How to write Sizzling Starts - Recount
A wonderful Head of Campus was discussing the typical 'On the Weekend' recount. So much of the children's writing was boring, that she questioned the benefits of this exercise. She made me think – yes, why do we do this?
I mean would you like to recount every Monday what you did on the weekend? Lots of time we just laze around, nothing spectacular happens. With the older kids, I bet there are a lot of things they did that they actually wouldn't want to tell their teacher!
Which may account for why we often just get a list of things done with no sense of vibrancy or excitement:
I went swimming.
We went to the park.
We watched TV.
We had fun.
So what can we do to help children focus on small events – and make their writing come alive?
Answer: Try using the Sizzling Starts concept and use that to talk about weekend or weekday events.
For instance, A student might write:
I have a meat pie burn on my finger and a bigger burn on my tongue. Warning: Don't eat a pie at the footy that's been microwaved
Everyone loves fishing. Not me. And not the worm I had to put squiggling and wriggling onto the hook.
We cleaned out the shed. I bet 20 million spiders are now homeless.
So help students write tight – and with life! Get them to write a Sizzling Start about three different things which happened on the weekend. Then sit back and see what a difference this makes to their recounts.