Advocacy: Letters

Student advocacy is one of the most important things that students can learn in the classroom. When students are taught to advocate for themselves and for others, they are developing a critical skill set that will enable them to have the confidence to engage in advocacy for the rest of their lives.

When students advocate for themselves or for others, they are ensuring that their voice or the voice of their communities, classmates, friends, or families is being heard. When students are taught to advocate for themselves at a young age, they will be able to communicate more effectively by stating what they need and have the confidence to speak out when they see injustice in the world around them. When students are taught that their voice and actions have value, they can better understand that their advocacy, voices, and actions carry weight that can change the world.

While teachers can provide the opportunity for students, it is important that students are aware of these opportunities and taking the initiative to be advocates for themselves and their communities. Teachers can also provide students with the knowledge of injustices occurring throughout the world. With this information and skill set, students will be able to take control of their voice and make decisions to advocate for themselves or for others.

After visiting the Capitol Building, students learned that the District of Columbia does not have voting representation in Congress. They learned that every single state has two delegates in the Senate and at least one delegate in the House of Representation based on population, but that the District of Columbia only has one non-voting delegate in the House. Students were quick to vocalize that this was unfair to everyone living in the District.

After learning that the District of Columbia did not have equal voting representation in Congress, students questioned why that was the case. With the response of students, it was decided that our next social studies lesson would be about why the District of Columbia did not have voting representation and to address a current debate: whether or not Washington, D.C. should be the Nation's 51st state. During this lesson, students would have their questions answered as to why D.C. did not have voting representation and what the argument is to gain voting representation in Congress. Students decided they wanted to advocate, and settled on a form of advocacy that was appropriate for fourth grade students: writing persuasive letters to someone in charge of making D.C. a state.

Through this lesson, students learned that advocacy is important for many reasons. First, students understood that there are things in the world that are not fair or just, and that they have the power to use their voice to speak out about those things. Students learned the meaning of the word advocacy, how they can advocate for themselves and the things they need, and advocate on behalf of their communities, friends, and families.

Students learned that advocacy is important because it encourages them to use their voice in settings where students have traditionally not had a voice before. By encouraging students to advocate for the things they need or to speak out about the things they know are unjust, we are encouraging students to build their confidence and stand up for themselves and others.

Below was a resource that was directed to students when asking about D.C. Statehood.

Link to D.C. Statehood Coalition Website

In the classroom, students are encouraged to speak out when they see something that is unjust, speak up for themselves when they need something, and call out abuses of power. Students advocate for themselves when they tell teachers and others what they need, and we reinforce this in the classroom during morning meeting and work to build student confidence so they will feel comfortable advocating for themselves and others. Student advocacy also looks like students discussing topics that are unjust in their communities or in the world, and discussing potential solutions to those problems and/or advocating for the person/community.

One of the ways that students are advocating for themselves, their families, and their communities in the classroom is through learning and understanding the issues with representation in Congress. Students learned on one of the first field trips that Washington, D.C. does not have representation in Congress, and students were surprised to know that D.C. is not the only United States territory/district that does not have adequate representation. Students discussed the possibility that if they were to advocate for D.C. statehood, other United States territories could follow their example and advocate for themselves, too.

To support students in their decision to advocate for D.C. statehood, I created a lesson around the arguments that are for and against statehood to ensure that students knew the arguments and had the knowledge to persuade others to agree with them, no matter which way they were leaning regarding D.C. statehood in light of equal representation in Congress. After our lesson, students decided that they wanted to write letters to those who had influence over whether or not the District of Columbia became a state, so many chose to write to the Senate Majority Leader (against D.C. statehood), Mitch McConnell. The next session discusses the lesson and reinforcement activity students completed.

The advocacy lesson that was taught to students was on whether or not D.C. should become a state. This issue is one that affects all of my students, as every student lives in Washington, D.C., and every student was interested in the fact that D.C. does not have equal representation in Congress. Students were concerned about how their parents pay taxes and how they one day will also pay taxes, but not have representatives in Congress that vote for their interests.

Students learned about the different key players in this conversation, including Eleanor Norton, D.C.'s non-voting delegate. Students discussed how they did not believe it was fair that Ms. Norton was not allowed to vote in Congress, or that D.C. does not have any representatives in the Senate. Students began to discuss the importance of advocating to our elected officials to ensure that D.C. would receive adequate representation in Congress and that D.C.'s citizens would have a voice.

Students also discussed how the other territories that do not have representation in Congress, including American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. Students agreed that they should also have representation. Students stated that by advocating for Washington, D.C., they were also advocating for the communities in the other territories, as they could follow suit if Washington, D.C. became a state and received equal representation.

Below are the lesson slides used to give students the knowledge to advocate for themselves and their community. While the information was provided by the teacher, students were the ones who ultimately made the arguments for D.C. Statehood in their letters.

Students began the process of advocating for themselves and their communities by writing letters to an elected official that could help ensure that D.C. would receive representation in Congress by becoming a state. Students began the process of writing their letters by creating a graphic organizer to organize their thoughts into writing. Students learned that one of the ways to advocate is to write letters, but that they needed to be able to convey their point in a factual and logical manner. The graphic organizers allowed for them to organize their thoughts before they began writing their drafts. This ensured that their arguments would all be organized in their letters.

Students knew they were advocating for themselves and their community of Washington, D.C. and how statehood and representation would affect them. Writing these letters was one of the concrete ways that students were taught to advocate for themselves. Students also learned about speaking up and speaking out in the classroom, in other parts of their community, and just for themselves by stating what they need.

Below are some examples of students advocating for equal representation in Congress by arguing for D.C. Statehood. Students were eager to share their thoughts and opinions and advocate for themselves and their communities in this way.

Students felt confident when writing letters to advocate for themselves and their community. Since the lesson outlining the information as to why D.C. did not have equal representation in Congress, students have been more vocal about injustices in the classroom and with their peers. Teaching students that they have a voice and that it matters is one of the most important things an educator can do for children. Teaching students how to use that voice, for themselves or others, is a way to ensure that a student will not allow themselves or others to face injustice and take it willingly. Providing students with the information they need to make informed decisions about advocacy is another important aspect of a teacher's job.

Students felt empowered with the material, conversations, and skill set (that they are continuing to develop) in order to advocate for themselves and others. Below are some students reflections on writing their letters to advocate for equal representation in Congress.

Please click on the play button below to listen to Student 1 reflect on writing their letter.

Students can learn to advocate for themselves and others by practicing and engaging with instruction in the classroom that promotes the confidence and skills that students need to be successful in their advocacy. If students continue to practice these skills and are allowed an environment where advocacy is encouraged, they can continue to nurture their growth and advocate for injustices they see in their communities and potentially the world.

Teachers can continue to foster this by ensuring that students are knowledgable of the world around them, specifically the injustices that need to be discussed and uncovered. Teachers can model relaying the importance of these issues to students, and students can use this information and modeling to make informed decisions about advocating.

Return to Advocacy

Forward to Student Advocacy Representatives

Morgan Frye, M.Ed.

Master of Science in Education

Student Advocacy Letters

Introduction
How did Students Decide to Advocate for D.C. Statehood?
What does this Student Advocacy look like in the classroom?
Student Advocacy Letters Lesson
Advocacy Letter Samples
Student Reflections
Conclusion

Introduction

Student Advocacy

Above, students are engaging with the objective on the board- students can learn to advocate for themselves and their community.

Above, students are discussing why Washington, D.C. should or should not become a state. Student lessons previously focused on Congress, and became appalled when they learned that they did not have voting representatives in Congress.

How did Students Decide to Advocate for D.C. Statehood?

Why is it important to teach students about self-advocacy?

Above, students are looking at the difference between license plates and how this is a form of advocacy in Washington, D.C. as well as a form of protest.

Above, students learn about the reasons why Washington, D.C. was not developed as a state and why some people still believe it shouldn't be a state.

What does this Student Advocacy look like in the classroom?

How are students learning to advocate for themselves?

Above, students are thinking about who they want to write their letters to in order to have the most impact.

Above, a students begins planning for his advocacy letter. Students understood that to write a good letter advocating for their community, they must first plan what they want to say.

Student Advocacy Lesson

How did the lesson provide students with the knowledge they would need to advocate?

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Above, students discuss the Pros and Cons of Washington, D.C. becoming a state. Students decided to advocate for D.C. becoming a state mainly for the equal representation in Congress.

Above, students learn about Eleanor Norton, Washington, D.C.'s non-voting delegate. Students discussed how it was not fair that Ms. Norton was not allowed to vote for D.C.'s interests.

Above is a student graphic organizer that was used to plan the student's writing. Students know that before you write a letter, you must plan what you want to say.

Above is another student sample of the graphic organizer used to argue for D.C. Statehood.

Above is another graphic organizer that was used to help a student plan what they wanted to say in their letter persuading Mr. McConnell to push for D.C. Statehood.

Above is another graphic organizer used to plan the letter writing. This student planned so that they could directly write in their reasoning on their draft copy.