launching another attack on Ukraine. Therefore, I confidently believe that the

bill H. Res. 122, or “STAND for Ukraine,” is worthy of endorsement.

Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Ukrainian people have had an extreme lack of voice in their

government. Joining the EU will give the Ukrainian people the opportunity to be heard over the Russian

government. Our American Constitution gives us the freedom to speak our minds. Should it not be this way

for all the people in the world who wish to be heard?

I appreciate your help and ask that you please send me a response letting me know what you intended to do

on the issue at hand.

Thank you for your time and considering my request.

Sincerely,

Clara M. Schroepfer