“After nourishment, shelter, and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” — Philip Pullma
My students love to choose brightly colored envelopes to mail their letters.
It is the most wonderful time of the year. My 9th grade students’ Outrageous Request Letters hit the mailbox yesterday!
We discussed persuasive writing techniques using the Rhetorical Triangle: Ethos, Pathos, Logos , I reinforced the writing process by having them brainstorm, research, write 3-4 drafts (after I give feedback on each draft), and learn how to address an envelope. It truly takes grit and constant reminders to convince 14 and 15 year olds to use spell check, to revise, and the addressing-the-envelope part can be a true test of teacher patience.
However, reading the final version of their letters is a pleasure. Some make me laugh and others make me misty eyed.
This is another project made more exciting by the generosity of those who support my classroom via Donors Choose. The bright colorful envelopes, stickers, stamps, and even stationery for those who want to handwrite their requests. Thank you to my family and friends who donate and help make this project more magical. (*Note – never underestimate the power of stickers on teenagers. They LOVE stickers 🙂 )
I promise to keep you posted on requests that are granted. We’ve had some incredible ones over the years: $3,500 from Kohls for a local foster care agency, close to $6,000 of products from Wahl for a local barbershop, and $1,000 from Meijer for a local bike club. Plus, tons of other items for students and their loved ones.
Most of all, the takeaway that I want my students to glean from the assignment is that their words, their writing, and their stories matter.
(See below for media posts about some of the Outrageous Requests that have been granted.)
The 2023-2024 school year marks my 23rd year of teaching 9th grade English. My guiding philosophy behind why I do what I do is that I want to be an encourager of stories. I want my students to know that their voices and their stories matter.
In the early years of my teaching career, I found an article about a teacher who challenged their students to write letters asking companies and celebrities to grant an “Outrageous Request”. I guided my students through the assignment for several years and we received many responses. However, I let the assignment fall to the wayside.
One year I brought the “Outrageous Request Letter” back to my classroom. I decided that I could incorporate elements of persuasive writing into the lesson using the Rhetorical Triangle (Ethos, Pathos, and Logos). Not only would these writing elements help my students persuade others to grant their requests, but this methodology would help prepare them for the SAT Essay that they take their junior year.
I love that I can check off so many standards/benchmarks with this assignment. Not to mention that the students get really excited to send their letters off. I often reflect on the fact that I am “tricking them into learning” since writing a letter where their wildest wishes may be answered is so much more interesting for them than writing a standard essay.
Not only does this assignment help them understand the Rhetorical Triangle, but it also teaches:
*Revision (my students write 3-4 drafts of their letter) *Addressing an envelope (something many of my students have never done) *Writing for a “real world audience” (they love that someone will actually receive their letter, open it, and read it) *Ponder a counter-argument to their request (important for persuastive writing) *Internet research (for various aspects of Ethos, Pathos, and Logo and to do preliminary research on who they are writing to) *Defies the stereotypical narrative that teenagers are buried in their phones and only care about themselves. They are insightful, creative, and can be agents of change when given the proper avenue.
While I tell my students that it is okay for them to ask for something for themselves, I do not introduce the assignment as an opportunity to “get free things” In fact, I celebrate the assignment as a way to help others. We engage in conversations about their community and needs that others may have. When I encourage my students to contemplate their community we discuss how broad their community truly is: family, friends, GACS (teachers, support staff, administrators, coaches, students), organizations they are part of such as youth group, sports, etc, the town they live in, and Marquette County as a whole.
I do not allow students to write to local businesses since they already sponsor so many school activities. I try to get my students to think outside the box and imagine things that maybe are not tangible – experiences and opportunities.
I could write a long list of items that students have received over the years. Their persuasive writing skills have gathered: art supplies, snacks, clothing, a snowboard, cheerleading mats, winter boots, shoes, services of a private investigator, and so much more.
This assignment has afforded me the opportunity to suprise my students and these unveilings have been major highlights in my teaching career.
Ultimately, as a writer and English teacher, I want my students to glean from this assignment how powerful our stories are and that our voices and words matter. Being able to communicate clearly is vital to our role as humans. This assignment is an evocative way to demonstrate the power of writing! I love being an encourager and guide. I love my career and I love my students.
*If you are a teacher and want more information about the Outrageous Letter Request assignment, contact me at amy.waldo@gwinnschools.org
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