Jocelyn Reeves Hopewell Elementary

First Grade Mrs. Sterchele

TCNJ Lesson Plan

SRSD Composition: Hooks

Guiding and/or Essential Questions:

How can you write a story opening that gets the readers attention so that they will keep on
reading?

Pre-lesson Assignments and/or Student Prior Knowledge:

Students have been using teacher selected story opening prompts to write stories in their
journals
Students may or may not have experience writing their own story opening
Students have been exposed to the term onomatopoeia; Teacher has heard several students
apply the term accurately
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.5
With guidance and support from adults, focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions
from peers, and add details to strengthen writing as needed.

Learning Objectives and Assessments:

Learning Objectives Assessment

Students will use a literary technique to
strengthen their story openings.
Students will apply a SRSD to generate
narrative hooks.
Teacher will listen for appropriate identification
of the narrative hooks: onomatopoeia; snapshot
setting; snapshot character; or foreshadowing
and reasoning for decision during turn and talk.
Teacher will check students journal for at least
two of the following: onomatopoeia; snapshot
setting; snapshot character; or foreshadowing as
hooks for story openings.
Materials/Resources:
SRSD anchor chart
Pirates chest
Book bag (hangs on the back of their chairs)
Slips with examples of the different hook options: O; S; S; F
Student journals

Plan for set-up/distribution/cleanup of materials:

Anchor chart will be pre-hung and uncovered after introduction; Students will use their book
bag book from the back of their chairs; Students will return books to their book bag when
finished; Pirates chest will be passed around clockwise until back at teacher; Anchor chart will
remain hanging for student reference
Step by Step plan
1. Develop background knowledge: Teacher will tells students that we are going to be
learning a composition strategy that will help us write good story openings
2. Teacher will ask students What is a story hook?; Teacher will explain it grabs the
readers attention
3. Teacher will ask students What is the purpose of a story hook?; Teacher will explain
that it gets the reader to keep reading
4. Teacher will ask students to take their book bag book (hanging on the back of their
chairs) out and read the first sentence in the book
5. Teacher will ask for volunteers to share their story opening; Teacher will ask students to
vote thumbs up or thumb down if they think it is a good hook
6. Teacher will call students to carpet
7. Discuss it: Teacher will introduce students to the story opening anchor chart; Teacher will
review the OSSF strategy: Onomatopoeia; Snapshot Setting; Snapshot Character;
Foreshadowing
8. Model it: Teacher will provide students with examples of each type of story opening from
OSSF
9. Memorize it: Teacher will introduce students to the mnemonic device: Old Ships Sink
Fast
10. Support it: Teacher will model choosing a slip from the pirate chest; read it out loud and
do a think aloud of her reasoning for her choice of O; S; S; F
11. Teacher will pass pirate chest around the room clockwise; Students will take one slip of
paper from the chest; Teacher will tell students to look at their slips and think about
which category the story opening on their slip belongs to: O; S; S; F
12. Teacher will tell students to turn and talk to the person beside them and discuss which
one they think it is and explain why
13. Teacher will dismiss students back to their desks
14. Independent performance: Teacher will dismiss students back to their desks; Students will
complete journal activity, generating their own story openings at their desks
15. Early finishers will proceed with writing a narrative that matches their story opening
 16. Teacher will tell students that when they are not provided with a prompt, they can use Old
Ships Sink Fast to generate story openings that will hook the readers attention so that
they will want to keep reading your story to find out what happens

Key Questions:
What is a story hook?
What is the purpose of a story hook?
Logistics:
Timing:
Develop Background Knowledge: 10 mins
Discuss It: 10 mins
Model It: 10 mins
Support It: 15 mins
Memorize It: 5 mins
Independent Practice: 20 mins
Transitions: Teacher will call students to carpet by rows; Teacher will refer to anchor
chart; Teacher will implement turn and talk technique; Teacher will dismiss
students back to desks by rows
Classroom Management: Teacher will use 5 claps, clap back" to gain students
attention; Teacher will use thumbs up/thumbs down for agreement/disagreement;
Students who talk while others are talking will be given a verbal cue,
Students who do not follow the verbal cue will be asked to do a seat check and
told they may return to the group when they are ready to follow the rule
Differentiation
Students will orally identify story hooks; Students will generate written story hooks and illustrate
them; Students who need writing accommodations: Students will be required to write at least 2:4
story hooks; Early Finishers: Students who write 4:4 story hooks will choose one of the hooks
and continue writing the narrative; Teacher will post anchor chart for student reference
throughout the lesson; Key information will be highlighted