Bold Beginnings Bring Writing to Life! Poster on your purchase of the Really Good Stuff® Bold Beginnings Bring Writing to Life! Poster— the perfect way to introduce your students

Congratulations on your purchase of the Really GoodStuff® Bold Beginnings Bring Writing to Life! Poster—the perfect way to introduce your students to sixinteresting ways to begin their writing.

This Really Good Stuff® product includes:• Bold Beginnings Bring Writing to Life! Poster,

laminated• This Really Good Stuff® Activity Guide

Introducing the Bold Beginnings Bring Writing toLife! PosterMake a copy of each page of this Really Good Stuff®

Activity Guide, then display the poster in a writingcenter or where students can easily view it for writingactivities. Share the poster with students and explainthat when they use an interesting beginning in theirwriting, it helps “hook” the reader or get them interestedin what they are reading. The hook makes the readerwant to read more. Have students refer to the poster asyou introduce each way to create a bold beginning tostart a piece of writing.

State a BeliefMake copies of the Bold Beginnings Reproducible for yourclass. Begin by reading the State a Belief heading aloudon the poster for students. Then choose a student toread the example for the class. Discuss with studentswhy this type of beginning would make them want tocontinue reading. Ask them if they want to know why thewriter feels this way? Do they have an opinion about thisbelief? How would they explain why they believe it? Giveeach student a copy of the Bold Beginnings Reproducibleand have them write, “State a Belief…and then explainwhy you believe it” in the box provided. Have studentscopy the bold beginning example from the poster onto thetop few lines of the notebook paper pattern and use theremainder of the sheet to write a piece explaining whythey believe the example. After students have completedtheir writing, have them use crayons or markers toillustrate their work by drawing in the blank frame. Askvolunteers to read their work aloud and then bindstudents’ work together in a booklet titled, We Write withBold Beginnings—Stating a Belief. Place the booklet at awriting center for students to enjoy reading classmates’stories.

Use a Single WordMake copies of the Bold Beginnings Reproducible for yourclass. Read the Use a Single Word heading aloud for

students and choose a student to read the example forthe class. Discuss with students why this type ofbeginning would make them want to continue reading. Askthem how they feel when they read the same word threetimes in a row. Would it be as effective if it were only usedonce? How about twice, or four times? Did the beginningcatch their attention? Give each student a copy of theBold Beginnings Reproducible and have them write, “Use aSingle Word…and then provide more information” in thebox provided. Have students copy the bold beginningexample from the poster and use the remainder of thesheet to provide more information about pickles. Afterstudents have completed their writing, have them usecrayons or markers to illustrate their work. Askvolunteers to read their work aloud and then bind thestudents’ work together in a booklet titled, We Write withBold Beginnings—Using a Single Word.

Share an Interesting FactMake copies of the Bold Beginnings Reproducible for yourclass. Read the Share an Interesting Fact heading aloudfor students and choose a student to read the examplefor the class. Discuss with students why this type ofbeginning would make them want to continue reading. Askthem why they think the fact is interesting enough tokeep them reading. What else might the writer shareabout the bumblebee bat? Give each student a copy ofthe Bold Beginnings Reproducible and have them write,“Share an Interesting Fact…and then tell more about it”

Bold Beginnings Bring Writing to Life! Poster

Helping Teachers Make A Difference® © 2007 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com #155873

All activity guides can be found online:


in the box provided. Have students copy the boldbeginning example from the poster and use the remainderof the sheet to tell more about bumblebee bats. Beforegetting started, talk with students about where theymight find more information on this topic. Afterstudents have completed their writing, have them usecrayons or markers to illustrate their work. Askvolunteers to read their work aloud and then bind thestudents’ work together in a booklet titled, We Write withBold Beginnings—Sharing an Interesting Fact.

Capture a Moment in TimeMake copies of the Bold Beginnings Reproducible for yourclass. Read the Capture a Moment in Time heading aloudfor students and choose a student to read the examplefor the class. Discuss with students why this type ofbeginning would make them want to continue reading. Askthem why they think the moment shared by the writermakes them want to read the whole story. Have thembrainstorm ways to elaborate on the moment. Give eachstudent a copy of the Bold Beginnings Reproducible andhave them write, “Capture a Moment in Time…and thenelaborate” in the box provided. Have students copy thebold beginning example from the poster and use theremainder of the sheet to elaborate on that moment atthe top of the roller coaster. After students havecompleted their writing, have them use crayons ormarkers to illustrate their work. Ask volunteers to readtheir work aloud and then bind the students’ worktogether in a booklet titled, We Write with BoldBeginnings—Capturing a Moment.

Describe a SoundMake copies of the Bold Beginnings Reproducible for yourclass. Read the Describe a Sound heading aloud forstudents and choose a student to read the example forthe class. Discuss with students why this type ofbeginning would make them want to continue reading. Askthem what they think might have made the sound “snap,crackle, crunch.” Take a few minutes to talk about usingonomatopoeia as a way to add interest to writing. Giveeach student a copy of the Bold Beginnings Reproducibleand have them write, “Describe a Sound…and then tellwhere it came from” in the box provided. Have studentscopy the bold beginning example from the poster andthen use the remainder of the sheet to tell their versionsof where the sound came from. After students havecompleted their writing, have them use crayons ormarkers to illustrate their work. Ask volunteers to readtheir work aloud and then bind it students’ work together

in a booklet titled, We Write with Bold Beginnings—Describing a Sound.

Ask an Interesting QuestionMake copies of the Bold Beginnings Reproducible for yourclass. Read the Ask an Interesting Question headingaloud for students and choose a student to read theexample for the class. Discuss with students why thistype of beginning would make them want to continuereading. Ask them why they think this writer’s question isinteresting. Can they predict what the writer’s answermight be? Give each student a copy of the BoldBeginnings Reproducible and have them write, “Ask anInteresting Question…and then provide an answer” in thebox provided. Have students copy the bold beginningexample from the poster and then use the sheet to writea story telling what might happen when walking severaldogs at the same time. After students have completedtheir writing, have them use crayons or markers toillustrate their work. Ask volunteers to read their workaloud and then bind the students’ work together in abooklet titled, We Write with Bold Beginnings—Asking anInteresting Question.

Finding Bold BeginningsKeep your students thinking about bold beginnings intheir writing with a fun activity. Make copies of the BoldBeginnings Scorecard Reproducible and give one to eachstudent. Divide students into working pairs or have themcomplete the activity individually. Explain to studentsthat they are to look in classroom library books,textbooks, and other written materials to find examplesof the six different types of bold beginnings shown on theposter. When they find one, they are to write it on theirBold Beginnings Scorecard and fill in the information. Thefirst pair of students or individual to correctly fill in allsix types of beginnings is the winner. Be sure to offerincentives so all students complete the activity. Displaythe Bold Beginnings Scorecards around the poster for abold display.

Be Bold with Your BeginningsBefore each writing assignment, remind students toreview the types of bold beginnings on the poster andthink about which type of bold beginning is the rightchoice for their topic. When conferencing students abouttheir writing, be sure to ask which type of bold beginningthey chose and why they thought it would be the mosteffective.

Bold Beginnings Bring Writing to Life! Poster

Bold Beginnings Reproducible


Bold Beginnings Scorecard Reproducible


Congratulations on your purchase of this ReallyGood Stuff® Exciting Endings Poster—a student-friendly guide to introduce and reinforce the use ofexciting endings.

This Really Good Stuff® product includes:• Exciting Endings Poster, laminated• This Really Good Stuff® Activity Guide

Displaying the Exciting Endings PosterBefore displaying the Exciting Endings Poster, makecopies of this Really Good Stuff® Activity Guide andfile the pages for future use. Or, download anothercopy of it from our Web site atwww.reallygoodstuff.com. Hang the Poster wherestudents will be able to see it easily.

Introducing the Exciting Endings PosterAsk students about the parts of a story (beginning,middle, and ending) and choose volunteers to explainthe purpose of each part. Have volunteers read thesix kinds of exciting endings and the examples ofeach on the Poster. Encourage students to think ofsituations that would apply to each exciting ending.What can they imagine was included in the beginningand the middle of each story? Have students explainthe reasoning for their answers. Point out that theending a writer uses is the last thought that he orshe gives to the reader. So providing an excitingending is the best way for the reader to rememberthe story.

What an Exciting Ending!Copy and distribute the What an Exciting Ending!Reproducible. Explain that students should readeach exciting ending and match each to the type ofending it is by writing the correct letter on the line.After students have had a chance to complete thereproducible, discuss the answers as a group.

Create an Exciting Ending Copy and distribute a Create an Exciting EndingReproducible. Review the kinds of exciting endingsincluded on the Poster, asking a volunteer to rereadthe example of each exciting ending on the Poster.Tell students to write an ending for each topic.Have volunteers share their ideas for the first one.Compare and contrast their answers. Allow studentsto complete the remainder of the reproducible.Ask one or two students to read their answers foreach topic.

A Mini Story with an Exciting Ending Copy and distribute the A Mini Story with anExciting Ending Reproducible. Remind students thatevery story has a beginning, a middle, and an end.Instruct them to choose a topic and complete thereproducible to create a mini story. Then have themcircle which type of exciting ending they used.Finally, ask your students to complete a mini storyindependently. Remind them to choose a differenttype of exciting ending for this mini story.

Photos Tell a StoryTake three pictures of a school activity, such as ascience experiment, an assembly, a class party, afield trip, or lunchtime in the cafeteria. Review theExciting Endings Poster and ask students to writea mini story based on your three photographs andto include an exciting ending. Create a class bookletof the stories: Insert the pictures onto differentpages of a document on the computer. Have yourstudents add the text of their mini stories to thedocument pages. Save the booklet for viewing lateron the computer or print it out for students to readto their parents. You could also complete the sameactivity with a sequence of three pictures drawn by astudent. Then have students add the mini storytext on a regular piece of paper with the drawingsmounted onto the appropriate pages.

Exciting Endings Poster



What an Exciting Ending! Reproducible


Create an Exciting Ending Reproducible


A Mini Story with an Exciting Ending Reproducible


Congratulations on your purchase of this Really GoodStuff® Mighty Middles Poster—a student-friendly guideto introduce and reinforce the use of transition words.

This Really Good Stuff® product includes:• Mighty Middles Poster, laminated• This Really Good Stuff® Activity Guide

Displaying the Mighty Middles PosterBefore displaying the Mighty Middles Poster, makecopies of this Really Good Stuff® Activity Guide and filethe pages for future use. Or, download another copy of itfrom our Web site at www.reallygoodstuff.com. Hang thePoster where students will be able to see it easily.

Introducing the Mighty Middles PosterWith the Poster out of sight, ask students what they doto connect ideas in a story or nonfiction writingassignment. Explain that using the word and repeatedlyis not effective. List their responses on the board. Afterbrainstorming their ideas, show them the Poster andread the first category of transitional words: ShowingTime. Ask students to reread the connecting words onthe list they offered. Ask students if there are anyShowing Time words on their list. Once identified, markthe words with a sticky note on the Poster and erasethem from the brainstormed list. Continue through theother sections of the Poster in the same manner.Discuss any additional words on the student-createdlist. Write each additional word on a second color ofsticky note and add it to the appropriate section on thePoster. Point out any words on the Poster that have notyet been discussed.

SnapshotsDivide students into groups of five or six. Have eachstudent choose one word or phrase from the Poster towrite on a slip of paper, without creating duplicateswithin their group. Give each group a different routine tothink about; such as morning routine, bedtime routine, ordismissal routine. Ask each student to write a sentenceabout the routine assigned using his or her chosen wordor phrase. After students have written their sentence,

ask each group to work together to arrange theirsentences in order, creating a snapshot of the routine.Have a representative from each group read the group’ssnapshot. Ask students who are listening to raise theirhands every time they hear a transition word. Point tothe selected words on the Poster after each groupfinishes reading its snapshot.

Finally, a Tasty SnackCopy and distribute the Finally, a Tasty SnackReproducible. After students have had time to completethe reproducible, ask several to share their revisedparagraphs. As each student reads, identify thetransition words used on the Poster with a sticky note.Review the category of each chosen word.

Transition Word Treasure HuntCopy and distribute the Transition Word Treasure HuntReproducible. Have students draw a simple map of theschool playground that includes five landmarks, such asthe sports field, slide, swings, crossing bars, trees,climbing wall, picnic tables, benches, and fence. Instructstudents to create a treasure hunt paragraph usingwords from the Poster. Examine the words in the ShowingLocation section of the Poster and indicate that studentsshould use at least three words from this section.

After students have completed their maps and treasurehunt paragraphs, have them switch papers with apartner. Encourage the pairs to evaluate the treasurehunt clues for clarity. Display the reproducibles on abulletin board near the Poster.

Mighty Middle IdentificationCopy and distribute the Mighty Middle IdentificationReproducible for students to identify and underlinetransition words in sentences. After the studentscomplete the reproducible, review the answers as a class.Have students turn in the reproducible and make a list oftransition words that were difficult for each student. Usethe information to plan future group review.

Mighty Middles Poster



Finally, a Tasty Snack Reproducible


Name:

Transition Word Treasure Hunt Reproducible


Mighty Middle Identification Reproducible


Documents

Bold Beginnings Bring Writing to Life! Poster on your purchase of the Really Good Stuff® Bold Beginnings Bring Writing to Life! Poster— the perfect way to introduce your students