This document discusses creating effective beginnings and endings for stories. It notes that a good story has an enticing beginning to draw the reader in, an interesting middle, and a satisfying ending. It provides an example of a short story called "Shortcut" that effectively uses repetition and brief descriptions. The document also offers techniques for teaching writing skills like using story schemas, asking students to elaborate on their stories, and using pictures to plan stories. Finally, it defines what makes a good beginning, like establishing setting and character, and a good ending, like being satisfying and memorable while connecting to the beginning.

1. Creating Powerful Beginnings
and Satisfying Endings
CHAPTER 5
Mentor texts: Teaching Writing
Through Children’s Literature

2. What is a good story?
• An enticing beginning
• An interesting middle
• A satisfying ending
A typical format beginning, middle, and end
• Elements of story:
character, setting, problem/goal, plot, solution
/resolution
Facilitating effective writing Short course- JUNE 2012

3. An example of a good story
• Shortcut by Donald Crews:
– Takes place in a matter of minutes
– Uses effective repetitions to help the reader
understand the magnitude of the feelings
– Uses a brief description of setting followed by
quick, short sentences
– Writes a beginning that is not too far away in time
from the most important event of the story
– Keep the reader waiting and not solve the
problem too quickly
Facilitating effective writing Short course- JUNE 2012

4. Some techniques for teaching
writing skills
• Have an schema for a story structure
• Help them see that the stories they share have a
beginning, middle, and end, just like the stories they hear in
the classroom
• Give guided conversation to help them add the important
details that make their stories come alive
• Encourage them to tell more by asking: “Then what
happened?” and encourage all the students to use this phrase
• Use pictures to plan out a story
• Using books from library, home, and classroom collection, to
students work individually to explore beginnings and endings
Facilitating effective writing Short course- JUNE 2012

5. Goodbeginnings
• DEFINITION
– “It is like receiving an invitation to a party where
you expect to have a wonderful time”.
• CHARACTERISTICS
– Establishing the settings
– Information about the main character that reveals
his hopes, thoughts, and feelings
– A hint of a problem, goal or direction of the story
Facilitating effective writing Short course- JUNE 2012

6. Good endings
• DEFINITION
– “It is the ending, after all, that will resonate in the ear of
the reader when the piece of writing has been finished”
(Ralph Fletcher, 1993)
• CHARACTERISTICS
– Be connected to the story in some way and be closed to
its beginning
– Leave the reader satisfied
– Being interesting and memorable
– End with a memory, a thought or feeling, a final action, or
a lesson learned
Facilitating effective writing Short course- JUNE 2012

7. MAITE FERNANDEZ FERRER- maite.fernandez.ferrer@gmail.com
THANK YOU!
Facilitating effective writing Short course- JUNE 2012