WEXPN2 - Focusing on a Moment

Lesson 6 in the book (pages 70-74)

Objective: Get additional practice focusing on a moment.

Our last lesson wanted to teach students what FOCUS means and then had them practice writing a focused story.  Today's lesson has students FOCUSing their entire story on one event.


Skill Drill - Developing a Single Moment in Time:

Sample Paragraph:

Mel slipped on the ice. Fabian threw a snowball. Everyone said how cold it was that day.

Discussion:

• Is this paragraph well-written?
• Is it focused?
• How many different moments are there here?
  • A writer could write an entire story about each sentence!

Activity:

• Choose one of the moments in the Sample Paragraph above.
• Write a paragraph or more that add details about that moment.

Discussion:

• Share your paragraphs with your Writing Circle.
• Point out the sentences that your peers write that really stood out in your mind.
• Identify strong details that others have written.

Verbal Warm-Up:

• Raise your hand if you can remember laughing in the past few weeks.
• Raise your hand if you were alone watching someone or something when you were laughing. (Visualize that.)
• Raise your hand if others were laughing along with you.
• Raise your hand if you were laughing at yourself.

Journal Writing:

Describe a hilarious moment. Make sure you use detail and description to focus on just that single moment.

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      I was at this store that sells boat appliances, and I grabbed a stand up paddle board paddle. It was made from carbon fiber. It was pretty light. I started to walk around with it and I found my sister and I almost whipped here face clean off. Then I turn around and almost did it again! Then she said to put back from where I got it. She was like yelling at me and I was like gees She was like yelling now. Then when she followed me back from where I got it and then. On accident I stabbed here in the tummy. Then she yells at me me and I start laughing. like crazy  she went to the bathroom and the.