Lead Me

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Lead Me!
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A lead is where a writer uses words to draw in a
reader. The writer uses quotations, sentences
with colons, and sentences with dots. Sometimes
an author even uses multiple choice quizzes
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Remember one thing, thoughmention your three
main ideas in the first paragraph!
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Before I show you your writing, author Barry Lane
has some advice for you. Start with a Snapshot.
When you paint a picture, you draw the reader in
. Notice the difference between these two leads
to a report about ice-skating.
BoringIce-skating is my favorite sport. Bett
erIt's ten degrees below zero and the river is
frozen a foot thick. It makes snapping sounds
like the limbs of trees cracking. A long figure
glides along the black ice, moving toward the
city. The only sound is the scraping of each
blade as it bites into the river. That's me doing
my favorite sport, ice-skating.
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Start with an important observation. Don't start
in the general. Put your most surprising or
important observation into your opening.
GeneralThe human brain is a complex and amazing
organ. BetterSeeing stars, it dreams of etern
ity. Hearing birds, it makes music. Smelling
flowers, it is enraptured. Touching tools, it
transforms the earth. But deprived of these
sensory experiences, the human brain withers and
dies. (Inside the Brain --- Ronald Kotulak)
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Start with a strongly stated question your
readers might have. In some ways all writing is
about trying to answer our best questions. A
strong question is one we all want to know the
answer to. Weakly-stated-In this paper I will
attempt to answer the question why history is
important. Better-What's the point of studying
history? Who cares what happened long ago? After
all, aren't the people in history books dead?
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Put your connection with the subject in the lead.
Why are you attracted to the subject? Do you have
a personal reason for writing about this
subject? What specific memories of the subject
come to mind? GeneralThe problem of longitude
was one of the greatest scientific challenges of
its day. BetterOnce on a Wednesday excursion w
hen I was a little girl, my father bought me a
beaded wire ball that I loved. At a touch, I
could collapse the toy into a flat coil between
my palms, or pop it open to make a hollow sphere.
Rounded out it resembled a tiny Earth, because
its hinged wires traced the same pattern
intersecting circles that I had seen on the globe
in my school room -- the thin black lines of
latitude and longitude. (Longitude --- Dava Sobel)
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Here are several leads written by Jasztalville
students
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It started with this and developed farther and
farther. Winds at 100 miles per hour, window
s creaking. What should you do at a time like th
is? A. Panic B. Run around in a circle like a
crazy person C. Get everything together The a
nswer is C. get everything together so that is
what I am supposed to do right now. Okay, my
checklist get a lot of food, make sure you have
a lot of water, and supply yourself with a gene
rator. Okay, check, check, and check!
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• Okay, lets vote on the neatest place in the
  world. These
  
• are your choices.
• Hershey, Pennsylvania
• San Antonio, Texas
• New York City, New York
• Id pick A. Hershey, Pennsylvania. Let me tell
  you why it
  
• has a theme park, some historical attractions,
  and
  
• chocolate.

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Would it just stop raining outside okay, so it
wont! What should I do? A. Be bored. B. Be
bored. or C. Be bored. I pick Be bored, but if
I wasnt this bored this is three things I would
do read, play board games, or write.
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I wish Florida didnt get so many hurricanes, but
since that will never come true, here are some
things you can do to prepare for one. First, you
can buy wood to cover the windows, then you can
get a generator, finally you can get
non-perishable food.
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What light through yonder window breaks, it is
the east and Juliet is the sun! Yes, I am
quoting Shakespeare. Dwane The Rock Johnson,
Anne Hathaway, and Nicole Kidman all are famous
actors, but they started in their first play or
movie. I love to act and it is my goal to be
outstanding at it. I LOVE acting because it is
fun, everybody is nice, and it gives me something
to do.
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Rattling windows, T.V. reports, and trees
creaking it all leads up to a hurricane! What is
your plan? Where are your emergency objects? Read
this expository piece for emergency ideas!
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The deal is closed! shouted the realtor. I just
bought the most amazing house! What amazed me
most is the pool area, my room, and secret room.
The plane has come to a complete stop. The
doors are open and I hope you enjoyed the
flight, said the pilot. I walked out of the
plane and went into the beautiful world of New
York! I love the city, my friends house, and the
beach!
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GOAL! Now that is the sound when you make a
score. Now tell me which sport it is A) Soccer,
B) Baseball, or C) Football? The answer is A.
Soccer is my favorite hobby. As a matter of fact,
Im on the boys U10 Heat. Soccer in some
countries is called football, but I like soccer
best. Boom! Bam! Crack! Barnicles, what was
that My car!! my mom yelled. The tree had
fallen on my moms car! Man, it is raining and I
have nothing to do. Will you help me choose which
indoor activity I should do first to keep from
being bored? A) Play inside soccer? B) Mess with
my brother? C) Read a book? I am going to do B).
Hey, Jorden come here! Ive got something for
you! Jorden, get out of my room!! Mom, Jordens
in my room. Jorden, get out! Sabrina, read a
book. Fine! so my answer is C.
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Ahh, ohh, eh, I hear the screams of the people as
they fly by on Sheikra! You now know you have
arrived at Busch Gardens. You would want to see
the Egypt exhibit, go through river rapids, and
ride a train into an African grassland.
The television is off and youre listening to
the pounding rain. The storm barely started and
you can tell its going to last a long time. You
are trying to not cry of being so miserable. But
there are things you can do such as playing a
game or taking a bath. You could also wait it out
by watching television.
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I was playing on my PS2 when it started to rain.
Then the power went out. I grabbed my PSP and
started playing. I also decided to read later on
and watch a movie. Let me explain why playing
video games on PSP, reading, and watching movies
are great activities to do while it is raining
outside.
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Hurricanes are very dangerous. They can hurt you
really badly. They are so bad that people can die
from them. I dont know if you could handle one
on your own, but here are some preparations you
can make gathering non-perishable food items,
purchasing a generator, and gathering wood for
your windows.
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The skies are pitch black and you see lightning
and thunder. You have to put up your scooter and
when you get inside your house, you think of
other things to do. When suddenly winds over 100
miles an hour are blowing leaves off trees and
you are scared my goodness, a hurricane has
arrived! There are preparations people can make
before hurricanes strike.
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You are driving down the road when suddenly you
slam down on the brakes. You see a house with an
expansive backyard, two giant pools, and two
jacuzzis let me explain how these things would
help to make my dream house a reality.
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It is a sunny day to play in the park. But I
dont know what to play what should I play? A)
On the swings? B) Sit on the bench? C) Go home? I
pick A) Play on the swings. Let me explain how
the park is an outstanding place to go on a sunny
day.
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My absolute favorite hobby would have to be
extreme scootering because there are so many
different tricks. Some of the tricks are _______,
_______, and _________. Let me explain how
extreme scootering is my favorite hobby.
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Yay! I get to go to Islands of Adventure! But
what will I do? These are the three things I will
do go on the Jurassic Park ride, go on the
Tyrannosaurus Rex, and ride the Incredible Hulk.
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It is downpouring. You have nothing to do. These
are the three things you can do a game, a movie,
or you can read a book.
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Goal! the coach shouts as we aim the soccer
ball into the net. WE WON!! Have you ever played
soccer? Here are three reasons why I like it
its a sport where you learn how to be a good
sport, you get stronger, and you can make new
friends.
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Crackle! Bang! Boom! You have to go inside
because it is raining. Here are some ideas you
can use if its a rainy day you can read a book,
get a game out, or play with a friend or animal
like a cat or a dog.
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The skies are pitch black. There is a bad storm
coming in a second, and I have to cancel my
soccer game. I am mad I have to think of some
things to play. The three things are play a Do
You Know Lizzy board game, read a book, or play
Hide and Go Seek.
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The skies are midnight black. A blizzard is
arriving and you have to cancel your
cheerleading. You are disappointed until you
come up with a plan or something else different
like reading, a board game, or math.
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FIXING One day, I went to Busch Gardens a big
theme park I rode the tidal wave, the Sheikra,
the Python, and Gwazi then I got dinner and went
home. What would you do to make this into a
lead? Its kind of like a mini-story right now,
so we need to find a way to change the ending
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One day, I went to Busch Gardens a big theme park
I rode the tidal wave, the Sheikra, the Python,
and Gwazi then I got dinner and went home.
One day, I went to Busch Gardens, which is a hug
e theme park in Tampa, Florida. I rode the Tidal
Wave, the Sheikra, and Gwazi let me explain why
I enjoy this theme park and these three rides it
has to offer.
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A few last leads to try Choose two to develop. R
emember mentioning your three main ideas!
-Halloween -A favorite outdoor activity -A typ
e of pet you always wanted -Someone you look up t
o -Something you have always wanted to try