“You can register students to vote but what’s going to get them out of bed to actually vote? You can register but if you don’t know why you’re voting, there’s no meaning behind it. … Let’s give them a reason to vote… and a way to support why they’re voting the way they want to.”
Ross Hamilton, Social Studies Teacher, Building 21 Philadelphia
Ross Hamilton and Eric Hitchner pondered this question while planning their interdisciplinary approach to Senior English and Social Science at Building 21 Philadelphia for this year. Faced with remote instruction, they wanted to approach learning in a way that would motivate students to see the interconnectedness of their learning to the world around them and inspire engagement and action.
At Building 21, this approach is central to studio planning.
Teachers consider the impact their students will be able to have on their world, as they plan the culminating tasks and projects. Teachers ask themselves, How can students implement what they create and impact the world in a positive way? (Read more about Building 21’s studio design process here.)

This fall, leading up to the elections, Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Hitchner challenged their students, many of whom would vote for the first time in the 2020 elections, to learn more and share their positions and ideas with an authentic audience.
Students were tasked with researching a set of diverse political positions and creating a blog and podcast to share their reactions and views. Students examined at least three political parties to understand the party’s stance on economic, social, and political issues. Students then chose the party that best matched their personal beliefs and ideas and supported their choice in their writing and media production. Their podcasts allowed the students to tackle tough issues and voice their opinions on the issues. Mr. Hamilton reflects: “In doing just this, they were then able to really understand what it means to sign on to a political party.”
Following the elections, students once again engaged as active citizens in a Presidential letter writing challenge.
They submitted a letter to President Biden expressing their support or criticism for one of his cabinet nominees based on their research. They also identified a single issue and advocated for the department to prioritize this issue during the administration’s first 100 days.
Many chose to write letters in support of President Biden’s nominees in Homeland Security, Education, and HUD. They identified and prioritized issues important to them and their community, such as reopening schools, managing Covid-19 vaccinations, creating jobs, and supporting black-owned business. Students also proposed a solution to the issue and wrote about how they would connect funding and resources to improve the problem.
Before submitting their letters, the students engaged in a peer review process, assessing two of their peers on the required ELA and Social Studies competencies and submitting their own letter for review.
Mr. Hamilton reflected that this process not only improved the quality of the students’ final letters, but also helped the students develop a deeper understanding of the competencies: “You’ve got to own the competencies. So, if you’re critiquing your peer’s writing you need to know it.”
Featured ELA, Social Studies & NextGen Essential Competencies
Here are excerpts from the students’ final products"
These and many other letters were submitted to President Biden via whitehouse.gov – students took a screenshot of their confirmation message to share with Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Hitchner. Among the senior class, there is hope that President Biden will respond. (We’ll keep you posted!)
Most importantly, this approach to ELA and Social Studies led to students engaging in their learning in a meaningful way. Inspired by their teachers’ call to action, they produced a series of real-world, student-driven products that impacted their world. Mr. Hamilton told his students: “This is your opportunity to decide what speaks to you and then roll with it. You know everything you need to do. Find out what you’re passionate about and investigate it.” And they did. They created blogs, recorded podcasts, and wrote letters to meet the moment, learning why it’s important to be an active citizen and advocating for issues central to their lives.