Lesson 1 Narrative Hooks You may go to

Lesson 1 Narrative Hooks “You may go to jail, or you may go to Camp Green Lake. ”

Lesson 1 In this lesson we will: 1. Identify ways in which writers and movie makers can “hook” an audience 2. Analyse techniques used by Sachar to “hook” his readers in the opening chapter of “Holes” 3. Evaluate the effectiveness of different types of opening hooks 4. Develop narrative devices to “hook” in our own readers

A Good Hook • How do writers get a reader to read their novel? How many techniques can you think of that would hook a reader? • What methods do you think would be the best to hook the reader and WHY?

A Good Hook • How do writer’s get a reader to read their novel? How many techniques can you think of that would hook a reader? Dramatic vocabulary Action Unusual description Dialogue Powerful adjectives Humour Short sentences Questions

A RIDDLE. . . • What do an author and an angler have in common?

ANSWER! • A HOOK! KEY WORD: A Narrative Hook is a device used by a writer to pique the interest of a reader. • They are often used at the start of the novel to draw the reader into the story. TASK: Read the “Holes- openings” document. Match the type of opening in the right column to the extract in the left column.

Trailer time! • They are also used in movies to grab the attention of an audience. Identify and tick in the boxes provided how the director has hooked in the audience in these movies: • Casino Royale: http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=HNvz. NWuz. I 9 Y • Once Upon a Time in the West: http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=p. A 3 rl. IHLFco • Wall-E: • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=vx-4 Hz_W-TY

Movie Hooks Movie Devices used to hook Casino Royale Once Upon A Time In The West Wall-E Class Discussion Which opening was the most effective? WHY?

Devices Movie Devices used to hook Casino Royale Mystery, atmosphere, action, dramatic dialogue, interesting/shady characters Once Upon A Time In The West Camera shots. Tension, dialogue, mystery, atmosphere Wall-E Camera shots, music, mystery, action, genre, questions

Chapter 1 There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. There once was a very large lake here, the largest lake in Texas. That was over a hundred years ago. Now it is just a dry, flat wasteland. There used to be a town of Green Lake as well. The town shriveled and dried up along with the lake, and the people who lived there. During the summer the daytime temperature hovers around ninety-five degrees in the shade- if you can find any shade. There’s not much shade in a big dry lake. The only trees are two old oaks on the eastern edge of the “lake. ” A hammock is stretched between the two trees, and a log cabin stands behind that. The campers are forbidden to lie in the hammock. It belongs to the Warden. The Warden owns the shade.

Chapter 1 (cont) Out on the lake, rattlesnakes and scorpions find shade under rocks and in the holes dug by campers. Here’s a good rule to remember about rattlesnakes and scorpions: if you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you. Usually. Being bitten by a scorpion or even a rattlesnake is not the worst thing that can happen to you. You won’t die. Usually. Sometimes a camper will try to be bitten by a scorpion, or even a rattlesnake. Then he will get to spend a day or two recovering in his tent, instead of having to dig a hole out on the lake. But you don’t want to be bitten by a yellow-spotted lizard. That’s the worst thing that can happen to you. You will die a painful death. Always. If you get bitten by a yellow-spotted lizard, you might as well go into the shade of the oak trees and lie in the hammock. There is nothing anyone can do to you anymore.

Chapter 2 The reader is probably asking: Why would anyone go to Camp Green Lake? Most campers weren’t given a choice. Camp Green Lake is a camp for bad boys. If you take a bad boy and make him dig a hole every day in the hot sun, it will turn him into a good boy. That was what some people thought. Stanley Yelnats was given a choice. The judge said, “You may go to jail, or you may go to Camp Green Lake. ” Stanley was from a poor family. He had never been to camp before.

Read chapters 1 and 2 of “Holes”. Identify FOUR different techniques used by Sachar to hook his readers. Find an example of each technique and explain its effect. Device Example Intended Effect (HOW DOES IT HOOK IN THE READER? ) Dramatic Vocabulary (Words) “You will die a slow and painful death. ” Creates mood and atmosphere

Descriptive Writing TASK: Group or whole class activity Using the writing frame in the next slide, write a paragraph about a desert using the same techniques as Sachar. Techniques: • Dramatic Vocabulary • Powerful Adjectives • Short sentences • Tension • Repetition • PLACE: • A desert

Writing Frame • There are no________ in the desert. There used to be______. That was ________. During the Summer________. The only trees are_________. Out in the desert______. Here’s a good rule to remember about_______. If you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you. _______. Being bitten by a _________is not the worst thing that can happen. ________. But you don’t want to be bitten by a ______. That’s the worst thing that can happen to you. You will die a ______ and _____ death. _______

Individual Task Write your own narrative hook to a novel called, “Forgotten”. Your opening paragraph must include at least 10 sentences and showcase the narrative techniques you have learnt this lesson. This lesson was adapted from a unit of study by Katherine Cooper on tes. co. uk