A conclusion summarizes the important points made in the story. It serves as a reminder of the key take-aways that a reader should remember from the piece of writing. Ruth Culham writes:
The scourge for all writers is how to end the piece. An ending rounds out writing, ties up details, and leaves the reader with a feeling of satisfaction and resolution... All writers seem to agree that knowing how and when to end a piece is one of the trickiest parts of "getting it right." Sometimes students just don't know any other way to finish their piece other than, "The End," or "That's all I know about this subject." Let students know that writers will often work the ending over and over until they are finally satisfied. (p. 96).
This page includes intervention strategies that you can use to support your student in writing a strong conclusion. As you read, consider which of these interventions best aligns with your student's strengths and needs in the whole-learner domains.
Explicit Instruction
If you are intervening to support your student's ability to write a strong conclusion, you should start by explicitly teaching the skill. This sounds like:
If your student is struggling with writing a conclusion, support him in the same way you would for writing an introduction: look to writers. You'll want to share excerpts from the genre that your student is currently working in. When you are first beginning to use mentor texts, share only one at a time, and make plenty of time to discuss the techniques the writer has used to open her work. Then, have your student incorporate the same techniques into his conclusion. Over time, you may want to introduce more than one mentor text at a time to give your student choice about how he wants to conclude his work.
Culham recommends the following techniques to use when concluding a piece of writing. As you read, keep in mind that some of these techniques might work better in some genres than others.
Mentor Texts in Action
Share short excerpts from novels, books, and student work that highlight how writers choose to conclude their work. Then, talk with the student about how the conclusion summarizes what has been written and leaves the reader satisfied. "Let's take a look at how some authors decided to conclude their work. Pay special attention to how they sum up their writing in order to help the reader understand the most important points."
Watch this clip to see how Ms.Reardon has students analyze the key points that MLK concludes with in his speech.
The below activities use mentor texts to teach narrative conclusions. As you read, reflect: How do mentor texts help make a student's conclusion stronger?
Activity A: Experiment with Endings
If your student is ending all of his papers the same way and is ready to learn about various techniques to write conclusions, teach Experiment with Endings (Fletcher & Portalupi, 1998). This strategy uses a mentor text to raise awareness about how different writers end their stories.
Experiment with Endings in Action
Discuss different types of endings with the student. Then, share a mentor text that uses a different and interesting way to conclude a story. Discuss what the writer does to make the conclusion interesting. "As I read this conclusion, see if you can figure out what makes it interesting. Then, we'll apply the same techniques to your own writing."
As you read the PDF below, consider: How does the teacher use a mentor text effectively to teach this strategy?
Experiment Endings, Fiction
Fletcher, R., & Portalupi, J. (2007). Craft lessons: Teaching writing K-8. 2. ed. Stenhouse Publ.
Activity B: Emotional Endings
If your student is struggling to incorporate emotions into his writing, teach Emotional Endings (Fletcher & Portalupi, 1998). This strategy uses student writing samples as mentor texts to teach writing conclusions that are emotional.
Emotional Endings in Action
Share one or more student writing samples as mentor texts. Then, discuss what the students do to create emotional experiences for the reader. "As I read this conclusion, see if you can identify how the writer creates emotional experiences for the reader through the conclusion. Then, we'll apply the same techniques to your own writing."
As you read the PDF below, consider: How does the teacher use a mentor text effectively to teach this strategy?
Fletcher, R., & Portalupi, J. (2007). Craft lessons: Teaching writing K-8. 2. ed. Stenhouse Publ.
Activity C: Circular Endings
If your student ends all of his writing pieces with THE END or "That's All!," teach Circular Endings (Fletcher & Portalupi, 1998). This strategy uses a mentor text to teach a student how to write a conclusion that circles back to the beginning.
Circular Endings in Action
Share a mentor text with students that uses a circular ending. Then, discuss what the writer does so as to relate the conclusion to the introduction. "As I read this conclusion, see if you can identify how the writer uses a circular ending that reminds the reader of how the story began. Then, we'll apply the same techniques to your own writing."
As you read the PDF below, consider: How does the teacher use a mentor text effectively to teach this strategy?
Fletcher, R., & Portalupi, J. (2007). Craft lessons: Teaching writing K-8. 2. ed. Stenhouse Publ.
Activity D: Surprise Endings
If your student has mastered writing endings that summarize the story and is ready for a challenge, teach Surprise Endings (Fletcher & Portalupi, 1998). This strategy uses a mentor text to teach a student how to write a conclusion that surprises the reader.
Surprise Endings in Action
Share a mentor text with students that uses a surprise ending. Then, discuss how the writer sets up the paper so that the ending is a surprise. "As I read this conclusion, see if you can identify how the writer set up his paper to allow him to write the surprise ending. Then, we'll apply the same techniques to your own writing."
As you read the PDF below, consider: How does the teacher use a mentor text effectively to teach this strategy?
Fletcher, R., & Portalupi, J. (2007). Craft lessons: Teaching writing K-8. 2. ed. Stenhouse Publ.
The below activities use mentor texts to teach expository conclusions. As you read, reflect: How do mentor texts help make a student's conclusion stronger?
Activity E: End with a Bang!
If your student runs out of things to say in his expository paper and writes weak endings as a result, teach End with a Bang! (Portalupi & Fletcher, 2001). This strategy uses a mentor text to teach a student how to use powerful and interesting details (including a fact, quote, story, or image) to conclude a paper.
End with a Bang! in Action
Share an expository mentor text that has a strong, detailed conclusion. Then, discuss what the writer does to make the conclusion interesting. "As I read this conclusion, see if you can identify what kinds of details the writer included to end the story with a bang. Then, we'll apply the same techniques to your own writing."
As you read the PDF below, consider: How does the teacher use a mentor text effectively to teach this strategy?
Portalupi, J., & Fletcher, R. (2001).Craft Lessons: Teaching Informational Writing K-8. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Think about the following scenario, which takes place after a teacher has explicitly taught a student strategies for writing a conclusion:
Teacher: "How do you want to conclude your story? What key points do you want to make?"
Student: "I don't know... Say, 'The End!'"
In such a case, what might you do?
When you are planning your lessons, you should anticipate that your student will make errors throughout. Here are a series of prompts that you can use to respond to errors. Keep in mind that all students are different, and that a given student might respond better to some types of feedback than to others.
| Level of Support | Description of Scaffold | Script |
|---|---|---|
| Smallest Scaffold | Check your Resources. As you continue to use these interventions, your student should have lots of techniques in his notebook to choose from. Ask the student to refer back to the notebook. | "Look in your notebook: what techniques have you used in the past to write strong conclusions?" |
| Medium Scaffold | Back it Up. If a student is struggling, back up your process. | "Okay, let's back up. What are the key points you make in your story?" |
| Highest Scaffold | Step by Step. If the student continues to struggle, walk him through each step, providing examples along the way. | "I'm going to read through your story, and you tell me the key points. Then, we'll write a paragraph using those key points." |
If your student struggles to meet your objective, there are various techniques that you might try in order to adjust the activity so as best to meet your student's needs.
| Activity | Description of Strategy | Script |
|---|---|---|
| Mentor Texts | Read Aloud! Read the student a variety of introductions to get his creative juices flowing | "Listen as I read a few conclusions. Then, tell me which one sounded most interesting, and we'll talk about how you could use the same technique in your own conclusion." |