Letter to President Modules from Literacy Design Collaborative
- Resource Type:
- Curriculum
These modules from the Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) provide ideas and instruction for supporting students in completing informed, thoughtful letters to the next president AND strengthening specific literacy skills. LDC has designed modules for both teacher-selected topics and student-selected topics. The module for teacher-selected topics is designed to be used with a class study of a current policy issue chosen by the teacher, using four or more sources that the teacher selects. Those could be articles, websites, chapters, or other materials that provide credible perspectives on the topic. The module for student-selected topics should result in a collection of diverse and varied letter to the next president.
What skills will be learned? Students work on identifying relevant evidence, writing effectively for a distinctive audience and purpose, providing peer feedback, and revising based on feedback. The skills are aligned to Common Core reading and writing standards and to citizen participation expectations from the C3 social studies framework.
How do students learn the skills? LDC instruction uses a sequence of mini-tasks, with each mini-task focused on one of the targeted skills. In the mini-task, students work actively to create a relevant product, and that product also gives teachers embedded evidence of instructional success and any needs for added support. Together, the set of mini-tasks provides a step-by-step approach to equipping students to create an effective letter to the president, while also developing lasting abilities they can use in future research, letter-writing, and civic participation.
Like all LDC resources, this module is designed for teachers to use as is or adapt to fit their particular students and disciplines. You can create your own copy and modify it at http://tinyurl.com/L2Pcoretools if you have an LDC CoreTools account. If you don’t, accounts are free and you can sign up in less than a minute. You can also learn more about LDC’s strategy and tools at www.ldc.org.
Brought to you By
The Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) is a national network of partners and 75,000+ teachers committed to changing the way students experience reading and writing in school. LDC offers free teacher-created vetted tasks, lessons, and modules that help teachers effectively teach reading, writing, speaking, and listening in all subjects. LDC also offers online and blended professional development, progress monitoring, and collaborative work spaces for teachers and coaches. With Letters to the Next President 2.0, LDC is offering task, lesson, and module templates that can be used in any classroom to scaffold students through the reading and writing of letters to POTUS. When teachers use LDC resources, students are challenged, supported, and truly engaged in the exciting work of authentic, meaningful learning.
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