Creative Writing - famous first lines!

This is a unique mix of creative writing and language analysis.

This is a really fun class, enabling students to explore both their creative and analytical sides. It can be a great confidence boost for students who struggle with creative writing because there are clear prompts and short bursts of writing.

This is suitable for upper KS2, KS3 and KS4 and includes mix and match game, PETAL paragraph, pair and share tasks and creative writing prompts.

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In the class, we examine some famous first lines and use them as a creative writing prompt. Do these opening lines of famous novels make us want to read on - or are they boring? Do they reveal something of the story that is coming?

The lesson is structured as follows:

a) Introduction to idea of first lines - why are they important? Pick a few books at random from classroom shelf – what do those opening lines suggest?

b) Mix and match – famous first lines. Brief game matching 4 famous first lines with their covers. Which book would you be most likely to read (i) based on the line? (ii) based on the cover?

c) Opening line of ‘Rebecca’. Pair and Share – what is going on? Then students get the opportunity to ‘copy and complete’. Can they write for 3/5/7 minutes and add to the first line creating their own version of ‘Rebecca’? Students are invited to share their creative writing.

d) The actual opening paragraph of ‘Rebecca’ is presented – what does this show us? Encourage language analysis to spot the signs of decay, etc. Did the first line hint at this?

e) The processes of © and (d) are then repeated twice using two other famous books. (Teachers can use all three in one lesson, or choose according to group/ability/age etc) Students are encouraged to be as creative as possible in the writing elements of the task, and as analytical as possible when they are looking at the original texts.

f) As a class, consider all the things that seem good or bad in an opening line. What makes you want to read on? Can you create a super list of things which work in an opening line?

g) There is an additional optional activity which can be used for extension/homework - Which opening line do you prefer and why? Write a PETAL paragraph explaining your answer. (Some scaffolding is provided)

This is a fun class, which prompts student to think more about the stories they read and the stories they write!