Letters+About+Literature

Planning sheet due at the BEGINNING of class Friday...


 * Before Making Your Planning Sheet...**

1. Remember the goal of this contest: write a personal letter to an author, living or dead, explaining how the author's work had an impact on you, how it changed your way of thinking about the world or themselves. If you want more info about the contest, go to the home page for the [|Letters About Literature]Contest.

2. Read the [|How to Enter] page.

3. Review the letter written by a past winner--try to imagine their planning sheet.

4. On a blank piece of paper (OR ONLINE), brainstorm at least 10 things you have to say about this book, author, the story, the impact it had on you, etc. Try to organize your comments into topics. Use the sample I passed out in class as a model:

When you read the book--how old were you? What was important to you in your life? Who were your best friends? Favorite activities? Why at this time in your life was this book such a good fit? What details do you remember from the book? the charcter? What images can you SEE? What specific praise do you have for the author? What did he or she do especially well? What in this book could you personally relate to? If you could write a sequel for this book what could it be about? What big picture insights about "life" does this book have? How did the book remind you of other people in your life?
 * Possible topics (but you can write about anything that meet's the contest goals):**