Choosing representatives and writing our letters

Do now: Get a chromebook and leave it closed on your desk. Get out your social justice packet and something to write with.

Expectations for group work Keep a low volume Participate in the activity Stay focused on the task at hand Listen to your group members when they talk

Choosing an elected official (15 min) Instructions: Choose someone in the group to read the short description of the elected office aloud. Discuss as a group whether you think you should choose to write to this elected official. Example: This elected official would benefit from hearing my opinion because… Example: This elected official has the power to make decisions related to my issue. Example: You are choosing for yourself only! We are in groups to have the opportunity to discuss. You need one written after 15 min

Pair-share Ask the person next to you: why did you choose that elected official?

Agenda for today Working on body paragraphs Introduction Conclusion Homework: Letter due May 11th and 12th All missing work due on May 11th and 12th Three body paragraphs complete / at least 2 sentences for the intro and conclusion

Lack of access to healthcare causes death. 40,000 people die per year without hc (Williams). Lack of access to healthcare causes death. Those who die tend to be low-income (Jamai). The families of those who die suffer (Berg). Healthcare run by gov’t would be cheaper. Healthcare should be free for everyone and run by the government. Healthcare run by the government would be more efficient. Gov’t HC would produce less waste. The goal would not longer be profit, it would be having healthy citizens. Nearly all other developed countries already do it. It is the right thing to do. It is important to take care of those who cannot afford private healthcare. It affirms that we live in a caring society.

Lack of access to healthcare causes death. 40,000 people die per year without hc (Williams). Lack of access to healthcare causes death. Those who die tend to be low-income (Jamai). The families of those who die suffer (Berg). Healthcare run by gov’t would be cheaper. Healthcare should be free for everyone and run by the government. Healthcare run by the government would be more efficient. Gov’t HC would produce less waste. The goal would not longer be profit, it would be having healthy citizens. Nearly all other developed countries already do it (Berg 32). It is the right thing to do. It is important to take care of those who cannot afford private healthcare. It affirms that we live in a caring society (Jamai 40).

How to turn your persuasion map into paragraphs of a letter: Your persuasion map is your outline. Healthcare should be free and run by the government because it is simply the right thing to do for the American people. There are numerous reasons why we should have universal healthcare in the United States. Almost every other developed country on earth has lower mortality rates due to health complications than America, and all of these countries have free, universal healthcare (Baker 2). If we were to have universal healthcare, we might have lower mortality rates as well (Berg 42). Also, it is important for us as a society to take care of those who cannot afford healthcare. Just because someone cannot afford to see a doctor does not mean that they should suffer or die. And as philsosphy professor Kyle Jamai claims, having free universal healthcare run by the government would affirm that the United States is a caring, moral society (40).

How to turn your persuasion map into paragraphs of a letter: Your persuasion map is your outline. Healthcare should be free and run by the government because it is simply the right thing to do for the American people.There are numerous reasons why we should have universal healthcare in the United States. Almost every other developed country on earth has lower mortality rates due to health complications than the US, and all of these countries have free, universal healthcare (Baker 2). If we were to have universal healthcare, we might have lower mortality rates as well (Berg 42). Also, it is important for us as a society to take care of those who cannot afford healthcare. Just because someone cannot afford to see a doctor does not mean that they should suffer or die. And as philsosphy professor Kyle Jamai claims, having free universal healthcare run by the government would affirm that the United States is a caring, moral society (40).

What I did: I used my position statement, “reason,” and three pieces of evidence as the skeleton of my letter. I fill in the space between the three pieces of evidence to make ideas connect to one another. I cited all of my sources in MLA format.

20 min: writing Open a new document and title it: “Letter: Last name” Begin writing your letter using your persuasion map. After 20 min, you need: 3 body paragraphs written. Steps: Use your persuasion map to begin your paragraph. Add more content to fill in gaps and make the writing “flow.” Make sure to cite your sources.

Imagine if you got a letter in the mail and it read... Healthcare should be free and run by the government because it is simply the right thing to do for the American people.There are numerous reasons why we should have universal healthcare in the United States. Almost every other developed country on earth has lower mortality rates due to health complications than the US, and all of these countries have free, universal healthcare (Baker 2). If we were to have universal healthcare, we might have lower mortality rates as well (Berg 42). Also, it is important for us as a society to take care of those who cannot afford healthcare. Just because someone cannot afford to see a doctor does not mean that they should suffer or die. And as philosophy professor Kyle Jamai claims, having free universal healthcare run by the government would affirm that the United States is a caring, moral society (40). And that was it. What is missing?

Introduction We are trying to persuade readers that our viewpoints are valid. An introduction will help you prepare your readers to receive your message. Template for writing introduction: Begin with startling/compelling/emotional fact, story, or statistic. Often openings to persuasive letters begin with an appeal to pathos. State your position statement (or thesis) Preview each of your main “reasons” from your persuasion map.

Example: Imagine two families living on either side of a fence. Both families are loving and caring, and each family has a mother, father, and two children. One family is poor and the other is rich. One day, the youngest child of each family gets a disease. The rich family’s child goes to the hospital and the child is treated for the illness. The poor family’s child goes to the hospital, but the family cannot afford the medical bills. This story, unfortunately, happens too often. But it is not an unsolvable problem. The United States should have free universal health care because most other developed countries have it, it would be more efficient, and because it is the right thing to do.

10 min: write the introduction to your letter Template for writing introduction: Begin with startling/compelling/emotional fact, story, or statistic. Often openings to persuasive letters begin with an appeal to pathos. State your position statement (or thesis) Preview each of your main “reasons” from your persuasion map. If you finish early, work on your body paragraphs.

Why we need a conclusion Healthcare should be free and run by the government because it is simply the right thing to do for the American people.There are numerous reasons why we should have universal healthcare in the United States. Almost every other developed country on earth has lower mortality rates due to health complications than the US, and all of these countries have free, universal healthcare (Baker 2). If we were to have universal healthcare, we might have lower mortality rates as well (Berg 42). Also, it is important for us as a society to take care of those who cannot afford healthcare. Just because someone cannot afford to see a doctor does not mean that they should suffer or die. And as philosophy professor Kyle Jamai claims, having free universal healthcare run by the government would affirm that the United States is a caring, moral society (40). After we have introduced our issue and tried to convince our audience that we are correct in our thinking, we need to “wrap up” our letter.

How to write a conclusion [Restate position statement] [Review topics talked about in letter] [Return to story from beginning of letter / share how this relates to you personally / tell the reader anything else they should know]

Example conclusion The United States should have free universal health care because most other developed countries have it, it would be more efficient, and because it is the right thing to do. If the United States were to have free universal healthcare, we would have the chance to rewrite the story from the beginning of this letter. Instead of being a tragedy in which people through no fault of their own, it will be a story of a civil society that cares for those who have the fewest resources.

10 min: write the conclusion to your letter [Restate position statement] [Review topics talked about in letter] [Return to story from beginning of letter / share how this relates to you personally / tell the reader anything else they should know] The United States should have free universal health care because most other developed countries have it, it would be more efficient, and because it is the right thing to do. If the United States were to have free universal healthcare, we would have the chance to rewrite the story from the beginning of this letter. Instead of being a tragedy in which people through no fault of their own, it will be a story of a civil society that cares for those who have the fewest resources. If you finish early, continue working on other parts of your letter.

5 min Put chromebooks away and respond to the following in your agenda for an exit slip: How much more writing do you have to do for the next class? Final Exam Review Packet.