Story Leads

Topic:

Students learn how to write attention grabbing story leads.

Standards:

ELACC2W3: Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.

Essential Question:

How can a strong story lead capture my reader’s interest?

Duration:

About 1 hour

Materials:

anchor chart of story leads, marker

Overview or notes pertaining to lesson:

Students learn how to write attention grabbing story leads.

Mini Lesson:

Yesterday we chose an experience to write about that will make a great story. Writers write narratives to entertain their readers. Talk about what entertain means. Therefore, we need to figure out a way to capture the reader’s interest and make them want to keep reading our stories. Show students the mentor texts that you have already read. Reread the story leads from those stories. Discuss how the authors got the reader’s attention in those books. Display your anchor chart of “Story Leads” with dialogue, onomatopoeia, and questioning. I also have a print off for students to put in their journals as a reference. Talk about each example and how it captures the reader’s attention. Model making a story lead for your story.

Guided Practice:

Think about which story lead you are going to try for your story today. Turn and talk to tell your partner your story lead. Share a few with the class and talk about if it will capture the reader’s interest. If not, work together to improve.

Independent Practice:

Send students back to their seats to work on their story leads. Confer with students during this time independently or in small groups.

Closing:

Review story leads and their importance.