Writing Workshop Session 12 (Research-Based Information Writing)

Planning Ready-to-Go Chapters/Introductions

Connection:
Have you ever heard the saying:

"When you're done, you've just begun"

Revision should be happening in your minds as you are writing all the time!

The writing cycle you should go through as you are writing:

REHEARSING 

DRAFTING

REVISING

rehearse, draft, revise...rehearse, draft, revise...

Revising Structure:

Take a moment and rethink about the structure you've chosen to use in your book.  Is there one that you could try that may work better?

Common Structures for Information/Nonfiction Texts 

• Problem/Solution (chapters on the problem, chapters on the solution)
• Chronology (what happened first, next, what could happen in the future)
• List/Boxes (write about one person/project after another, probably handling each similarly)
• Classification (propose that there are different kinds of a thing, different categories, then discuss each)
• Definition (claim that something is a word {i.e. a hero}, give examples, contrast with non-examples, to prove your point)
• Trail of Research

 Today I want to teach you that every chapter (and the book as a whole) needs to be framed by an introduction. That means at the start of your book you'll have an introduction AND at the start of every chapter you'll have an introduction.

Teaching:
Here's a chart that can help you~

One way an Introduction can go:

1. Hook (get them interested, get them engaged!)
2. Background (offer context, bigger picture of why it matters)
3. Guide (Let them know how the writing will go, what the parts are)

Examples:
(HOOK)

"Imagine being as young as Malala but with the courage and the power to rally voices of support across the world! It makes one realize that we can all make a real difference in the world."

(BACKGROUND)

"Now that people have heard Malala's story and others like hers, they have banded together to create organizations to help girls get a great education."

(Guide)

"This chapter outlines three major organizations that help, what individual activists are doing, and what you and I can do to help too."

This chart offers more help on writing introductions~

Example of how you can add emotional descriptions:

"That morning, as Craig flipped through the Toronto Star in search of the comics, he was struck by a story.  A raw, but courageous story of a boy his age named Iqbal."

"Santos Polendo remembers his first day of work like it was yesterday, he was just 6 years old."


"The weather was terrible," says the 16-year old migrant farmworker from Eagle Pass, Texas, "I had blisters on my hands.  My back was hurting.  My head was hurting.  I never thought I was going to make that my life."

Link: 
Today you will continue to work on your books.  Practice cycling through the entire writing process very quickly -rehearsing, drafting, revising- in your minds so that you can crank out your writing in near "ready-to-go" condition.

Active Engagement:

Now look at your introductions of each chapter - rehearse - draft - revise to make them come to life!

Homework:
Continue to rehearse - draft - revise your chapters getting them "Ready - To - Go"!