Letters to the editor: Effecting change through writing

Letters to the editor: Effecting change through writing

The following letters to the editor were part of an assignment given to year eight students at Ipeka Christian Bilingual School, with an objective to have them plan, draft, revise, edit and present a persuasive letter.

The students were first encouraged to think of a problem that concerns them in Jakarta. They were then asked to frame a letter that dealt with their personal experience of the problem, what they perceived to be the background and causes of the problem, and finally offer some solutions. Structures pertaining to persuasion techniques were also expected to be utilized by students in their letters.

Before starting this assignment, students read examples of persuasion letters and were shown structures and specific language that should be used in a persuasion letter. Their plans and drafts were checked by their teacher, and suggestions were made for improvement.

In sum, the emphasis for this assignment was on producing an original piece of writing that reflected a student's views on a matter of social interest while practicing English language skills associated with persuasion.

All the year eight students are 12 to 13 years old and speak English as a second language.

-- Luciana Lazuardi, principal; Douglas Horley, junior high student assistant

Ipeka Christian Bilingual School in Puri Indah is fully accredited by the National Plus Association. Classes are offered from seventh to 12th grade, and follows the New South Wales Board of Studies curriculum, with the New South Wales HSC awarded to year 12 students upon graduation. Ipeka website: www.ipeka.org.