Gotcha! Six Super Starting Sentences

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1 11 Gotcha! Six Super Starting Sentences Extensions Online for Differentiating Instruction Grades 5 8 Setting Small Group Full Class Traits Supported Voice Sentence Fluency Word Choice Learning Preferences Visual Oral Kinesthetic Rationale By learning six simple ways writers can create interest and establish focus as they craft effective openings, learners gain confidence in moving beyond simply asking a question, or telling the reader what they are going to write about as their default strategies. Once the strategies are mastered, students can be encouraged to occasionally use these sentence styles elsewhere in their writing to make it more interesting. Regardless of students skill level, all will require multiple conversations and examples relating to each type of sentence. This activity presents an effective starting point. Materials Sentence-Starter Examples Heading Cards Sentence Cards The BIG Idea for Students People who fish have to use the right bait to get fish to bite. Writing is exactly the same. You need a well-crafted introductory sentence to grab a reader s attention. How to Play Use the examples provided to teach students about the six sentence styles. Next, spread the headings out in a row. Place cards with opening sentences facedown. Students take turns selecting and reading a card aloud, then placing it under the heading where they feel it best fits: 1. Interesting fact or statement 2. Onomatopoeia 3. Dialogue or quote 4. Hyperbole 5. Simile or metaphor 6. Start with verbs Adaptation For students who would feel overwhelmed by working with all six strategies, cut the list to a length more appropriate for them. To extend the list of styles, ask students to use sticky notes to mark effective openings they see while reading fiction or nonfiction. Together, you can analyze how the openings are built and create new categories. Students can then practice writing openings by imitating those new models. Tips In full-class settings it is important that all students can see the category headings and sample openings. Effective tools include large sticky notes, sentence strips and chart paper, interactive white boards, or overheads. In small groups, use index cards stored in zip bags to add a kinesthetic element for players. One highly effective strategy is asking students to write their entire essay before they try to create its opening. This allows them to give their full concentration to developing an effective opening best suited to the content and style of their piece. Trying to start a new essay by writing the introduction first actually inhibits many students productivity.

2 Prepare ahead: Make one copy available to each group. Introducing the Six Super Starting Sentences Justin has done research and written a persuasive essay on the need for bike helmets. He has experimented with different ways he could open his piece using six special sentence styles. Let s examine the possibilities he created. 1. Interesting fact or statement A recent study found 95 percent of people killed while riding a bike were not wearing a helmet. Only half the kids I know wear one. That is why we need a bike helmet law in our state. 2. Onomatopoeia Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo. Imagine those sirens are on the way to help you after a bike accident. Let s hope you were smart enough to be wearing your helmet! 3. Dialogue or quote Mrs. Robinson, I am sorry to tell you your son was in a bike accident, and he is at the hospital now, having an operation. Nobody wants to hear that news from a police officer. Mrs. Robinson better hope her son was wearing his bike helmet. 4. Hyperbole When I wear my bike helmet, I look like a big dork from Mars and I know people are bent over laughing at me. That s okay. It s better than having my head bruised if I take a fall! 5. Simile or metaphor Like a knight s armor, a bike helmet shields your head from injury. While it can t protect your entire body, a helmet can prevent serious brain damage if disaster strikes. 6. Start with verbs Performing stunts, jumping hills, and defying gravity are daring challenges BMX riders enjoy. By the way, these pros always wear bike helmets, because top riders know it is the smart thing to do.

3 Prepare ahead: Cut apart one copy of the headings and sentence cards for each group. Heading Cards Interesting Fact Or Statement Onomatopoeia Dialogue or Quote Hyperbole Simile or Metaphor Start With Verbs

4 Sentence Cards Round 1 Mooooooo. Manatees are called sea cows, but they sure don t sound like that. Let s learn more about these wonderful but endangered animals. Zipping and zooming, motorboats are a danger to the manatee. Pollution is another big problem facing these creatures. Like chubby mermaids, manatees swim in these waters. We need to do all we can to protect this endangered creature. Watch out for manatees when you drive a boat! says Florida wildlife expert Joan Smith. People pose the biggest danger to these gentle giants. A manatee keeps growing from the day it is born until the day it dies. My research about this mammal turned up many other interesting facts. Professional tuba players are green with envy. They only wish they sounded as good as manatees, who use low hoots to communicate and survive.

5 Sentence Cards Round 2 I m begging you, Dad! Pull the van over and let me walk the rest of the way home. After being trapped inside for three days with my four siblings, that was my desperate plea. Our van was stuffed tighter than a book bag on the last day of school. With two parents, five kids, luggage, and souvenirs, we could barely move! We drove 2,319 miles, collected more than five tons of sand in our shoes, and listened to Elmo s greatest hits at least 28 times. It is a trip I ll never forget! Muttering and clenching the steering wheel, Dad was determined to get us home by 4:00 p.m. But believe it or not, he loved the trip! Florida is the only state where two different rivers share the same name. That s one of the interesting things I learned on our vacation this year. Kersplash! There s nothing better than doing a cannonball into cool water after a long, hot drive. It s my favorite memory from our Florida trip.