Letters for Justice
At University of Wisconsin-Madison, freshmen English courses assign an advocacy letter. Our high school course follows suit, preparing not only for college assignments, but also for adapting and understanding different writing purposes and styles. Students are instructed to write a one-page letter to a person in authority. Their goal is to inspire or encourage change on a social justice issue. Students walk away from the unit knowing more than the basics of advocating; students learn business-letter form, persuasive writing and how to research local issues. Further, students understand how to write for an audience and write for an actual purpose. At the end of the unit, students are eager to write more letters. They want to continue to inspire change within the community.