This Lesson's Title:

Powerful First Paragraphs

Can three random nouns launch a powerful story idea?

This lesson idea was first proposed by Northern Nevada Writing Project TC Cindy Reynolds.

It is also featured in the NNWP's Going Deep with 6 Trait Language Workbook.

The intended "mentor text" to be used when teaching this on-line lesson is the picture book Brave Margaret: An Irish Adventure by Robert De San Souci. Before writing, students should listen to and discuss the writing style of this book's author.

Check out Brave Margaret: An Irish Adventure at Amazon.com.

Washoe County teachers, click here to search for this book at the county library.

Three-Sentence Overview of this Lesson:

Opening paragraphs can be the roadmap of a story. In this lesson, students will read an engaging and well-crafted paragraph from Brave Margaret: An Irish Adventure, which draws the reader in. They will use the style of the author to create their own opening paragraph as the basis for a story they would like to write by playing the serendipitous (random) noun game below. Teachers: Click here to see the entire lesson plan.

6-Trait Overview for this Lesson:

The focus trait in this writing assignment is organization; the writer's goal is to write an introductory paragraph that would make any reader want to read more.  The support trait in this assignment is idea development; strong details and a unique story idea should be encouraged as students create their drafts.