Strategy: Writing a Strong Lead (Snapshot Setting) Book Title: Owl Moon Author: Jane Yolen Grade Level:

2-4 Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.3 Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3a Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.3a Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally. Summary: Owl Moon chronicles the journey of a young girl as she follows her father into the woods to go owling. The girl articulates the silent trek through the dark forest as her father calls out to a greathorned owl. When the pair is about to return home, they hear the call of the owl in the distance and eventually see it as it flies above them. Owl Moon, a Caldecott Medal winner, provides descriptions of the setting that compliment the beauty of the watercolor paintings. Goals: The students will identify the lead of a story as a snapshot setting. I can find snapshot settings in stories I read. The students will use snapshot settings to craft leads to their stories. I can use a snapshot setting to craft a lead to my story. Anticipatory Set: Explain that knowing how to start a piece of writing can sometimes be very challenging for an author. Tell students that there are many ways to begin a story and we, as authors, can look at what other authors do to start their writing. We can use strategies authors use in our own writing to start our stories in powerful ways. Explain that a lead in writing refers to the way the author starts a story. A lead is like a hook that grabs the reader and sets the stage for the story that follows. Read the leads to 3 or 4 books students are familiar with to help students start thinking about how authors choose to start their stories. Examples: Read the first three pages of The Recess Queen by Alexis ONeill. Ask students, What did you think about the way the author introduced the story? What did you notice? Explain that the author uses a description of the main character to start the story. We know all about

everything the Recess Queen does to other students! Ask students, Do you think this is a good lead? Why or why not? Read the first page of Tomas and the Library Lady by Pat Mora. Explain that the author paints a picture of the scene and tells us how Tomas feels about it. Ask students, What did you like about this lead? Do you think this lead makes you want to keep reading? Read the first two pages of One Tiny Turtle by Nicola Davies. Ask students, What did you notice about this lead? Explain that they author paints a picture of the setting to begin this nonfiction story. Ask students, How is this lead different from the Recess Queen lead? Why do you think they are different? Input: Task Analysis: Discuss the importance of writing a good lead. Why is it important that the author writes a good lead? Introduce Owl Moon by Jane Yolen. Read the story in days prior to lesson if possible. If students have not heard the story before, show students the illustrations and encourage students to make predictions about the setting. If students have heard the story before, flip through the illustrations and ask students to turn and talk with a partner about words that describe the setting. Explain that Jane Yolen uses a snapshot setting to craft a lead for her story. Ask students to listen to the words she uses to create her snapshot setting lead as you read aloud. Read the first few pages of Owl Moon aloud. List the words and phrases students remembered that the author used to create the setting. Explain that a snapshot setting is a lead that opens a story by giving a snapshot, or a picture of the scene. The description helps the reader understand the setting and can set a mood or tone for the rest of the story. Ask students, How is a snapshot setting a good lead for this type of story? Why do you think so? Tell students that you will practice creating a snapshot setting together to write a lead for a story. Tell students that you are working on a piece about your first time riding a roller coaster and you think a snapshot setting might make a good lead because the setting of the story is very important to the plot. It is important that the readers can picture the amusement park in their heads because climbing up to their very top was exhausting! I want my readers to see what the amusement park looked like. Show students a photograph of the setting to help students brainstorm details about the scene to include in the lead.

Provide each student with a chart that lists the five senses. Work with students to brainstorm words about the amusement part using a photograph projected on a large screen. Model your thinking. I remember smelling the buttery popcorn. I am going to write buttery popcorn! under smell on the chart. Tell students I also remember hearing the screech of the brakes of the roller coasters as they came to a stop. I knew it was time to get on soon! I am going to write screeching brakes under hear on the chart. Ask students to brainstorm more sights, sounds, smells, or feelings they might experience at the amusement park. Add these details to the chart under the appropriate headings. Model selecting details to write a compound sentence to introduce the story. When writing my story about riding a roller coaster for the first time, I remember the smell of the popcorn as I was waiting in line. I want to lead with those details because it is the first thing I remember. The smell of the freshly popped popcorn swirled around me as dozens of people scurried from booth to booth while eating the delicious treat. I also remember hearing the roller coaster brakes squeak as it came to a halt. I knew it was almost my turn. I want to try to use those details because it paints the picture of what I saw at the amusement park. Lets try putting those details in writing. Squeaking brakes suddenly drew my attention to the roller coaster in front of me. Popcorn would have to wait. If time, divide students into small groups (2-3) and ask students to use details from the scene to practice writing a snapshot setting. Ask students to share leads. Discuss the elements that make the lead interesting and effective. (Does it grab the readers attention? Does the reader want to keep reading? Can the reader picture the scene?) Remind students that a snapshot setting describes the picture the author sees in his or her mind; therefore, it might be helpful to draw a picture of the scene or to close ones eyes and imagine the scene before writing. Ask students to close eyes and think about a story they are writing. Can you think of a story that might be improved by adding a snapshot setting as a lead? Maybe you can think of a story you would like to start writing using a snapshot setting? Lets make a list of some of the topics you are thinking about. Get out your notebooks and start looking through the pages. List students ideas. Provide examples if necessary to get students thinking (climbing a sand dune, hiking through the woods, going to a carnival)

Ask students: Could you use a snapshot setting for that story? What is the setting you would describe? You decided you would like to use a snapshot setting to write a lead to a story about sailing with your grandpa. What do you remember about the scene? Ask students to turn and share the scene they are thinking about with a partner. Ask students: What questions do you have? Encourage students to try the Snapshot Setting lead in their own writing. Dismiss students to do independent writing. Allow students to share their writing at the end of the writing workshop.

Materials: For each student: Pencil, writers notebook, five senses chart For teacher: Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, chart paper or whiteboard, marker, photograph of scene Modeling: Guide students through the process of brainstorming sensory details and imagery to use in writing a snapshot setting. Model using details and imagery to write a compound sentence/s that describes the scene. Model thinking critically about the snapshot setting to see if it is interesting to the reader. Guided Practice: The teacher will guide students through the process of selecting a topic for a snapshot setting, choosing interesting details to use in the lead, and writing a sentence or sentences that describe the scene. The teacher will also model critically thinking about the lead to determine if it is interesting to the reader (a good hook). Independent Practice: Students will use the snapshot setting lead in their own writing to create an interesting hook that grabs the readers attention. Students will practice the strategy during independent writing time and will have the opportunity to share their writing with peers at the completion of writers workshop. Assessment: The teacher will formatively assess students understanding through class and partner discussions. The teacher will also review entries in students writers notebooks and will meet with students to conference about progress. Text Information: Yolen, J. (1987). Owl moon. New York, NY: Philomel. ISBN: 9780399214578

References: Dorfman, L. R., & Cappelli, R. (2007). Mentor texts: Teaching writing through children's literature, K6 (pp. 107-116). Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers. Fletcher, R., & Portalupi, J. (2007). Craft lessons: Teaching writing K-8 (2nd ed., pp. 35, 77). Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.