Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Smart Starts

Once upon a time there as a teacher that was bored with reading the same thing over and over again. 
So her school began to pilot Traits Writing from Ruth Culham (published by Scholastic).  One day the teacher gave a lesson that she found in Traits Writing about BOLD beginnings. Since then the teacher never had to read once upon a time again...THE END!

Ruth Culham introduces 4 BOLD beginnings...

Fun Fact...writer states a fact.
Listen Up...writer describes a sound.
When and Where: The writer sets the time and place right away.
Start the Action: The writer makes something happen.

I designed four posters that I have displayed in my classroom for students to refer back to when writing. Click on the pictures below to download it for free!  Since I have introduced this concept to my students, I have seen a lot more creative and interesting beginnings.  Students see the introduction to their writing as a way of HOOKING the reader.