"A book, too, can be a star, 'explosive material, capable of stirring up fresh life endlessly,' a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe." - from Madeleine L'Engle's Newberry Medal Acceptance Speech

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Drafting Picture Books: Leads


Leads for Picture Book Stories
1.       Reread the beginning of your mentor text. How does the writer begin the story? What type of lead is it?
a.       Terrible Things:

b.       The Lorax:

c.        Freedom Summer:

d.       And Tango Makes Three:

e.       The Librarian of Basra:

2.       What are other types of leads for a short story?



3.       For a thorough list of leads, go to pp. 18-19: http://www.ket.org/education/guides/pd/teachingtheshortstory.pdf.

1 comment:

  1. Terrible Things:
    – setting, introduces characters, feelings
    - Introduces problem/clue of conflict

    b. The Lorax:
    - Setting and mood (sad and dreary)
    - Creates a lot of mystery
    c. Freedom Summer:
    - Brief intro to characters (JHW is my best friend…)
    - Narrator asserts and gives you facts about characters
    - Language and mood are established
    - Important observations
    d. And Tango Makes Three:
    - Describes setting – what kind of place
    - Mood: emphasizes how happy the zoo is and kids and families like to go there
    - language is relatable to children
    - goes from general to specific
    - stresses “families” which is main issue of story
    e. The Librarian of Basra:
    - begins with a quotation from the subject of the text, Ms. Baker
    - shows important theme – books
    2. What are other types of leads for a short story?
    - Describe setting
    - Describe mood
    - Introduce characters and conflict
    - Begin with quotation
    - Start off with action
    - Begin with dialogue
    - Question
    - Clever rhyme
    - Hints/clues of the conflict
    - Feelings and thoughts of the main character
    - “Once upon a time…” – fairy tale; familiar; lightens beginning

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