Students will write a letter to an appropriate government official arguing for or against the use of the Special Minimum Wage Certificate as it is used in the Goodwill Industries case citing their reasons to support their argument.
Students will learn to analyze video footage as well as documents to arrive at a personal conclusion based on valid sources which must be documented to validate their opinion.
- Watch an NBC Special Report via YouTube
- Read a written response by Goodwill Industries
- Analyze Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act
- Write a letter to an appropriate government official arguing for or against the use of the Special Minimum Wage Certificate as it is used in the Goodwill Industries case citing their reasons to support their argument.
The following College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing are used in this unit:
Text Types and Purposes:
1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant
and sufficient evidence.
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately
through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
Production and Distribution of Writing
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task,
purpose, and audience.
5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating
understanding of the subject under investigation.
8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each
source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Range of Writing
10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a
single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
NBC Special Report via Upworthy: http://www.upworthy.com/words-like-good-and-will-dont-belong-together-if-this-is-the-kind-of-thing-they-do-5
Goodwill Response: http://www.goodwill.org/press-releases/response-to-nbc-news-reports-on-special-minimum-wage-certificates/
Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act: http://www.dol.gov/elaws/esa/flsa/14c/
Business Letter Format: http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/BusLetter_Block.html
Common Core Writing Rubric:
http://et.nwresd.org/files/EQuIP-ELA%20rubric-02-25-13%20to%20share.pdf
1 class period for viewing the video, reading the response, and reading the Section 14 (c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Possibly time for first discussions.
1 class period for group discussion, brainstorming, outlining, and rough draft work.
1 class period for writing, peer editing, proofreading and finalizing personal letter.
Students will watch and analyze an NBC special report via Youtube.
Students will read and analyze a written response to the NBC report.
Students will read and analyze Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act
Students will define the use of the Special Minimum Wage Certificate
Students will formulate their own opinion using factual information from reliable sources.
Students will write a formal business letter to an appropriate government official internally citing sources to validate their case.