Composition Interventions

An introduction gives a preview of the material that follows. Strong introductions include both a hook and a thesis statement (or topic sentence), and also communicate a sense of the writer's purpose in composing the paper (aside from the fact that it was required for school, of course). Ruth Culham advises us that "When students have a good understanding of what they want to write about and take time to narrow the topic and gather their thoughts, they feel the energy and enthusiasm to begin." The introductory paragraph is perhaps the most important one of all — a strong introduction will not merely inform the reader of what he will find as he continues reading, but will make him genuinely want to do so. This page includes intervention strategies that you can use to support your student in this area. 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 introduction, you should start by explicitly teaching the skill. This sounds like:

• Explain the Skill/Concept. Define writing an introduction, and explain the activity. ("Writing a strong introduction means composing a paragraph that motivates the audience to keep reading." "Today, we'll be doing some activities that will help us write strong introductions..." )
• Model Skill with Examples. Think aloud about writing an introduction with a hook. ("When I write an introduction, I want to open with a line that hooks the reader. For example, if I write a paper about my grandmother, I might start the paragraph by writing, 'Do you know the secret to the most delicious pan de muertos in the world? My grandmother does.' See how I started my introduction with a question? That helped hook the reader because it makes her want to read the paper in order to learn the answer.")
• Model Skill with Non-Examples. Think aloud about writing an introduction without a hook . ("Now, what if I decided that I would start my paper a different way, without the hook. I might write, 'My grandmother is the person I picked to write about.' Does that draw the reader in? No. It makes it sound as though the writer only composed the paper because it was a school assignment — and you can't expect anyone to be interested in reading your paper if you open it by announcing that you yourself weren't even interested in writing it.")
• Practice the Skill. Engage in one or more of the activities below to practice writing strong introductions. ("Now, let's practice writing strong introductions...")

If your student struggles to begin his paper, teach him how other writers have chosen to begin their work through Mentor Texts. 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 budget plenty of time for discussion of the techniques the writer has used to open her work. Then, have your student incorporate the techniques into his introduction. Over time, you may want to introduce more than one mentor text at a time, in order to give your student choice about how he wants to begin his work as well as to show him that, although there are some tasks that a good introduction must accomplish, there really isn't one official "right" way to begin a piece of writing.

Culham recommends using the following techniques to begin a piece of writing:

• Asking a thought-provoking question to make the reader wonder
• A little "sip" of the conclusion to get the reader's attention and pique her interest
• A funny story or anecdote to set a humorous tone (if appropriate)
• A list of main points to introduce the argument in a serious, logical, and straightforward manner
• A dramatic, sweeping, or eye-opening statement
• An interesting or inspiring quotation
• Strong descriptive language that paints a picture for the reader

As an example, read the following excerpt, which is the introductory paragraph to Natalie Babbitt's (1975) Tuck Everlasting. Note how the author uses descriptive language to paint a picture for the reader as well as incorporating a little "sip" of the conclusion ("when people are led to do things they are sure to be sorry for after") to pique the reader's interest— of course, we refer to this as foreshadowing when the text is narrative fiction, but the principle is the same.

The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of a live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses on its turning.The weeks that come before are only a climb from balmy spring, and those that follow a drop to the chill of autumn, but the first week of August is motionless, and hot. It is curiously silent, too, with blank white dawns and glaring noons, and sunsets smeared with too much color. Often at night there is lightning, but it quivers all alone. There is no thunder, no relieving rain, These are the strange and breathless days, the dog days, when people are led to do things they are sure to be sorry for after.

Mentor Texts in Action

Watch as Ms. Reardon teaches her students about strong introductions using mentor texts, including asking a thought-provoking question to make the reader wonder.

The below activities use mentor texts to teach narrative writing. As you read, reflect: How do mentor texts help make a student's writing stronger?

Activity A: Crafting a Lead
If your student is beginning all of his papers the same way and is ready to learn about various other techniques for writing introductions, teach Crafting a Lead (Fletcher & Portalupi, 1998). This strategy uses a mentor text to teach a student about writing interesting introductions.

Crafting a Lead in Action
Share two introductions with a student: one that is from a mentor text and is interesting, and one that is just a summary statement of what's to come. Then, discuss what the writer does to make the introduction interesting. "As I read this introduction, 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?
Crafting a Lead, Fiction

Fletcher, R., & Portalupi, J. (2007). Craft lessons: Teaching writing K-8. 2. ed. Stenhouse Publ.

Activity B: Give-Away Lead
An alternate way to teach struggling readers to write interesting introductions is to teach Give-Away Lead. (Fletcher & Portalupi, 1998). This strategy uses a mentor text to teach a student how to provide a "sip" of the conclusion, as Culham calls it, in the introduction.

Give-Away Lead in Action
Share a mentor text with students that uses a give-away lead. Then, discuss what the writer does to make the introduction strong and draw in the reader. "As I read this introduction, 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?

Give Away Lead, Fiction

Fletcher, R., & Portalupi, J. (2007). Craft lessons: Teaching writing K-8. 2. ed. Stenhouse Publ.

The below activities use mentor texts to teach expository writing. As you read, reflect: How do mentor texts help make a student's writing stronger?

Activity C: Writing a Narrative Lead
If your student is struggling to write an interesting introduction in an expository piece of writing, teach Writing a Narrative Lead (Portalupi & Fletcher, 2001). This strategy uses a mentor text to teach a student how to use narrative-writing style to bring informational writing to life.

Narrative Lead in Action
Share a mentor text with students that uses a narrative lead. Then, discuss what the writer does to make the introduction interesting. "As I read this introduction, see if you can identify how the writer uses a narrative lead to make the piece 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?

Writing Narrative Lead, Non-Fiction

Portalupi, J., & Fletcher, R. (2001).Craft Lessons: Teaching Informational Writing K-8. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Activity D: Writing an Introduction
If your student is struggling to write a clear and concise introduction to an expository piece, teach Writing an Introduction (Portalupi & Fletcher, 2001). This strategy uses a mentor text to teach a student how to write with purpose.

Writing an Introduction in Action
Share a mentor text with students that uses a clear and concise introduction. Then, discuss what the writer does to make introduction strong. "As I read this introduction, see if you can figure out what makes it strong. 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?

Writing an Introduction, Non-Fiction

Portalupi, J., & Fletcher, R. (2001).. Craft Lessons: Teaching Informational Writing K-8. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Activity E: Writing a Topic Sentence
If your student is struggling to develop a clear topic sentence, teach Writing a Topic Sentence (Portalupi & Fletcher, 2001). This strategy uses a mentor text to teach a student how a topic sentence can be used to tell you what the paragraph is about.

Writing a Topic Sentence in Action
Share a mentor text with students that uses a strong topic sentence. Then, discuss what the writer does to make the topic sentence strong. "As I read this topic sentence, see if you can figure out what makes it strong. 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?

Writing a Topic Sentence, Non-Fiction

Portalupi, J., & Fletcher, R. (2001). Craft Lessons: Teaching Informational Writing K-8. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Babbitt, N. (1975). Tuck everlasting. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus, Giroux.
Culham, R. (2003). 6 + 1 Traits of writing. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Think about the following scenario, which takes place after a teacher has explicitly taught a student strategies for selecting a topic:
Teacher: "How do you want to begin your story?"
Student: "I don't know... Maybe my story is about frogs."

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.

If your student struggles to meet your objective, there are various techniques that you might try to adjust the activity to your student's needs.