Step 2
Sizzling Starts
First impressions count
Nigel, graph of story
The Bear Hunt
Before

On Saturday I went to the football. My dad and I
always go to watch the footy together. It was a
cold day and we went in by train and it rained as
we walked from the train. We got there but it
took ages to find our seats. Dad bought me a pie
but when I cheered for a big goal I spilt it all
over me…
After

Ever tried to eat a pie with one hand and jump
and cheer as your team kicks a great goal?

Don’t.
Action Activity
Five Minute Fast Starts
•
You’re in the reality show from hell.
•
Brothers are SO much better than sisters. (Or not!)
•
There’s a tree in the school yard that eats kids!
Every morning for a week
Secret is Chunking
Say ‘no’ to the Nerds
Text Types -Recount
 Trip
to Museum
 There
are naked people at the Melbourne
Museum. Lots of them. OK they are
models, but at first glance it seems
you’ve stumbled on a roomful of nudists.
(Michelle Hamer, journalist)
Text Types - Informational
 1)
Every time you lick a stamp, you're
consuming 1/10 of a calorie.
 2)
A crocodile cannot stick its tongue
out.
Animals in Captivity
The lion’s glorious hair moved with the breeze as he
smelt today’s breakfast. Slowly he prowled
towards the delicious smell, preparing to pounce
on his prey. As he spots his food he lightly leaps
off the ground, into the air, and swallows the air
born peices of meat. His large paws make a light
thud as he meets the ground and a excited
applause from the audience arrupts. This is a lion
in captivity. Is this cruel?
Sample marking

1. Audience (5 out of 6 marks).
 Comment: Opens strongly by using
narrative to engage reader, illustrate point
and set up context. Not maintained to this
same level across text.
Text Types - Persuasive





Before
I think cats are better than dogs because a) b)
c)...
After
They slobber on your best outfit, they bark all
night and their breath smells exactly like
meat left out in the sun for a week. Dogs as
pets, I don’t get it. Give me a cat quiet and
curled up on my knee, purrrrlease.
Action Activities
 Five
Minute Fast Starts (Maybe one
by one.)
 More
starts in Top Topics
Action movie starts x 5

Finding Nemo
 Shrek
 The Incredibles
 BFG
 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Action Activities
Best

starts competition
Let me tell you about the heater, the icecream and the scream...
Action Activities
Book
starts
‘My brother is only 8 years old, which is
rather young to have a baby...’
 (Paul Jennings)

Weekend recounts

One sentence weekend recounts
I hated fishing and I bet the worm Dad stuck on
my hook hated it too.
BAN ‘one day…on Tuesday…on the weekend.’
Start with a sound

Start with:
– Crash
– Woosh
– Brrrrr
Agenda: The Seven Steps
1. Plan for Success
2. Sizzling Starts
_________________________________
3. Tightening Tension
4. Dynamic Dialogue
5. Show, Don't Tell
6. Ban the Boring Bits
7. Exciting Endings
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Secret is Chunking
The Hard Part
 Writing
is not something you
do with a pen, it is something
you do with your brain. (Jen
McVeity)
Homework (5 hours)

Watch TV - the ads – find Story Graph

Watch a movie – find Sizzling Starts

Read a book – enjoy!
Laughter and Learning
Good
teachers had the most fun
in their classrooms: the lessons
were lively, fast-paced, and full
of jokes and little classroom
games.
Prof William Louden (Uni WA) and Assoc Prof Mary Rohl, (Edith Cowan Uni)
Go Play
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