Letter to Pony
You will be writing a letter to Ponyboy and Johnny, much like Soda does in chapter
five of The Outsiders. In the letter, you will give both Pony and Johnny some advice.
You can pretend to be one of the characters in the novel, or you can just write as
yourself and pretend that you know both Pony and Johnny.
Steps:
1. On a piece of notebook paper, write a thoughtful rough draft of your letter to
Pony and Johnny.
2. Carefully reread what you have written and make changes as necessary.
3. Hand it to a classmate to edit.
4. When editing is finished, bring the rough draft to Ms. Thomas who will give
you five points for having a well-done, peer-edited rough draft.
5. Look over your letter once more to see if there are any mistakes you or your
partner missed.
6. Write the final copy of your letter in dark pencil on a colored piece of
computer paper and make sure to design a boarder around the entire letter,
using colored pencils.
Your Letter Must Contain:
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Greeting (Dear Pony and Johnny) and the date (fictional or current)
Advice for Ponyboy and Johnny and an explanation of why they should take
your advice
A closing (Your friend) and your signature
A border to make it look attractive (these will go on the bulletin board!)
Things to Consider and Write About:
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How the Greasers are feeling and what they are doing while Pony and Johnny
are away
What Darry and Soda are feeling
Have they done anything to search for Pony and Johnny?
The Socs thoughts, feeling, and behaviors after their friend is killed
Cherry’s feelings and actions
Johnny’s parents reactions
The law and police force’s reactions