Social'Studies'10' ' Name:& & & & Due&Date:& & & &

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Robert Thompson
5 years ago
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1 Social'Studies'10' ' Name: DueDate: Active'Citizenship'Project'' Letter'to'our'MLA'/'MP'/'Mayor' Letter-writing campaigns can be very effective. Governments listen to citizen complaints and concerns, and it is a policy of most Canadian government departments to respond to all letters. This does not mean that a government minister will personally respond to every concern. Usually, officials who are responsible for the program or issue in question prepare letters for the minister s signature. But letters can have positive results since governments know that for everypersonwhowritesaletter,therearelikelymanymorepeoplewhosharethe sameview. Tobeeffective,yourlettermustbedirectedtotherightdepartmentorperson,and itshouldalsobewellthoughout,evenifittakestheformofan .youshould followtheseguidelineswhencommunicatingwithapolitician. Research' which' level' of' government' deals' with' the' area' of' your' concern.itmakeslittlesensetodirectaletteraboutcanada sdefencepolicy to the provincial government, or a complaint about street cleaning to the federal government. Effective letter writing requires that you target your requestorcomplainttotheappropriatedepartmentorperson. Know' where' to' direct' your' message. Decide whether it would be more effectivetodirectyourlettertotheopposition,tothegovernment,ortoboth. Although all elected representatives will answer your letter and even bring yourissuetotheattentionofthegovernment,itisuptoyoutodecidewhere yourletterwillbemosteffective.ifyourletterisaboutprovincialmatters,it isalsousuallybettertotargetyourmessagetoaministerratherthantothe premier. Identify' yourself.tellthereaderwhoyouareandwhyyouarewritingthe letter. Tell the politician something about yourself and why the issue is important. Keep' it' simple. Yourlettershouldaddressasingleissueandyoushould explainwhatyourconcernsareinastraightforwardway.donotconfusethe readerorburyyourconcernsbyincludingoff-topicitems.trytolimityour lettertoonepage.politiciansareoftenverybusyandreadinglonglettersis timeconsuming. Request' that' a' specific' action' be' taken.make concrete suggestions as opposed to vague reminders. A request such as Please pass legislation banning free plastic bags has more authority than Please think about the environment. Be' courteous. Always be respectful in letters to politicians. Rude commends or insults will make it less likely that your message will find a sympathetic ear. Always thank the person for taking the time to read your letter. Make' it' clear' that' you' expect' a' reply. Close your letter with I look forwardtoreceivingyourresponse.

2 Social'Studies'10' ' % Criteria' Step'1:Brainstormissuesorconcernsthatyoumightliketoaddress Step' 2: Research the issue or concern you have (policies, perspectives, positives,negatives,otherplacesthishas/hasnotbeendone) Step'3:Identifythecorrectlevelofgovernmentyourissuerelatesto. Step'4:ResearchyourMLA/MP/Mayorandthestancetheyhaveonyour issue(ifpossible) Step'5:BeginwritingHint:Usetheformatbelowaswellasthesampleletter Step'6:Self-Edit/Updateletter Step'7:Peer-Edit/Updateletter Step'8:Submitletter.Good'copy'due'Monday'October'16 th ' Step'9:MakeanychangesMrs.Girardsuggests Step' 10: Send the letter (either by mail or ) to the appropriate person/people.ensuremrs.girardreceivesacopyoftheupdatedletterwith proofthatitwassent. Step'11:Keepacopyoftheresponsethatyoureceive.LetMrs.Girardknow ifyoureceivearesponse *Bonus% Herearethecomponentsofalettertoapolitician.Yourletterideallyshouldnotbe longerthanonepage. Mynameandcontactinformation Therecipient snameandcontactinformation Dear Iam[introduceyourself] Iamwritingtoyouabout[statetheissue] Thisissueisparticularlyimportanttomebecause Theactionyoushouldtakeis[makeaspecificrecommendation] Thankyoufortakingthetimetoreadmy[letteror ]. Ilookforwardtoreceivingyourresponse. Sincerelyyours,[signyourname]

3 Social'Studies'10' ' % Active'Citizenship' 'Letter'Rubric' ' A' B' C' I' Research' Skills' Interprets'' Evaluates' Thinks' Critically' Makes' Connections' #1' #3' #3' #1' #2' Theletterreferencesthree or more relevant, credible and accurate sources of information. The letter is well written andcreative.theideasare fully developed and represent the information accurately. Strong and persuasive language is used. Allinformationreferenced intheletterhasbeencited consistently and in the correct format on a citations page. Throughout the letter, the evidence (sources) used has been assessed on its adequacy to justify conclusions Throughout the letter, the evidence (sources) used has been linked to bias and perspective (is the sourcebiased?howso?) The letter is persuasive and articulate in expressing a reaction or responsetotheissue.this issue is clearly linked to our current values in Richmond/BC/Canada The issue that the active citizenship letter is based onisthoroughlyexplained so that the reader has a completeunderstandingof theissueathand. The letter critically links the concepts of the Guideposts of Historical Thinking to the issue. At least four of the six concepts are clearly linked. The letter references two relevant, credible and accurate sources of information. The letter is clear, and correct grammar and mechanics are used. Information is represented reasonably well. Most of information referenced in the letter (up to 3 errors) has been cited consistently and in the correct format on a citations page. Atleasttwicetheevidence (sources) used has been assessed on its adequacy tojustifyconclusions. Atleasttwicetheevidence (sources) used has been linked to bias and perspective (is the source biased?howso?) The letter expresses a clear and focused point of view. This issue is linked to our current values in Richmond/BC/Canada Theissuethattheletteris basedonisexplained.may be missing one or two details that limit the reader s understanding of theissue. The letter links the concepts of the Guideposts of Historical Thinking to the issue. At least three of the six concepts are clearly linked. The letter references one relevant, credible and accurate source of information. OR more sources are referenced, however, they are not credible/accurate. The letter contains some flaws with mechanics that obscurethestrengthofthe ideas stated in the letter (information is somewhat misrepresented) Some of information referenced in the letter (up to 7 errors) has been cited consistently and in the correct format on a citations page. Once,atsomepointinthe letter, the evidence (sources) used has been assessed on its adequacy to justify the conclusions made. Once,atsomepointinthe letter, the evidence (sources) used has been linked to bias and perspective (is the source biased?howso?) The letter expresses a point of view, however, it is not clearly stated. This issueislooselyrelatedand linked to our current valuesinrichmond/bc/ Canada The issue is minimally described. Many details are not included. Limited understandingoftheissue isshownbylackofdetail. The letter links the concepts of the Guideposts of Historical Thinking to the issue. At least two of the six concepts are clearly linked. Total:'' ' /'32' *IfyoucompletetheBonusSteps(steps9@11)youwillreceiveabonus bumpup intwocategoriesof your choosing from this project This can be chosen immediately, OR, when we complete one of our Check@In Meetings.Intheeventthatyouareinthe A columnforallcategories,youmaychoosea differentassignmentto bumpup in No credible sources of information were referenced. OR, letter is based solely onopinion. The letter contains many mistakes in grammar and/or mechanics making its impact on the read minimal. Information is oftenmisrepresented. Majority of information referenced in the letter (more than 8 errors) has notbeencitedconsistently and in the correct format ona citations page. OR,nocitationsgiven. No mention is given as to whether or not the evidence (sources) used was adequate to justify conclusions. No mention is given as to whether or not the evidence (sources) used was linked to bias or perspective. The letter does not indicateapointofview. This issue is not related / linked to our current valuesinrichmond/bc/ Canada The issue is briefly given, but not described. Understandingoftheissue isnotshown. The letter does not link the concepts of the Guideposts of Historical Thinking totheissue. OR, no direct links are made.

4 October3,2017 Mrs.J.Girard 6600WilliamsRd. Richmond,BC V7E1K5 Mr.JohnYap MLARichmondLSteveston #115L4011BayviewSt. Richmond,BC V7E0A4 DearHonourableJohnYap, IamasecondaryschoolteacheratStevestonLLondonSecondaryinyourelectoral district.iaminterestedin Iamwritingtoyouabout(topic) Thisisimportanttomebecause *SupportusingResearch(givecitation) Ihopethatyoucontinuetosupportthis(topic/initiative) (explainwhy)orthat youstarttosupportthistopic/initiative. *SupportusingResearch(givecitation) Theactionyoushouldtakeis[makeaspecificrecommendation] *SupportusingResearch/LinktoOtherInitiativesifPossible(givecitation) Thankyoufortakingthetimetoreadmyletter.Ilookforwardtoyourresponse. Sincerely, Mrs. J. Girard Mrs.J.Girard

5 Mrs. J. Girard 6600 Williams Rd. Richmond, BC V7E 1K5 Hon. John Yap MLA Richmond-Steveston # Bayview St. Richmond, BC V7E 0A4

Alberta Labour Relations Board Effective: 1 January 2003 CONTENT

Alberta Labour Relations Board Effective: 1 January 2003 CONTENT CONTENT INTRODUCTION This chapter provides guidance to Board staff when drafting correspondence. Other chapters address typographical questions [Typography, Chapter 13(b)] and grammar and spelling [Grammar