You will use e-mail to write a letter to one of your U.S.
senators or to your House representative. In your letter, you will share what
you have learned about the three branches of government, and ask a related
question that you would like your senator or representative to answer.
Your e-mail letter must include
- •
a proper salutation (greeting)
- •
an opening paragraph in which you 1) introduce yourself, 2) explain that you
are studying the Constitution, and 3) share the most interesting or important
thing you learned about the three branches of government. For example, you
might tell how you learned that each branch has different ways to check the
others’ power.
- •
a paragraph in which you state your opinion about a specific aspect of the
federal government. For example, you might say, "Even though the Constitution
divides powers among the three branches, it still seems to me that the
president has more power than Congress or the Supreme Court." Support your
opinion with at least three pieces of evidence. For example, "One reason I
think the president is more powerful is because everyone considers him the
leader of the country."
- •
brief paragraph in which you ask the senator or representative whether they
agree or disagree with your opinion
- •
a concluding paragraph in which you thank the senator or representative for
reading your letter
- •
proper closing, including your e-mail address, so that the senator or
representative can respond
- •
correct grammar and spelling
Send a copy of the e-mail to your teacher, or submit a printed copy.
Use this information to find the e-mail address of your senator or
representative:
SENATE: Go to the
U.S. Senate home page.
Use the Contacting the Senate menu to find the e-mail address of each of the
senators from your state.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: Go to the
Write
your Representative section of the
U.S.
House web site. Select your state, enter your ZIP code, and click
"submit." You can e-mail your representative using the form provided by the
House or by visiting the representative’s website.
You may want to examine your senators’ or representative’s website to learn
more about them. You can also explore the
Senate
and
House websites, which have a great deal
of information concerning the process of government and the current legislation
being discussed in Congress.
