So much better than last week! I left the school feeling happy and accomplished instead of weary and flat. My son shared my enthusiasm, which is a great indicator that class went better this week. He is a horrible liar and can't hold back when it comes to sharing his misery.
Yesterday's class focused on the opening line or paragraph of a novel and how truly important it is when you are attempting to grab a reader's attention. The opening line also usually tells you a lot about the type of book it is. I compiled a two-page list of favorite lines from a writing website and then brought some books from home that I passed around for everyone to take turns reading. Part of the time was spent talking about our favorite books and offering suggestions on what others should read, which I loved. Part of the time was spent discussing the power of a single sentence and how best to start their own stories. Hopefully, they all got the point I was trying to make, the point every author should make: begin a book with intrigue to hook your reader right away.
The second half of class we created a story together using different colored note cards. We wrote down our main ideas and character actions, and then placed the cards on the floor to see how the story progressed. This exercise was a lot of fun (with a lot of crazy ideas!) and it also gives the students another way to organize their stories at home.
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