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Image courtesy of Family Soup

Right after I wrote today's post for Melissa's Musings, I had an idea for a lesson. Why not have my students write  "Dear Abby" letters? Here's the basic premise for the lesson:

The student will choose a character from a story or even a nonfiction piece of writing. For example, the student might choose the Highwayman from the poem of the same name. The character writes a letter to an advice columnist (Dear Melissa in this case):

Dear Melissa,

I'm in love with this beautiful woman named Bess. The problem is that we can only meet surreptitiously because her father, a well-known businessman, does not approve of me. You see, I'm a highwayman~I stop carriages and demand that the occupants "Stand and deliver." Bess knows this and loves me in spite of it all. Please help.

Loved and Despised in Literature,

The Highwayman

Now, the student writes back to the character from the point of view of the advice comumnist:

Loved and Despised,

That is a dilemma. My advice is to give up that less-than-honest profession and make a clean break. Bess may love you now, but eventually she'll  grow tired and weary of waiting on you. Don't wait. You'll have more reason to hold up your head, and perhaps you will win her father's approval.

Sincerely,

Melissa

This would be a fun way to test understanding of character or used as a quick reading check.

~M.R. Etheridge