Advice Columns

🎯 Project Title: “Dear Advice Columnist” – A Writing Project for Any EFL Level

This creative writing project invites students to write advice letters and become columnists. It fosters empathy, language skills, and authentic expression—perfect for students at any level.

💡 Project Overview

  • Theme: Giving and asking for advice

  • Skills: Writing, reading, listening, speaking

  • Grammar Focus: Modals (should, must, could), conditionals (If I were you...), tone and formality

  • Products: Letters asking for advice, written responses, and a final published column (print or digital)

📚 Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Explore Real Advice Columns

  • Read simple or adapted letters and responses from columns like Dear Abby, Ask Amy, or teacher-made samples.

  • Identify the structure: greeting, problem, advice, sign-off.

  • Discuss tone: kind, funny, formal, casual?

Step 2: Build Your Columnist Persona

  • Students create their own columnist character. Some ideas:

    • A kind grandma

    • A smart robot

    • A strict teacher

    • A cool YouTuber

  • Higher levels can invent names, voice, and writing style.

Step 3: Write Advice-Seeking Letters

  • Students write short letters asking for help with a problem.

  • These can be personal, fictional, or based on common themes:

    • "My friend is ignoring me."

    • "I don’t know how to study for exams."

    • "Someone is being mean online."

Step 4: Exchange Letters and Write Responses

  • Swap letters between classmates.

  • Each student writes a response as their columnist character.

  • Focus on polite and supportive language.

Step 5: Revise and Publish

  • Edit letters for clarity and tone.

  • Choose a way to “publish”:

    • Class zine or newsletter

    • Wall display or bulletin board

    • Class blog or digital slideshow

    • Audio or video recording (e.g., “Advice Podcast”)

✍️ Support for Different Levels

For Beginners:

  • Use sentence frames and word banks.

  • Keep letters and responses to 3–5 sentences.

  • Use visuals or emojis to represent feelings.

  • Focus on simple modals: should, must, can.

Sentence Starters (Beginner):

  • “Dear [Name], I have a problem. …”

  • “You should …”

  • “Don’t …”

  • “Try to …”

  • “I hope this helps.”

For Intermediate Students:

  • Add conditionals and connectors: If I were you, first, also, finally.

  • Expect 1–2 paragraphs per letter/response.

  • Encourage tone awareness (friendly, helpful).

Sentence Starters (Intermediate):

  • “Dear [Columnist], I need help with …”

  • “It’s hard because …”

  • “If I were you, I would …”

  • “You might want to try …”

  • “In my opinion, …”

For Advanced Students:

  • Emphasize voice, style, and audience awareness.

  • Encourage creative topics (ethical dilemmas, cultural misunderstandings).

  • Require peer review and multiple drafts.

Suggestions for Advanced Learners:

  • Use figurative language or humor.

  • Add fake “reader feedback” to the published column.

  • Design a branded layout or audio jingle.

🧠 Graphic Organizer Ideas

Use these as printable or digital worksheets to support planning:

  1. Advice Letter Planner

    • Who is writing?

    • What’s the problem?

    • What has the writer tried?

    • What does the writer hope for?

  2. Advice Response Planner

    • Greeting

    • Summary of the problem

    • Suggestions (3–4 options)

    • Closing words

🎉 Final Touch: Publishing Options

Choose one that fits your class time and tools:

  • Classroom Gallery Walk: Print letters and responses, post them with pictures of the columnist.

  • Mini Zine: Foldable paper zine of the top letters and replies.

  • Google Slides Advice Deck: One slide per letter/response pair.

  • Padlet Wall or Canva Webpage: Upload letters with images or emojis.

  • Podcast or Voice Recording: Dramatic readings as radio show advice segments.

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