Part C Now that you’ve chosen your topic and someone to write to, write your letter. Use the Process section below to help you figure out how to approach your letter. Make sure your letter includes an explanation of the issue you’ve picked and why it is important to you. Suggest at least one way you think the issue could be addressed by your congressperson or by the government. Optionally, have a fellow student do a peer review of your letter before you turn it in. Once your teacher has graded your letter, send it on to your representative.

Process

Follow the steps below to complete your essay, and use the links provided to assist with your research and writing. When you have finished your essay, use the drop box to submit it to your teacher.

Gather sources. Begin by gathering additional sources—either online or otherwise—to support the views you present in your essay. For each source, consider these questions:
Who authored the document?
What is the purpose of the document?
When was the document written?
What significant historical event or movement does the document represent?
Read and evaluate sources. Examine each source and think about how you will use it to support a thesis. Be an active researcher by asking the following questions about each source you reference:
What is the credibility of the source?
Is there any noticeable bias?
How does the author form his or her argument?
What important themes, main ideas, and arguments are presented in the document?
Write your essay. Refer to your notes and the provided documents to write a short essay. Be careful to keep the following ideas in mind:
To avoid plagiarism, make sure to cite your sources properly with in text citations and a works cited page.
When you finish, reread the essay to check for all of the points above, and then proofread it to be sure your work doesn’t contain errors in grammar or spelling.