Hook the Reader, Reel ‘em In!

Hook the Reader, Reel ‘em In!
Do you struggle with getting your students to be creative with how to begin their writing piece?  One common mistake that I see on occasion with my students is when they write a general statement as their audience hook.  For example, “Today I am going to write about…”  How can you teach your students to begin their writing with a sentence that leaves a lasting impression on the reader? Why is that important?
The importance of “the hook!”
	Take a few seconds and think about your favorite movie or your favorite book.  Think back to the very beginning of that book or movie.  What was it about that beginning that kept your attention?  What was so great about that beginning that made you want to keep watching or reading?  Immediate engagement is key if you want the target audience to crave more.  Why not teach our students how to do this through writing?  Yes!  Let’s teach them how to “hook the reader, and reel ‘em in!”
A fantastic hook tells the reader, “Drop everything you’re doing, and read me right now!”
So, how can you teach your students to write an audience hook that is appropriate for their type of writing?
	When it comes to teaching students writing it is very important to teach each part in small steps.  One of those very important steps is teaching them how to write a good audience hook.   As one of my starting points, I invite students to look at different books and articles.  Together, we discuss the different types of audience hooks.  We talk about why they caught our attention or why they didn’t.  This discussion allows students to see just how important it is for a writer to catch the reader’s attention.  It’s also a great way for them to see that there are different ways to reel the reader into the text.   As a second grade teacher, there are four different ways in which I teach students to form their audience hooks.    One way I teach students to hook the reader is through the use of onomatopoeia: words that convey sound.  For example, “Ribbit, Ribbit! A frog hopped past me,” or “Boom!  I heard a loud crash in my backyard.”  As a reader, wouldn’t you want to know what that sound was?  I know I would!  Another way to hook the reader would be through dialogue.  For example, ““Go away!” I told my sister.”  The reader would probably want to know what the sister was doing.  Or how about teaching students how to hook the reader with a question?  For example, “Have you ever been to the zoo?”  I teach students that if the reader can make a connection to the hook then they will more than likely want to keep reading.  Lastly, I teach students how to create an interesting hook by using the setting--where and when does your story take place?  For example, “One dark and stormy night…” or “One bright, sunny day in the field…” When instructing your students how to write a hook introduce them to one or two types of hooks at a time.  Do not overwhelm yourself or your students with too much information. Take it one small step at a time.  Before you know it, your students will be writing some fantastic hooks independently! Inspiring Minds, Melissa Hernandez