Refugee by Alan Gratz Activity - Message in a Bottle Creative Writing Assignment

Refugee by Alan Gratz Activity - Message in a Bottle Creative Writing Assignment: Encourage empathy and creativity with this message-in-a-bottle writing activity inspired by Refugee by Alan Gratz. Students will imagine that one of the main characters—Josef, Isabel, or Mahmoud—can send a letter through time and space to another character in the novel. Through this creative writing task, students reflect on personal struggle, resilience, and hope while making meaningful text-to-text connections.

This is included in our popular unit plan:
>>> Refugee by Alan Gratz Unit Plan

Included in the Refugee Message in a Bottle Creative Writing Assignment:

➡️ Message in a Bottle Planning Template: Help students plan their writing with a creative planning template that encourages them to step into a character’s shoes and express personal experiences using text evidence.

➡️ Message in a Bottle Letter Writing Template: Guide students in crafting their final drafts using a two-part message-in-a-bottle letter template—one for the original message and one for the reply.

How the Refugee Message in a Bottle Creative Writing Assignment works:

1. Students will begin by choosing a character and using the planning template to explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
2. Next, they will write a letter to another character in the novel, imagining how their words could reach someone facing similar circumstances.
3. Finally, students will write a reply letter from the recipient’s point of view, making emotional and thematic connections between their journeys.

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