Argumentative Letter to the Editor on a Candidate or Mandatory Voting and Rubric

Are you looking for an easy-prep, argumentative essay topic to energize your students for the 2024 election? Argumentative Letter to the Editor on a Candidate or Mandatory Voting and Rubric is just what you need for your middle and high school students. This 21-page editable resource provides your students, including ELL, RSP, and GATE, with everything they need to write a letter to the editor in which they express their stance on a presidential candidate or whether we should implement mandatory voting.

Included in this resource:

• a comprehensive lesson plan aligned to the standards with objectives and learning targets,
• a choice of 2 prompts,
• brainstorming matrices,
• scaffolded writing templates,
• a graphic organizer for organizing their writing,
• a useful handout on argumentative verbs and transitions,
• a rubric.
• Links to articles on the pros and cons of mandatory voting are also included.

Not only will your students be intrigued and excited about the upcoming election or about voting, but they will be better readers, writers, and thinkers as a result of this lesson.

Argumentative Letter to the Editor on a Candidate or Mandatory Voting and Rubric is Lesson 9 in my bundle, "Every Four Years… The Presidential Election Unit." Every lesson in the bundle includes the following: an introduction, objectives, learning targets, Common Core Standards, detailed directions, and when applicable, charts, readings, questions, and answer keys.  Some lessons include summative assessments and rubrics. 

Opportunities for students to reflect on what they know are built into this unit and those can be used as formative and/or summative assessments. During non-election years, most of these lessons are appropriate for a unit on the Constitution. Here is a list of the lessons included in the bundle.

Into Lessons: Creating Schema

• Lesson 1: The U.S. Presidential Election: Anticipation Guide, Questions, Discussion
• Lesson 2: 12 Essential Election Terms for Middle & High School- Vocabulary Strategies
• Extra: pairs with Lesson 2: 12 Essential Election Terms Color by Number Vocabulary Review for Middle School
• Lesson 3: What are your Political Viewpoints? A Survey for Middle and High School Students

Through Lessons: Learning the Content

• Lesson 4: Major & Minor Political Parties in US History & Modern Times- Text and Questions
• Lesson 5: A Brief History of Who Can Vote in the United States, Text, Terms, Questions
• Lesson 6: United States Presidential Election Process- Primaries to the Electoral College
• Lesson 7: Propaganda & Political Campaign Ads- Close Viewing Analysis & Written Reflection
• Lesson 8: Where do the Candidates Stand on the Issues? Research and Analyze their Websites

Beyond Lessons: Summative Assessments

• Lesson 9: Argumentative Letter to the Editor on a Candidate or Mandatory Voting and Rubric
• Lesson 10: Presidential Election Group Projects- Collaborative, Creative, and Analytical

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