Writing to Entertain - Lesson 6 - Creating Openings PowerPoint

The 'Writing to Entertain' lesson plan, specifically Lesson 6, focuses on teaching students how to craft captivating story openings. The objective of this lesson is twofold: firstly, to help students recognise the main clause within complex sentences, and secondly, to guide them in writing an engaging story opening. The lesson delves into the structure of complex sentences, which are composed of more than one clause, and highlights the importance of the main clause – the central idea that can stand alone as a simple sentence. Through examples and exercises, students are encouraged to identify main clauses in various sentences, enhancing their understanding of sentence construction.

Additionally, the lesson emphasises the significance of a story's opening, which is instrumental in seizing the reader's attention and setting the tone for the narrative. Students learn that an effective opening should not only pique interest but also provide hints about the story, introduce characters, and establish the setting and mood. To reinforce this, a model opening is provided, prompting students to analyse its setting, characters, mood, and plot development. Students are then tasked with writing their own story openings, using literary devices such as similes to enrich their descriptions. The lesson concludes with a plenary where students share their work with peers, receiving feedback on what works well and what could be improved, fostering a supportive and collaborative learning environment.