Literacy News

Seven Steps to Writing Success

 "Seven Steps to Writing Success is a writing program that empowers teachers to inspire their students to rapidly improve their writing skills, and most importantly, learn to love writing! Seven Steps creates engaging classrooms where students learn to love writing and become lifelong communicators."  ( Seven Steps Website: Why choose seven steps?) Seven Steps  assists students to learn a successful, exciting,  planned way to write with a focus on brainstorming and developing ideas. 

The first step that our students explored was that of SIZZLING STARTS.  Nobody likes to pick up a book that starts off with a boring, long winded, tired beginning. Instead we love to read books where the story starts with ACTION! Where we are taken away to where the story is happening right there and then! This is called a hook and its what makes us want to keep reading.  Jen McVeity (creator of Seven Steps) tells us that as authors, we have just seven seconds to hook a reader in.   Her TOP TIP for a sizzling start is, "A great story should instantly grab the reader’s attention. Start where the action is, not at the beginning of the day when nothing is  happening. "

Our students have learnt that a sizzling start could include:

- a moment of action

- onomatopoeia  (word that mimics the sound of the object or action it refers to eg.. snap, pop, slam, splash)

- the 5 senses (sight, smell, touch, taste, sound)

Here are some of the sizzling starts that our students have come up with:

A blast of gold light hits my eyes with a 'ching'. Everyone stops and stares...... I WON! by Anna Maria 3/4

Crash, crash! I'm in the lost raptor city. I read the sign as I hear footsteps behind me. I start to run.... by Fabio 3/4

"Ahhhh, it's so fast! My hair is flying! Wahoo, this is the best ride ever" by Julian 3/4

What's that? I can see it's blue. What is it? It smells disgusting..... by Frank 3/4

"Stairs are boring!" wailed Ashleigh.... by Leah 3/4

"Ouch!" I stepped on a rock, but was it...... by Julian 3/4

Wow. That star is soaring through the air. I wonder where it's going. by Isaac 3/4

"Squeak!" As i got the ball, my whole body was shaking. When I pointed the ball at the ring, my teammates were shouting, "You can do it!" My palms were sweating, would I get it in? by Scarlett 3/4

Crash! The boat smashed into the rocks. Violet fell out and hit her head.... by Alanna

Next Issue: Tightening the Tension