Unsent Letter- The Outsiders - Novelinks

1 Christy Bateman, 2006 Unsent letter - The Outsiders PURPOSE The Unsent letter Strategy is designed to assist students to further explore a character in a given novel. Students will be asked to use the knowledge they already have gained about the character through their reading to assume and predict enough about the character to write a letter in the first person. This letter could be from one character to another character, one character to the reader, or the reader to a character, depending on which best fits the section of the novel being read. This strategy will help students to think beyond the mere words they are reading and put themselves in the character s shoes.

2 DIRECTIONS 1. Read the example letter attached. 2. Give the students several characters and options to choose from. They may write a letter from any character in the novel to any other character. They may also choose to write a letter from a character to the reader. 3. Tell the students they are to write a letter from the point of view of one of the characters in The Outsiders . They may choose who the letter will be addressed to, but their letter must coincide with the plot of the novel. There should not be incongruence between what is described in the story (characterization, setting, mood, etc) and the letter written.

3 4. Give students as much time as you deem necessary to write their letters. 5. After the students have finished, allow time to share the letters in small groups. ASSESSMENT The Unsent letter could be used to assess both the writing and comprehension skills of the students. Students should show that they understand the basic themes, settings, mood, and characters in their letter . Students should also be both realistic and creative. This strategy assesses students ability to look beyond what is written in the novel and process what they have read. Christy Bateman, 2006 Unsent letter - The Outsiders Teacher Example (This letter was found in Dally s pocket after he was shot by the policemen.)

4 Hey Greasers, Well it s hard to know what to say at a time like this. I just found out that Johnny died. I couldn t believe it. Not our Johnny. It seems like I can handle anything, even going to jail again, but I can t believe he s gone. He was stupid. That s what it was. He shouldn t have let those little kids get to him. He should have looked out for number one. Heroes get hurt. Heroes even die. That s Johnny s reward for being so brave. And those left behind are the ones who wish they d never met the so-called hero. I don t care anyway. It doesn t matter.

5 So Johnny s dead, so what? I can get along fine without him. I don t need anyone. Not even you guys. Sure, we re pals, but everyone knows that can t last forever. I ve seen people killed lots of times and it never bothered me. That s life; get used to it. What s the point in life anyway? We all know we re never going to get a break. Sure, we might beat the Socs one day, but they ll still always be the ones with the nice cars and hot chicks. We re losers and no one cares whether we live or die. That s what Johnny found out today. I know you guys might hate me for saying this, but you re better off in prison than dieing in a hospital bed for nothing.

6 Don t be stupid. I don t even know why I m writing this It doesn t matter. Nothing matters. Nothing matters now that Johnny s gone. Man I need a I think I might start bawling. Shoot.