1.  WHAT’S THE STORY?

3.  SETTING: WHEN AND WHERE THE STORY TAKES PLACE  CHARACTERS: WHO ARE THE PEOPLE IN THE STORY  STORY SITUATION/BACKGROUND INFORMATION: WHAT’S GOING ON WHEN THE STORY STARTS

4. ALL OF THE EVENTS THAT BUILD SUSPENSE/TENSION CONFLICT: PROBLEM(S) OF THE STORY  SHOWS THE PROTAGONIST/ANTAGONIST  GENERALLY HAPPENS EARLY IN THE RISING ACTION.  WHY???  EACH EVENT AFTER THAT COMPOUNDS THE PROBLEM (CONFLICT) TO INCREASE THE TENSION

5. AFTER BUILDING AND BUILDING AND BUILDING… Action reaches a critical point. The tension reaches a peak. THE LAST STRAW!! THE VOLCANO ERUPTS!! YOUR TEACHER WRITES YOU UP!!

6. TENSION DECREASES, BUT THE CONFLICT ISN’T SOLVED JUST YET. IT “SLOWS DOWN” DURING THE FALLING ACTION. IT’S THAT QUIET AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE, WHEN PEOPLE BEGIN TO PICK UP THE PIECES OF THEIR LIVES. IT’S THE MOMENT YOU REALIZED THAT YOU WERE WRONG AND YOUR PARENTS WERE RIGHT TO YELL AT YOU. …THAT MOMENT JUST BEFORE YOU FIND A SOLUTION…

7. THE PROBLEM OR CONFICT IS SOLVED AND THE STORY ENDS. WHAT THE CHARACTERS DO THAT SOLVES THE ORGINAL PROBLEM/CONFLICT(S) USUALLY THIS HAPPENS AT THE END OF THE STORY.

8. WRITE A PLOT DIAGRAM OF THE LAST BOOK YOU READ.

9.  WHY WOULD THE READER WANT TO READ THIS?

10.  GIVE THEM A REASON TO KEEP READING  MAKE IT INTERESTING ENOUGH FOR THEM  DECIDE WHETHER YOU WOULD WANT TO KEEP READING IF YOU FOUND A PIECE OF WRITING THAT BEGAN THE WAY YOURS DOES

11. 1. Provocative Question—shock the reader and make him/her think critically. 2. Anecdote - Quick story that is related to your main idea. 3. Move from general to specific—in other words move from big to small with your details. 4. Correct a common misconception—prove wrong something that people tend to just “believe to be true.” 5. Use a hypothetical situation---”Suppose you were…” 6. Imagery—use descriptive detail to set the scene.

12. A RHETORICAL QUESTION OR A SERIES OF RHETORICAL QUESTIONS!!! YOU ARE IN 7 TH GRADE!!! YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT!!!

13. WHAT ARE SOME INTERESTING THINGS YOU NOTICE ABOUT THESE HOOKS: The tall, broad giant had big muscles, and was tall like an large oak tree. I knew just what to do about the alien. No, I will not eat carrots again. I hate carrots!

14.  DOES THE READER FEEL LIKE YOUR PIECE IS OVER?

15. MAKE THE READER FEEL LIKE YOU ARE FINISHED  Opener, sentence ( Although it was a long day, we certainly accomplished everything we set out to do. )  Restate your MAIN IDEA ( My entire family depended heavily on me that dreary January afternoon. )  Draw a Conclusion ( I learned from this experience that sometimes you win, and sometimes you just lose. However, what matters it how you played the game. )

16. CERTAINLY, CLEARLY, INDEED, OBVIOUSLY, THUS, TRULY, ALTOGETHER,

17. REPEATING A WORD OR PHRASE WILL HELP EMPHASIZE YOUR MAIN IDEA. USE APPROPRIATE EMOTION TO ENGAGE THE READER ON YOUR TOPIC. END ON A POSITIVE NOTE (LEAVE THEM WITH A SENSE OF HOPE).

18. WITH YOUR TEAM, DISCUSS ANY CONCLUDING ELEMENTS YOU NOTICE IN THE FOLLOWING CONCLUSION: A criminal, no matter his/her age, should be dealt with according to the crime. The legal system is too lenient when it comes to juvenile offenders. Laws need to be rewritten immediately so that no more hard core criminals go free just because they are juveniles.