Writing Fix: A Chapter Book Writing Lesson: Beyond Once Upon a Time

Students are so used to hearing stories that start with the words Once upon a time and when writing their own stories, they often begin with these same words or with variations like One day I. Inspired by the novel Crispin by Avi This writing lesson challenges students to transform an ordinary introductory sentence into an extraordinary introductory sentence. After creating a writer's notebook page that celebrates three original "showing leads," students, create the story that would follow their best powerful introduction.