Lesson 7: Your Opinion about Advocating

Goal

State an opinion about employing an advocacy method in relation to state government by voting, participating in rallies or writing, calling, or visiting state legislators.

Objective

Given graphics of advocacy methods, students will choose one and state an opinion about why they want to employ it. If students do not want to employ any advocacy technique, they will choose one and state an opinion about why they do not want to employ it.

Preparation and materials

• Board or newsprint and markers for each small group
• Activity 1: Enough copies of the following chart on newsprint, enlarged to leave room for students to fill in, for each group.

Introduction

1. Review the methods of advocacy covered in Lessons 4 and 5 with students.

2. Tell students: It is important to think about the different ways to keep money for classes or other services. Maybe some ways are good in your opinion. Maybe some ways are not good in your opinion. Now you will pick one or more ways to support money for classes, or other services, and give your opinion about doing it.

Warm-up

1. Have students list the methods of advocacy. Write them on the board.

2. Tell students: In this lesson you will pick one way people can support money for classes. You will explain why you want to do it. Or, explain why you do not want to do it or why you can not do it.

Activity 1

Have students get in small groups and discuss the pros and cons of the different ways to keep funding mentioned in Lesson 5. Give each group a chart and a marker. Have them fill out the chart with pros and cons. Then, have the groups put their charts on the wall and tell the class what they discussed.

Activity 2

In small groups, have students choose one way to advocate for funding that they want to do, and say why. If any students do not want to choose any way, or feel they cannot do any of them, have them choose one and say why they cannot do it.

Enrichment/Extension Activities

Beginning ESOL/Literacy students:

• Write 'good' or 'bad' on the chart to show their opinions.
  
• Teacher or students pantomime a method of advocacy, and have the other students identify it, and raise their hands if they choose to use that method.

Intermediate/higher ESOL, ASE/high ABE/GED students:

Have students write an opinion paragraph with at least one reason.