Lesson 2 Sizzling Starts Lesson Plan for 1st Grade Students

Topic: Using Sizzling Starts for Narrative Writing

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will understand the purpose of a sizzling start in narrative writing and how to create one.

Materials

• Examples of sizzling starts (e.g. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," "Once upon a time...")
• Pen and paper for each student

Warm-up

• Have students take turns reading a sizzling start aloud to the class.
• After each one, ask students if they can guess what the story is about based on the sizzling start.

Direct Instruction

• Explain to students that a sizzling start is the first part of a story, and it's important because it has to catch the reader's attention and make them want to keep reading.
• Show students some more sizzling starts and have them brainstorm ideas about what the stories might be about based on the starts.

Guided Practice

• Give students a narrative story starter and have them work in pairs to come up with a sizzling start for the story. ***Alternatively, you could use a graphic organizer to have students write a sizzling start for the story.
• Have students share their sizzling starts with the class and discuss how they were able to guess the stories' subjects based on the starts.***

Independent Practice

• Provide students with a set of narrative story starters and have them create a sizzling start for each one.
• Have students present their sizzling starts to the class and explain how they were able to guess the stories' subjects based on the starts.

Closure

• Review the importance of using sizzling starts in narrative writing and how they can help inspire writers to create exciting stories.
• Encourage students to use sizzling starts in their own writing or to create their own.

Assessment

• Observe students during independent practice and provide feedback on their use of sizzling starts in narrative writing.
• Collect and review the students' narratives to assess their use of sizzling starts and their ability to create closure.