But the freedoms and rights that are guaranteed to us by our US Constitution and The Bill of Rights should not be taken lightly.

Students can begin to exercise their right to free speech by contacting their elected officials and weighing in with comments on any issue in particular. While most students are not yet eligible to vote their opinions and values are worth expressing and the influence of the same should not be underestimated.

ACTIVITY - SPEAKING OUT
Students are asked to find a newspaper report or an issue that is important to them or their families. That issue can be found or researched online through the following news sites among others:

www.news12.com
www.msnbc.com
www.cnn.com
www.nytimes.com/learning

Under the guidance of their teacher the students can view the Constitution and the Bill of Rights to see how the issue they are concerned with may relate to the rights and freedoms granted to Americans under the law. Additionally, there is educational material and facts and information relating to both documents on these websites.

After this review, students can then draft a letter to their Federal, State or local government representative stating their position and encouraging a particular response or action. A few links to contacting representatives are listed below:

CONTACTING YOUR REPRESENTATIVES

Federal
House of Representatives
Senate

NY
State
Assembly
Nassau
Suffolk

Connecticut