This week, you will use what you have learned to draft a traditional piece of response
writing, specifically a letter to the editor.
Assignment
Choose one of the pre-existing texts below to respond to in a text drafted for traditional
media. You can respond to the same text that you responded to in the New Media Response
assignment, but you must draft a response from scratch. This week, draft a Letter to the Editor
of the publication that originally printed your chosen article in which you respond. In other
words, if your chosen text originally appeared in the LA Times, then you are writing a letter to
the Editor of the LA Times.
Review “Writing Letters to the Editor” in this week’s Module Readings and Resources.
Texts for Response (choose one)
• “Editorial: How Can Kids Learn Without Homework and Rigid Deadlines? Quite Well, It
Turns Out” by Los Angeles Times Editorial Board for the Los Angeles Times (opens in new
window): Frame your response around whether or not you agree with the editorial
board’s stance on homework and deadlines. Would it be better if we relaxed homework
expectations for kids? Should this be implemented across all levels of education? Or is
this dangerous?
• “The Case for Lowering the Drinking Age to 18” by Shayna Herszage for The Yeshiva
University Observer (opens in new window): Frame your response around whether you
agree with the points made by Herszage. Why do you agree? Why do you disagree?
What do you think the drinking age should be?
• “I’m an Influencer and I think Social Media is Toxic,” by Lydia Keating for Slate (opens in
new window): Frame your response around whether or not you agree with Keating’s
take. Can you understand why she feels the way she feels? Can you understand why she
continues to do the work even while feeling this way? How do you feel about the toxicity
of social media in general?
• “How Rap’s SoundCloud Generation Changed the Music Business Forever,” by Alphonse
Pierre for Pitchfork (opens in new window): Frame your response around whether it is a
good thing that artists are able to distribute their own music without record labels or do
you think that the music industry was better when it was harder for people to be heard?
Grading Criteria
• You must refer to your chosen text in your response. You’re responding to it. Choose a
handful of specific points made in the original text you wish to respond to. Quote the
original and offer your take.
• Think about how texts written for traditional media acknowledge sources.
You must acknowledge any sources you use in your writing according to expectations for
traditional media. This includes your chosen text and any other source material you
incorporate.
• Submissions should be around 250 words and in the appropriate letter format.
Resources
• “How to Write a Text Response” from Literacy Ideas (opens in new tab): A detailed look
at how to draft a piece of response writing
• “Writing Letters to the Editor” from The University of Kansas (opens in new window): A
detailed look at how to most effectively approach drafting a letter to the editor of a print
or online publication.
