TIME For Kids National Teacher Board

My students' writing always improves when they begin to recognize and create powerful and seductive lead lines. TFK offers a perfect medium to help develop that essential skill.

To begin a lesson on lead lines, I ask the students to flip through the current issue of TFK and decide which story they would most like to read. I give them 30 seconds, maybe a minute. Then I ask, "What story did you pick, and why?" Often, a story's opening line, or lead, gets their attention.

I then read aloud the leads from several stories and ask my students which of those stories they would like to read. My students discuss what it was that captured their interest. We analyze the leads and talk about their characteristics. Some leads are exciting. Others offer interesting facts.

Finally, we talk about how we can use engaging lead lines to improve our writing. For instance, my third grade students are working stories about space. Instead of just following a simple outline of beginning, middle and end, we added "lead" to our outlines.

My students are not engaged by textbook exercises. The magic happens when they have in their hands real stories about real problems and events that are relevant to their lives. The leads in TFK entice us into interesting stories that my students want to read.

David Neidig
Grade 3
Oak Ridge, TN