L2P 2.0 “Finding a Topic” Mini-Unit from NWP’s College-Ready Writers Program

When students are faced with the challenge of writing a letter about an issue to an audience they have never met, roadblocks such as what is included in this type of letter, what issue is worth writing about and what should be said might hinder the process from start to finish. The goal of this College-Ready Writers Program (CRWP) mini-unit is to support students as they explore the purpose and format of Letters to the Next President 2.0, choose an issue worth writing about, gather information from multiple sources, develop a claim and write a complete argument draft. Students will go through the process of deconstructing models, finding a topic and related sources and defining their argument in writing. The instructional steps in the mini-unit can be stretched out across 6 – 12 days depending on class time, depth and student needs.