Using Advice Columns Kristi Piper Danbury Middle School Danbury High School
Appropriate Population: These activities are currently being used with 8th grade students of all levels but could be appropriately used for approximately fifth grade and above.
Objective: The learner will use critical thinking skills to create an appropriate written response to material read using detailed elaboration.
TEKS (Referenced by 8th Grade): 8.1, 8.4, 8.8, 8.10, 8.11, 8.14, 8.15, 8.16, 8.17, 8.21
Materials Needed: Newspaper advice column
To Start: Give each student a copy of an advice column taken from the newspaper. Have students read the article silently. Once all students have finished reading the article, divide the class into small groups to discuss the letter written asking for advice and the advice given.
Individual Activity: Have students outline their own letter offering advice and defending the advice given.
Group Activity: Have students rejoin previous groups to discuss one over another’s outlines. Each student should orally present his or her outline to the group, explaining and elaborating as needed. Group members should then discuss the varied advice given and come to some consensus about what advice to offer as a group. The students will then create one written article as a group.
Follow-up Activities: 1. Have students write letters to the advice columnist critiquing the advice given in the article. (8.19)
2. Have students write letters to an advice columnist from the point of view of a character in a book asking for advice on a situation from the book.
3. Have students trade letters from activity #2 and write a response offering advice and supporting their advice with specific examples and elaboration.
4. Make a copy of a letter from an advice column but not the response letter. Have students write their own response.
* Activity #4 can be turned into a fun competition. We are in week three of our competition, and the top three winners will be writing an advice column in the school paper next semester.