ABSTRACT
Students are always surprised to discover that they care about lots of situations and topics. When students realize they are writing for the real world as opposed to the artificial world of the classroom, they become more engaged and motivated to write a good letter because they are writing about topics important to them, and they are writing for a public forum. Students realize that their letters can be read by anyone who reads the newspaper, so they are especially motivated to write well. When a student’s letter is printed, the whole class cheers. This promotes confidence in the students whose work is printed, but it also promotes confidence in the students whose work was not printed because they bask in the reflected glory. Often, students will write more letters to the editor after the class has ended because they get “bitten by the bug” of civic responsibility.
