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

This Refugee activity is a creative writing task that invites students to step into the perspectives of Josef, Isabel, or Mahmoud and imagine a message sent across time and place to another character in the novel. Using their understanding of each character’s journey, students write a thoughtful letter that reflects personal struggles, hopes, and experiences, then respond from the recipient’s point of view. This meaningful Refugee activity encourages students to make strong text-to-text connections while deepening their understanding of theme, character development, and emotional impact.

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

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

➡️ Message in a Bottle Planning Template: Students begin by selecting a character and using this planning page to gather ideas, reflect on key moments, and consider what their character would want to communicate. The template guides students to think about emotions, challenges, and important experiences from the novel, while encouraging them to incorporate relevant text evidence to support their ideas.

➡️ Message in a Bottle Letter Writing Template: Students use this two-part template to write both the original message and a reply from another character’s perspective. In the first section, they craft a letter that captures the voice, thoughts, and experiences of their chosen character. In the second section, they write a response that reflects the recipient’s journey, allowing students to draw meaningful connections between different storylines. This structure helps students explore theme, perspective, and character relationships in a creative and engaging way while reinforcing their understanding of the novel.

If you like this, you'll love this resource:
→ A Year of English Bell Ringers

© Presto Plans

➡️ Want 10 free ELA resources sent to your inbox? Click here!