The online tool for teaching with documents, from the National Archives

Looking Closely at a Letter

Interpreting Data

All documents and text associated with this activity are printed below, followed by a worksheet for student responses.

Introduction

Read the letter below. Click on the "i" information boxes for clues to help you understand it.

Then answer the following questions:

  1. Who do you think wrote this letter?
  2. Why do you think they wrote it?
  3. What questions does this raise in your mind?
  4. Was the letter successful?

Support your answers using facts from the letter!


Name:
Class:

Worksheet

Looking Closely at a Letter

Interpreting Data

Examine the document or documents below. Use the numbers to refer to the questions or hints provided. Then label the documents(s) with additional numbers or symbols based if you were asked to do in the introduction and explain them in the margins. Write your conclusion response in the space provided.

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2
3


Number: 1
Why do you think the students chose to address this letter to Mr.Ford? What do you think may have been Mr.Ford's job?

Number: 2
Several students from the Deal School signed this letter.

Number: 3
What were the children requesting in this letter? Did they support their question with facts?



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Activity Element

Letter from Third Grade Children at Deal School Asking President Gerald Ford for a "Kids Day"

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Conclusion

Looking Closely at a Letter

Interpreting Data

The students at the Deal School felt strongly that there should be a Kids Day, so they wrote to the President of the United States at the time, President Gerald Ford, to state their beliefs.

Have you ever written a letter or email about something you believe in? Is there an issue that you feel strongly about? 

Using this document as an example, write a letter to the President of the United States in support of an issue you feel strongly about. Some examples are: clean air, protecting endangered animals, or helping others. Make sure to include facts to support your argument or request.

Your Response



Document

Letter from Third Grade Children at Deal School Asking President Gerald Ford for a 'Kids Day'

5/1975

Children in third grade at Deal School in Deal, NJ, sent this letter asking President Gerald Ford for a "Kids Day."
This primary source comes from the Collection GRF-0059: White House Central Files Name Files (Ford Administration).
National Archives Identifier: 595423
Full Citation: Letter from Third Grade Children at Deal School Asking President Gerald Ford for a 'Kids Day'; 5/1975; Sylvia, Stacy; White House Central Files Name Files, 8/1974 - 1/1977; Collection GRF-0059: White House Central Files Name Files (Ford Administration), ; Gerald R. Ford Library, Ann Arbor, MI. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/kids-day-letter, April 26, 2025]


Letter from Third Grade Children at Deal School Asking President Gerald Ford for a 'Kids Day'

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