May 23, 2007
A friend shared with me recently how he teaches beginning writing. He uses the analogy of a train and has a train posted on his classroom wall that goes around the room as a visual. The engine is the beginning and needs the fuel to get it all moving (the fuel being the topic/subject of the story). Then come the boxcars, which hold all kinds of 'stuff' that backs up the engine (supporting information or sequence of events in a story). Each car is connected with a 'T' or transition. Lastly, is the caboose, which ties it all together or ends the story. This analogy may be a little silly but the formula works and the students have been producing well written paragraphs.