 EVERYONE should have the following completed:  BOTH LETTERS should be completed.  Read chapters of Holes  PROJECTS!!!!! Last day for full credit is today!

Writing Letters in the Voice of Characters

 Your assignment is to write two letters about an incident in Holes, one in the voice of the adult and one written in the voice of a camper other than Stanley. The voice should be consistent to how that character is portrayed in the novel. Finally, write a reflective piece that explains the differences between word choice and perspective between the two letters.

IncidentChapterWhy is the incident important? Which camper and adult would take the most interest? X-Ray “finding” the gold tube Chapter 14 The sunflower seed incidentChapters The scratch on Mr. Sir’s face Chapter 20 Stanley becoming the Caveman Chapter 9 The fight between ZigZag and Stanley Chapter 30 Zero uses the shovelChapter 30

Role: Which boy have you chosen? Audience: To whom will the boy write? Format Topic: What incident will you write about?

Role: Which adult have you chosen to write? Audience: To whom will the boy write? Format Topic: What incident will you write about?

 Tell the story of the incident from the voice of your camper and the adult that you have chosen.  The first paragraph  Describe the incident from your perspective or how you viewed it. Use some dialogue from the book to make your incident more specific.  The second paragraph  Describe your role in the incident. How did you participate in it.  The third paragraph  What do you think about the incident that occurred? What are your thoughts on it?

 Greeting  3 Body Paragraphs  Salutation  Do not sign your name, people reading your letters on Monday should be able to figure out the author of the letter. The writer as of now should remain anonymous.

 Dear,  Body 1: Describe the incident.  Body 2: Describe your role in the incident  Body 3: What are your thoughts and reactions to the incident.  Salutation,  Do not write the person’s name yet.

 A parent or someone with more smarts than you will need to proofread your paper.  They should make corrections to your work.  They should also guess who is writing each letter, the camper or the adult. They should write their guess at the bottom of your letter.

 Think about the following question  What creative decisions did I make when writing the two letters and how are they different?  Complete the graphic organizer on pg 254  What specific words and phrases did you use that make the letters different from one another?  What did both of the characters think about the incident? These thoughts should be different?

 Draft a reflection draft that will explain the creative choices that you made when composing the letters.  1 st paragraph  Explain the choices that you made in the first letter and why they are unique to that character  2 nd Paragraph  Explain the choices you made in the second letter and why they are unique to that character.  3 rd Paragraph  Compare and contrast the two letters, explaining the main differences between the two letters.

 1 st paragraph and 2 nd paragraph  Topic Sentence  This letter is unique to the character of because  What did you do to make it unique to your character?  Why did you do it?  Two examples from your letter showing  3 rd Paragraph  Topic Sentence to answer the following: How do the characters view the incident differently?  Compare the two letters, explaining the differences between them  Why do they have different perspectives of the incident?

 In one color: HIGHLIGHT the parts of the letter where you use words, phrases, and expressions that are unique to that individual character. There should be at least THREE.  Jot a note off to the side explaining why this part is most representative of your character.  In another color, HIGHLIGHT your character’s version of the incident. The two descriptions of the incident should be different.  Taking your character’s voice into consideration, make any grammatical corrections to your letter. Remember the adult’s letter will have near perfect grammar and spelling.  Look at the scoring guide on pg. 257 to make sure your letter matches with the exemplary column.

 You will each read your letter to the other person.  Listen to one another’s letters and try to make guesses as to the character writing. Write down your guess on the peer reflection sheet.  As your partner reads, take notes in the graphic organizer on pg 255.  After listening, read your partner’s paper to help them make corrections to their work.  Switch papers with your partner. YOU will answer the two questions at the bottom about your own paper.