In this episode, we explore teaching students to write narrative hooks.  Crafting narrative hooks can be fun and a chance for students to get creative, but it often comes with its challenges—some students grasp it effortlessly, while others need more guidance and support.

I've experimented with various techniques over the years and honed in on a set of reliable strategies. Before diving into narrative hooks, it's good practice for students to have their narrative topics brainstormed and partially planned. This sets the stage for immediate application post-hook instruction.

1. Introduce Narrative Hooks with Notes & Examples - notes are not always glamorous and engaging, but a simple twist can make it less daunting for students. 

2. Identify and Analyze Narrative Hooks - highlighting various hook types provide the opportunity for  students to analyze real-world examples, fostering discussions on effectiveness and nuances within hooks.

3. Practice Narrative Hooks -  using picture prompts, students get a chance to practice. Groups craft hooks for images, inviting discussions on hook types, writer’s craft, and evaluating published works.

4. Brainstorm - bringing concepts together, a class-wide or small-group brainstorm solidifies understanding. Co-writing examples sparks creativity, assesses student comfort levels, and encourages collaborative writing.

5. Write Narrative Hooks - students apply learned skills to their narrative hook. Crafting hooks becomes a structured yet creative process, fostering peer feedback and teacher-student conferences for refinement.

Show notes: annotatedela.com/episode35

Follow along on Instagram @annotatedela

Links and resources mentioned in this episode

 5 Simple Ways to Teach Narrative Hooks in Middle School 

Hooks in Narrative Writing and the 6 Types of Hooks to Engage Readers

Narrative Writing Hooks 

Plot Diagram for Narrative Writing

Melissa Burch 0:00

Hey friends welcome back to another episode of annotated ELA. Teaching students to write narrative hooks is fun and students are excited to start, but rarely do all things that go as planned. There are always students who seem to get it, students who are almost there, and students who need loads of scaffolding. I know this is true of every lesson in every class. Over the years, I have tried different strategies and activities. But I always come back to some of my tried and true favorite lessons. And here are some tips to get and keep students excited and engaged when writing narrative hooks.

Melissa Burch 0:37

A little disclaimer or pro tip before I have my students learn about hooks, we have been brainstorming and planning topics for narrative writing, I try to have the students have a plot diagram filled in, and even kind of a starter an outline to the narrative. I like them to have a narrative waiting, or at least a good idea of one because after teaching students to write narrative hooks, they can apply the learning immediately to their writing.

Melissa Burch 1:07

If you're looking for more help on all things, narrative hooks, there is a resource narrative writing hooks that will provide everything you need to teach hooks like a pro, check it out, the link will be in the show notes.

Melissa Burch 1:21

The first step is to introduce narrative hooks with notes and examples and talk about sucking the fun out of a room. Go ahead and ask students to take notes. Making notes quick and simple will alleviate a lot of work and provide a resource for students to keep throughout the year, making it worth the time and the effort that you do put into it. Here are some tips for making notes quick and simple. One way is to have ready made notes for reference, just handing students the notes that are done for them saves time and stress. A quick presentation in class discussion about the notes will help reinforce the information that's provided on those ready made notes. And you can have students highlight, underline, or take doodle notes while reviewing the notes that you give to them. These are ways to keep them engaged while reviewing the information and tend not to take up as much time as having students write. However, there is something to be said for students writing and moving and doing another way to take notes as interactive notebooks coloring, cutting and gluing gives students a hands on activity and makes writing the notes less daunting and the information easily digestible. And it's something they've created if time allows. Another way to get students to be excited about actually writing the notes is to set up the interactive notes or to give them fill in the blank ready made notes and put the words and the definitions or the I mean the types of hooks and the definitions around the room or the hallway and send them on a hunt to take the notes. I know that might sound simple or silly. But I just did this with my seventh graders on Friday for some poetry terms. They had the little flip book flaps in their notebook and they walked around and found the definitions. It didn't take much time and they were super engaged and quiet all day Friday getting those notes down, give it a try. Your middle schoolers might love it. Taking the notes, you can hand out ready made notes and have students just mark and highlight and doodle on the ready made notes. You can provide full on interactive notebooks. Or you can just set up the definitions around the room and have the students go and find the types of hooks and the definitions for them. I teach my students, six different types of hooks. And all of this is included in the resource ready and done for you. You can do a mix of those three things, whatever's going to work in your class with your students for the time you have.

Melissa Burch 3:53

The next step is to identify and analyze narrative hooks and I call this a scavenger hunt. After taking notes and teaching hooks and narrative writing, get the students up and thinking about what narrative hooks look like in action. Again, I call it a scavenger hunt. But it's just stations set up around the room in the hallway that highlight the six types of hooks. Students don't mind that I call it a scavenger hunt because they hear it they get up and they go, I have the students move through the stations and identify the hooks with a quick sentence that explains which hook it is and how the students know it is that type of hook. So there are books set up all over and the students read the hook the first line or paragraph in the book and it can be picture books or chapter books. I like to do silly picture books that keeps it short and fun and engaging. But I do throw in some chapter books and the students can identify the hooks and then we gather as a class and debrief. I asked students to identify the hooks and discuss why the hook is effective or not. And there's always some discussion about hooks being more than one One type. And this is important because hooks do tend to be elements of each other, a student might find a dialogue hook, but it's also introducing a character. There are many different variations of how hooks can be used. And if you don't have time for this activity, you can always read the first few lines from books or use the beginnings from the book in the scavenger hunt, and then complete the activity as a whole class or in small groups. This does not need to be done at stations, you can just pass out books to table groups and have them analyze a couple and then discuss or you as the teacher could read a couple out loud. I think this is an important step to identify and analyze narrative hooks and show students that what is being taught real writers use because they are real writers.

Melissa Burch 5:46

Step number three is to practice, practice, practice those narrative hooks and this is always a favorite activity. Because the students have a chance to be creative and practice, I have a couple of ways that we practice narrative hooks. And a lot of times I let the time we have, my students abilities, and my gut help me make decisions on which activities I will do to have students practice. But this is a favorite activity. If you've ever heard of the Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg. The kids love it. You can use pictures from anywhere, though, but I use the Mysteries of Harris Burdick and the kids are always so enchanted by the story of a man who drops off ideas for stories and then never returns. So I grab that book, I pair students or make groups of three for this activity, I introduce the book and read the introduction of it, I hand out a picture to each group from the book, and the students choose a type of hook and write a hook for the picture. So they're just using the picture from the book using one of our six types of hooks from their notes and crafting a hook. And then the students pass the pictures to the right to the next group on the right and then continue on until the groups have had a chance to practice three to four of the six types of narrative hooks. Finally, the students share their group hooks and the picture that it goes with and the other groups like to make guesses on which narrative hook the group use after every group has had a chance to share a couple. We read the title and the one sentence that actually goes with the picture in the Mysteries of Harris Burdick, the students will discuss which type of hook was used and if they liked it, or if they think there's or what other classmates was better. And this is a great time to evaluate published writers. They are reading like writers and they're comparing themselves to real writers because again, they are real writers, we always have so much fun doing this. We enjoy the lessons so much that as we continue through the year, I like to read The Chronicles of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg, and the 14 other authors who decided to bring the pictures and the sentences from the Mysteries of Harris Burdick to life. There are some practice lesson modifications that I use to save time. If you want to read about the way that I modify this Harrisburdick lesson. To save time, check out my blog post "Five Simple Ways to Teach Narrative Hooks in Middle School" and you can find it at annotatedela.com/episode 35 and the link to that blog will be in the show notes. I've got some modifications you can make to save time and still have students analyze and practice hooks.

Melissa Burch 8:24

Step four is to brainstorm This is an important time to bring it all together as a class or in small groups and gauge student comfort level with the narrative hook writing. As a class we brainstorm one example of each hook type on an anchor chart or I'll pull small groups while the class works on their narratives. Either way, I like to have a visual in the room for each hook. This is always helpful and provides an opportunity to write as a class I can model thinking aloud writing as we write co writing with the class is also a great formative assessment I can quickly gauge a student's ability and comfort level with drafting hooks. It also creates a writing community nothing is more rewarding than producing as a class and bringing it all together. Finally, brainstorming opens a final conversation about what makes a great hook. The class talks about adding details focusing on the plot and storyline and thinking like a writer because they are taking the reader into consideration when they write and I want them to remember that.

Melissa Burch 9:27

Finally, step five is to write those narrative hooks. It's time teaching narrative hooks has led to this have the students write hooks for their narrative. Having a plot diagram or even a draft like I mentioned before is essential for writing hooks, because the hook not only captures the reader's attention, but it also introduces the reader to the story. If you're looking for plot diagram ideas. I do have a resource plot diagram for narrative writing and the link will be in the show notes. The students write three different narrative hooks for class is choosing from the notes they have taken and all of the practicing we've been doing. And while students are drafting hooks, I like to call up small groups, individual students or even visit with them at their desks to conference on their narrative hook. This does take precious time to teach narrative hooks and fill in gaps that you have noticed throughout the note taking your practice activities. But as students complete their hooks, you're going to see the payoff. I promise. After students have drafted a couple of narrative hooks, I like them to have options, I encourage them to get with partners to share what each has written and provide positive feedback. I do have a feedback sheet that's included in the resource for students to use when doing this. And finally, after the students have written a couple of hooks and had a classmate, check them out and even had time to chat with me. They write the winning narrative hook on an exit ticket and turn it in before they leave. The winning narrative hook on the exit ticket allows me or any teacher to review students learning and provide feedback for teaching narrative hooks. It's just another chance to provide that feedback. And this is the golden ticket immediate feedback for students an opportunity to plan or reteach or provide an extension for small groups or the whole class. It reduces grading time at the end of the writing assignment, and it builds confidence and writing and the students ability to make changes as they go. When feedback is provided. In real time, students are more likely to make the changes suggested and you're going to enjoy what you're reading more at the end of the lesson. Not to mention, you'll already have a really really good idea of what the student is turning in and it will save tons of grading time I promise.

Some final thoughts and tips. hooks are usually the last thing that I have the students do. Having the entire narrative written helps students have a complete understanding of the plot and storyline and it focuses their hook. This step provides more clarity and focus for the students to write their hooks that alleviates some of the I don't know what to write. Take this tip a step further and have the students write a one to two-sentence summary of their plot. This helps focus the students on the meat of the story and improves the hook even further. Writing the hook after the story allows the writer to be clear on how to hook the reader.

Listen, I have questioned if teaching hooks and narrative writing in this way is worth the time and effort. There's so much pressure to keep moving, focusing on all of the standards, especially the standards that everyone feels the kids are tested on and improve those scores. But here's my mantra. I am teaching writers, not the writing. And I am teaching readers, not the reading.The humans in front of me and their needs guide my instruction. If pieces of this lesson aren't necessary for a group of students skip it. If some students need the practice, use it in a small group or make it a mini lesson during writing time as a review. Remember, use what you and your students need and leave the rest.

Let's recap really quickly the steps: introduce narrative hooks with notes and examples. Identify and analyze narrative hooks. Practice those narrative hooks. Brainstorm some really good hooks as a class and then go ahead and write those hooks. Be sure to check out the show notes for all of the activities mentioned in this episode at annotated ela.com/episode35 and friends, until next time, remember, the magic is in the process.