Letter to Public Official Assignment
Oceanography
Your next assignment for this unit is to write a letter to a public official where you take a position on an issue
within this topic of climate change and support it with evidence. Suggested ideas for this letter are provided
below. You are welcome to come up with other ideas, but be sure to clear them with your teacher.
The next pages that follow provide you with guidelines on how to write such letter, a sample letter, and the
rubric that will be used to grade your letter. Please review these materials closely and ask your teacher any
questions you may have.
Possible letter writing ideas:
A. Write a letter to President Obama advocating a certain position on climate change. You could lobby for
or against a carbon tax, a cap and trade system, or any other action you think is necessary.
B. Write a letter to one of Oregon’s elected officials (Senator Merkeley, Senator Wyden, Congressman
Blumenauer, or Governor Brown) again advocating a certain position.
C. Write a letter to a local college (Portland State University, University of Oregon, Oregon State
University) advocating for or against divestiture in fossil fuel companies as suggested in the
documentary Do The Math.
D. Pick an issue related to the state of our oceans (acidification, overfishing, marine sanctuaries) and write
to a public official advocating certain action.
Your final product should be similar to the sample letter in its length, content, and organization. This will
require some work to be done outside of class.
IMPORTANT DATES
Item
Research Graphic organizer completed
Date
Mon, May 18 (end of class period)
First Draft completed
Tues, May 19 (end of day)
Feedback from writing center or other adult
completed
Final Draft submitted
Thurs, May 21 (end of class)
Tues, May 26 (end of class)
Note: There are penalties for not meeting these deadlines. Most importantly, it is near the end of the year so
failure to meet these deadlines is very risky in terms of your semester grade.
How do you write letters to public officials?
So how do you write letters to public officials? Here are guidelines that will help you write the letter. In
addition to helping you get a good grade, this will help you write effective letters any time you want to do so.
1. Decide on the recipient
Identify the name, title, and address of the official who will make the decision about your issue. Watch to make
sure that all names are spelled correctly and that you have the proper address. An incorrect name counts against
you. An incorrect address may mean your letter might not arrive at all.
Note: if you’re concerned with politics or issues at all, you should make it your business to know the names
and contact information (address, office phone, and e-mail) of all those who represent you, from the most
local to the federal government. In the U.S., at least, you can get to know your representatives at any level of
government if you make the effort.
Note: the issue mentioned in this example is not true. It is entirely fictitious.
2. Open the letter in an official manner
If you are writing to an elected official, show respect for the position by using the title of the office, and the
official's full name. In any other letter, use the familiar term "Dear," the title Mr., Mrs., Ms., Miss, or Dr., and
the official's full name.
Example:
February 26, 2013
Congressman Earl Blumenauer
House of Representatives
1111 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Congressman Blumenauer,
3. Start by explaining your purpose for writing this letter
Let your reader know immediately what your letter is about. Tell him/her why you are concerned or pleased that
a particular decision is being considered.
Example:
My purpose in writing today is to urge you to oppose the proposed cut in education funding.
4. Explain your position on this issue
Summarize your position on the issue in a few sentences.
Example:
Funding must be preserved so as to allow for the creation of a peer-counseling program at
our high school. Such an action will help reduce the number of teen pregnancies in our
community and have other positive benefits.
5. Provide evidence – facts, figures, article quotes.
Back up your position with facts, statistics, and quotes from articles you have read. The more specifics you provide, the
stronger your argument. It is even better if you mention an argument against your position, and then rebut it with
evidence again in the form of facts, figures, quotes.
Example:
This program will help provide much needed support for teenagers in our community. A recent
study published in the December 2012 issue of the Journal of Sociology found that high schools
with such programs experienced a 15% decrease in unwanted pregnancies, a 20% decrease in the
number of fighting-related suspensions and expulsions, and a 32% decrease in the number of
dropouts. “The peer counseling program has transformed our community and student body,” said
Principal Richard Green of Grand High School located in Anywhere, USA.
Although some elected officials say such programs are too costly in the current economic
environment, quite the opposite is true when one considers the long-term cost. A recent study that
appeared in the journal Government Affairs suggests that every $1 spent on such programs saves
$10 that governments and communities would spend in later years when they must deal with the
consequences of unwanted pregnancies and increased rates of incarceration.
6. Describe what action you hope the official will take
State specifically what action you (and those you represent) hope the official will take--and by what date, if there is a
deadline.
Example:
I urge you to take the best course of action to ensure the long-term productiveness of our
community by voting "no" to House Bill #689b.
7. If you have written a letter that opposes some action, offer an alternative. Again, support it with evidence – facts,
figures, quotes.
Example:
Instead, please support the course of action that has been proposed by Congressman Juno who plans to submit a bill
shortly that calls for increased funding of peer counseling programs. His plan would cost $2.5 million for 10 years,
less than 1% of the entire education budget.
8. Close and sign your letter
Thank the official and sign your full name. Make sure your address and phone number are included.
Example:
Thank you for your time and consideration of this important matter.
Sincerely yours,
Jane Doe
10 Main Street
Anywhere, USA 87231
High School Student
Wonderful High School
9. Check your letter for spelling and grammatical errors
Correct spelling and grammar won't do the job by themselves, but they can help. Why not give your letter every possible
advantage?
EXAMPLE
February 26, 2013
Congressman Earl Blumenauer
House of Representatives
1111 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Congressman Blumenauer,
My purpose in writing today is to urge you to oppose the proposed cut in education funding.
Funding must be preserved so as to allow for the creation of a peer counseling program at our high school. Such an
action will help reduce the number of teen pregnancies in our community and have other positive benefits.
The peer counseling program will help provide much needed support for teenagers in our community. A recent
study published in the December 2012 issue of the Journal of Sociology found that high schools with such programs
experienced a 15% decrease in unwanted pregnancies, a 20% decrease in the number of fighting-related suspensions
and expulsions, and a 32% decrease in the number of dropouts. “The peer counseling program has transformed our
community and student body,” said Principal Richard Green of Grand High School located in Anywhere, USA.
Although some elected officials say such programs are too costly in the current economic environment, quite the
opposite is true when one considers the long-term cost. A recent study that appeared in the July 2012 issue of the
journal Government Affairs suggests that every $1 spent on such programs saves $10 that governments and
communities would spend in later years when they must deal with the consequences of unwanted pregnancies and
increased rates of incarceration.
I urge you to take the best course of action to ensure the long-term productiveness of our community by voting "no"
to House Bill #689b.
Instead, please support the course of action that has been proposed by Congressman Juno who plans to submit a bill
shortly that calls for increased funding of peer counseling programs. His plan would cost $2.5 million for 10 years,
less than 1% of the entire education budget.
Thank you for your time and consideration of this important matter.
Sincerely yours,
/Signed/
Jane Doe
10 Main Street
Anywhere, USA 86753
High School Student
Wonderful High School
EXAMPLE
Rubric - Letter to Public Official-Climate Change
Name: ____________________
Oceanography
2.5-2.9
Date: __________
3.5 – 4.0
1. I stated a general thought or
position on the topic of
climate change.
3.0-3.4
1. I stated a position on climate change but
did not make it entirely clear or did not
advocate for a specific action.
2. I used general arguments to
2. I used and explicitly referred to at least
support my position but didn’t
two pieces of evidence from reliable
explicitly refer to their source.
sources to support my position. The
Or, I only spoke of my
evidence was strong and supported my
sources in general terms
argument.
without specifics.
3. I failed to mention and rebut a
counterpoint.
3. I mentioned a counterpoint but did not
rebut it fully or effectively.
1. I clearly stated a position on
climate change and clearly
advocated for specific action.
2. I used and explicitly referred to at
least three pieces of evidence from
reliable sources to support my
position. At least one of these was
a quote. Another piece of
evidence involved the use of
statistics (numbers). All of the
evidence was strong and supported
my argument.
3. I mentioned a counterpoint and
4. My writing somewhat
followed the format for a
letter to an elected official but
had significant sections that
were unclear or disorganized.
4. My writing followed the format for a
letter to an elected official in a way that
was mostly organized and clear.
5. My writing was somewhat
difficult to follow because in
locations I failed to use the
normal conventions of
grammar, spelling, and
sentence structure.
5. My writing was easy to follow with
only minoexceptions because I used
normal conventions of grammar,
spelling, and sentence structure.
Teacher Feedback
effectively rebutted it using at least
one piece of evidence from a
reliable source.
4. My writing followed the format for
a letter to an elected official in a
way that was organized and clear.
5. My writing was easy to follow and
enjoyable to read. Without
exception I used normal
conventions of grammar, spelling,
and sentence structure.
THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK
Research Organizer – Letter to Public Official
Oceanography
Name:____________
Date: _____
My position
This is something that I think should be done in relation to the topic I am writing about.
Public Official I am writing to
Choose someone you think can do something about this issue.
Evidence that I can use to support my position
List the information and source. For this letter your source does not need to be in MLA format.
Evidence
Source