Learning about strong leads or hooks

2. As writers, you should want someone to “open” your writing. You can do this by writing strong leads.

3. What is a lead? The lead is the beginning or introduction to your story. It gives the reader a preview of what your story will be about. Why is a powerful lead so important? A lead is what draws the reader into your story. A good lead hooks readers from the beginning and makes them excited to continue reading.

5. “ The Herdmans were absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world.”

7. Pssssssst! Yo! Down here... under the bed. It's me, the Bogeyman ."

8. "The truth must be told to kids! For too long, for centuries in fact, it's been covered over, hidden, impossible to find. A conspiracy, an organized silence by generations of grownups, has kept the truth from millions of children throughout history."

9. "One day I got in the car. I was going to the store to buy something."

10. "Something TERRIBLE happens every Tuesday night. It's not the pork chops or the mashed potatoes. It all starts when I'm forced to eat..."

11. “ When I was nine or ten years old I couldn't wait for Saturday."

12. Why should you write a good lead?

13. Rewrite paragraph to make the sentences open in ways that are more likely to grab the reader’s attention. Find a narrative in your Writer’s Notebook that you can improve by beginning sentences in audience-grabbing ways.

14. Using a Variety of Leads in Narrative Writing

21. Types of Leads Foldable Talking Lead Begins with dialogue Sound Effect Lead Begins with sound Snapshot Lead Begins with author “painting a picture” Action Lead Begins with action or an event Question Lead Begins by asking an interesting quest- Ion Flashback Lead Takes the reader back to a specific event in the past.

22. FISHING FOR READERS WITH HOOKS Activity

23. HOOK HUNT List the top three hooks that you and your partner chose. Then, circle the hook that you think was the best. Be sure to give a reason for each hook that you chose.