S COPE W R I T I N G L A B : Writing Great Hooks

Welcome to the Scope Writing Lab.

Today were going to study hooks.
hook [huk] noun The opening line or lines of an essay, article, or story. These lines should hook the readers attention and make him or her want to continue reading.

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S COPE W R I T I N G L A B : Writing Great Hooks

Specimen #1: Anecdote

Persuasive Writing

SCOPES ESSAY KIT

Everything you need to write a perfect essay.

A tragic death sparks a controversy about how we should deal with bullies

Bullying ruins kids lives. It

as possible.

commit suicide. Bullies sho

s she walked home from school on January 14, 2010, a car slowed down beside 15-year-old Phoebe Prince of South Hadley, Massachusetts.

Phoebe around, calling her names, threatening her, and urging others to exclude her. They also sent her abusive text messages and posted cruel messages about her on Facebook. Shockingly, these messages continued to appear even after Phoebes death. Phoebes suicide made headlines around the country and it has sparked a controversy. Six of the teenagers who bullied Phoebe have been charged with serious crimes. Many people applaud this, believing the teens deserve to be severely punished or even jailed for what they did to Phoebe. Other people disagree. They believe that bullies should be punished by parents and schools, not by the legal system.
BULLYING VICTIM: Phoebe Prince, 15, took her own life in January.
Top: The Republican/landov; below: 2010 The new YoRk Times; RighT: isTockphoTo.com

There are laws against hara

stalking, verbal abuse, and

bullies do, which means bu kids from bullying others.

A group of classmates yelled insults and then hurled a can at her before speeding off. Phoebe walked home, went into a closet, and hanged herself. Phoebe had been harassed at school that day as well. In fact, she had been suffering daily abuse for almost three months. It all started when Phoebe, a freshman, briey dated a popular senior football player. Some girls at her school decided they didnt approve of the relationship and started bullying Phoebe. Another reason the Mean Girls, as they called themselves, may have targeted Phoebe was that she had recently moved to South Hadley from Ireland. The Mean Girls followed

Knowing that they could be

Being young is no excuse fo

how bullying affects others

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Are Bullies Criminals?

BULLIES ARE

Wh YE

Write Yo

a car slowed down beside 15-yearold Phoebe Prince of South Hadley, Massachusetts. A group of classmates yelled insults and then hurled a can at her before speeding off. Phoebe walked home, went into a closet, and hanged herself.
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SCHOLASTIC SCHOLA SCOPE SEPTEMBER 6, 2010

1 2

Pick Your Side

Consider the informat

s she walked home from school on January 14, 2010,

Decide whether or no

Choose Your Firs

The purpose of your e

a strong statement tha

beginnings below, or w

OPTION A: The tra

as crim

OPTION B: The de

3 4

Select Your Argu

Pick three arguments

Write one paragraph f

imagination, and/or t

Close Your Essay

Write a conclusion tha

sentence that urges yo

MORE: FACT VERSUS OPIN

to read the entire article, click here

1. The hook of this article tells a short story, called an anecdote. What does it tell a short story about? 2. What point do you think the writer is trying to make with this anecdote? 3. does this hook grab your attention and make you want to read the rest of the article? Why or why not?

SCHOLASTIC SCOPE online reproducible november 8, 2010

S COPE W R I T I N G L A B : Writing Great Hooks

Specimen #2: Quote

But yet, like, I save animals, Snooki whines on the reality TV show Jersey Shore.

f you look at me, you think Im, like, stuck-up.

Debate

Gossiping. Lying. Acting dumb. Reality TV turns bad behavior into a good time.
into sensational entertainment aws like meanness and materialism. Take My Super Sweet 16. In each episode, a boy or girl plans a birthday party that costs more than a car or a year of college. Meanwhile, on Teen Mom, a 15-year-old mother whines about not having any money because she has to support her childwhile admiring her expensively manicured nails. Or how about Big Brother, where everyone makes lists of all the things they hate about one other?
More than 3.6 million viewers tune in to MTV each week to watch Snooki (center) and the cast of Jersey Shore.

Is Reality TV Making You Stupid?

Y KIT What write a you need to perfect essay.

SCOP ESSA ES

expert group Common Sense Media, one of the biggest problems with reality TV is that there is nothing real about it. Producers edit video footage to make things seem crazier than they really are. But many viewers dont know that. Plus, watch something enough, and the behavior can start to seem completely realistic

and normal. On these shows, all kids epithets or aggressive speech as an everyday occasion, says Perle. But in reality, its only those kids on that particular piece of entertainment.

drink before 21, and all kids use racial

Smart and Savvy

damaged by reality TV. Some experts

Not everyone thinks kids are being

point out that young people today are shows they watch. Even Perle agrees that most kids should be able to look at reality shows with a critical eye. I give todays kids a lot of credit. They have a sense of right and wrong. Maybe watching some reality TV can actually be (gulp) educational. Many shows, after all, make it clear that acting recklessly and behaving badly have bad consequences. Teen Mom shows you how tough and lonely it is to be a teenage parent. The spoiled brats on My Super Sweet 16 may make you think twice about demanding a new iPhone for your birthday. And watching stars on The Hills backstab their friends
TIFFANY ROSE/WIREIMAGE

smart and savvy when it comes to the

All About Abs?

And then there are the stereotypes. Are all girls obsessed with clothes and spray tans? Are all boys obsessed with Temper tantrums, selshness, cruelty, and plain old stupidity. These are the main ingredients for some of todays hit reality TV shows. And guess whos watching them? Millions of young people just like you. getting toned abs? Thats what many of the most popular shows would have you think. Plus, some experts say these shows send a dangerous message: that being stupid and selsh is fun. It can make you rich and famous! After all, Snooki has bragged that even President Obama knows who she is. Many studies say that watching too much trashy TV can cause young people to do poorly in school and even try some of the risky behaviors they see on-screen. According to Liz Perle, editor in chief of the media

Shore. Meanwhile, her pal Mike openly mocks her, saying: She looks like a spray-painted Chihuahua. Now ip the channel to Real Housewives of New Jersey. Dont call me honey, Danielle is telling Teresa. Youre an old hag, Teresa replies. What happens next? An all-out ght, which ends when the police arrive.

f you look at me, you think Im, like, stuck-up. But yet, like, I save animals, Snooki whines on the reality TV show Jersey

Toxic Television
In the past, channels like MTV and VH1 were a place for young people to watch music videos by their favorite artists. Those days are over. Music has been largely replaced by shows that turn peoples worst character aws

may make you give your loyal best friend a huge hug. Then again, hopefully you dont need reality TV to teach you any of these lessons.

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SCHOLASTIC SCOPE OCTOBER 11, 2010

to read the entire article, click here

1. The hook of this article is a quotethe exact words that someone said. Who is quoted at the beginning of this article? What is that persons relationship to the content of the article (for example, is the person an expert on the topic of the article, is the person the subject of the article, etc.)? 2. Why do you think the writer chose to open the article with this particular quote? What point do you think the writer is trying to make? 3. does this hook grab your attention and make you want to keep reading? Why or why not?

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S COPE W R I T I N G L A B : Writing Great Hooks

Specimen #3: dropping the reader into a Scene

LING , A BEST-SEL WROTE JAWS HITE SHARK. R BENCHLEY AUTHOR PETE T A MONSTROUS GREAT W E OF THESE NOVEL ABOU ENED WHEN HE FACED ON HLEY PP NC BUT WHAT HA S FOR REAL? BY PETER BE linded by blood, nauseated CREATURE
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R O R R E T E T I H W T A E GR
Nonfiction
PERS NARR ONAL A desc ATIVE riptio of an ev ent in n writers th life. e

by the smell of sh guts, whale oil, and rotten horseesh, I gripped the

aluminum bars of the shark cage. I tried to steady myself against the violent jolts as the cage was tossed by the choppy sea. The water was cold,

JAmes d. WAtt/seAPics.com

whale oil, and rotten horseflesh, I gripped the aluminum bars of the
4
ScholaStic Scope OCTOBER 11, 2010

and I shivered.

CHECK IT OUT
AS YOU READ, THINK ABOUT: SENSORY DETAILS The author describes the sights, sounds, smells, and even the textures of his frightening shark encounter. Can you find 10 examples of these sensory details? Weve circled one for you.
SCOPE

I thought of why I was bobbing alone in a imsy cage in the frigid Dangerous Reef, off the coast of southern Australia. I had written a novel about a great white shark. The book, Jaws, had become a popular success. A television producer had challenged me to go diving with the monster of my imagination. A lm crew would capture my experience. My wife could come along in the boat. How could I say no? Now, though, I wondered how I could have said yes. I had expected to nd silence underwater.
Great whites are the largest flesh-eating fish in the sea. They can be as much as 18 feet long and 4,000 pounds!

linded by blood, nauseated by the smell of fish guts,

SCOPE 100 100 VOCABULARY You will learn 100 new vocabulary words this year. Seven of those words appear in this article in bold. Can you find each word and figure out its meaning from how it is used in the sentence?

But my breath roared like

AdAPted From shArK liFe, By Peter BeNchley, PuBlished By delAcorte Press, AN imPriNt oF rANdom house childreNs BooKs. coPyright (c) 2005 By Peter BeNchley. AdAPted By PermissioN oF the PuBlisher.

ScholaStic.com/Scope OCTOBER 11, 2010

shark cage. I tried to steady myself against the violent jolts as the cage was tossed by the choppy sea. The water was cold, and I shivered.

to read the entire article, click here

1. The hook of this article drops the reader into a scene. What scene does this hook drop the reader into? What sensory details does the writer use to create the scene? 2. Why do you think the writer chose to drop the reader into this particular scene at the beginning of this article? 3. does this hook grab your attention and make you want to keep reading? Why or why not?
SCHOLASTIC SCOPE online reproducible november 8, 2010

S COPE W R I T I N G L A B : Writing Great Hooks

Write your own hook in which you drop the reader into a scene.
Directions: choose an event or a topic from your own life (weve provided some ideas below), and imagine that you are going to write an essay about it. using the hook from Great White Terror as a model, write a hook for the essay in which you drop the reader into a scene. Possible topics: Your bedroom Your most embarrassing moment A party you attended (your own or someone elses) A trip you took A sports event you attended or participated in Something you do after school

Experiment #1:

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S COPE W R I T I N G L A B : Writing Great Hooks

More Hooks
You just studied three types of hooks: anecdotes, quotes, and dropping the reader into a scene. There are lots of other ways to write a hook.
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Two we particularly like are surprising facts and rhetorical questions. Surprising Fact A surprising fact is an interesting piece of information that your readers arent likely to know. Its a statement that will make your reader say, Really? For example, you might begin an essay about the environmental hazards of bottled water like this: Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour. (Youre saying Really? right now, arent you?) Rhetorical Question A rhetorical question is a statement in the form of a question. You ask a rhetorical question to make a point, not to get information. For example, say a writer begins an essay with this question: How many times have you heard someone say, Its not my problem? The writer doesnt really want to know how many times you have heard someone say this. Rather, the writer is making a point: People often refuse to take responsibility for problems.

See the handout Scope Writing Lab: 5 Ways to Write a Hook for a list of the five types of hooks we have studied in todays Writing Lab.
click here For the HandOut

SCHOLAsTIC SCOPE online reproducible November 8, 2010

S COPE W R I T I N G L A B : Writing Great Hooks

Experiment #2: Rewrite Our Hook

Compare & Contrast

Long ago, taking care of your teeth could kill you

eed a toothbrush? Use a chewed-up stick. Have food stuck between your teeth? Pick it out with a porcupine quill. And dont forget to freshen your breath with a frothy glass of donkeys

Dental Dramas

People have been trying to maintain healthy teeth for ages, but they havent always known the best way to do it. Take toothpaste. About 2,000 years ago, Persians (who lived in what is now Iran) put ashes from burnt goats feet on their toothbrushes. It made their gums bleed and led to widespread disease. In the 18th century, the British used toothpowder that eroded their tooth enamel. It was made of brick dust, crushed china, and nitric acid. Ouch! Mouthwash was another story. The Romans discovered that ammonia was quite effective in killing the bacteria that cause bad breath. Unfortunately, the most convenient source of ammonia in ancient Rome was urine. So thats what they used: human urine. Until the 1800s, there was no such thing as a dentist. If you had a toothache, you went to the doctor or a barber. Thats right. The same man who cut your hair pulled your tooth. He would slip a dental key over the tooth and twist until it came outpossibly fracturing your jaw in the process. This would hurt. A lot. Anesthetics, or painkillers, were not used for dental work until the mid-1800s. Indeed, up until the 1800s, many mouths were in pretty
MARION CURTIS/DMI/TIME LIFE PICTURES/GETTY IMAGES

milk! Believe it or not, thats what people once did to keep milk! their mouths fresh and clean, as far back as 3500 b.c.

G
COURTESY OF THE EVERETT COLLECTION

These days, perf smile is easier

Plenty Smile A

wen Stefani had a block

and a loving family. But

that the superstar singe

teeth. And so, in 1999, a

braces. Now her smile is as dazzli

Not all Americans have a celeb

to better education, more routine have strong and healthy teeth.

advances in dentistry, most Amer

The key, experts say, is that tod

a young age to take care of their t

toothpastes and Elmo toothbrush

fun even for toddlers. Bacteria-g

germs that lead to tooth decay. Ev dentist can make the experience

sorry shape. Little was understood about the sources of tooth decay, so few people bothered to clean their teeth. People with discolored or crooked teeth had to live with their imperfections. Even wealthy people often lost all of their teeth by the time they reached middle age. Fake

isnt the torture it was just a decad

dentists go even further, distracti

procedures with video games, fun Even those with serious tooth

our favorite music. Did somebod

stuck between your teeth? Pick it out with a porcupine quill. And dont forget to freshen your breath with a frothy glass of donkeys milk! Believe it or not, thats what people once did to keep their mouths fresh and clean, as far back as 3500 b.c.

teeth were made of wood and were extremely painful. The situation began to improve when the rst dental

options. Were your front teeth kn

eed a toothbrush? Use a chewed-up stick. Have food

school was established in 1840. By 1930, American

Dentists didnt use painkillers during tooth extractions until the mid-1800s!

game? A skilled dentist can graft

drugstores were stocked with toothbrushes. And a case of bad breath no longer meant a mouthful of donkeys milk. A swig of Listerine would do the trick.

If that doesnt work, implants or r teeth. Tooth stains can be erased

made out of porcelain look and fe

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SCHOLASTIC SCOPE NOVEMBER 8, 2010

to read the entire article, click here

Directions: on a separate sheet of paper, write a new hook for dental dramas. choose one of the five types of hooks you studied today: anecdote, quote, dropping the reader into a scene, surprising facts, or a rhetorical question. (Hint: use information from the article to help you.)

SCHOLASTIC SCOPE online reproducible november 8, 2010

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Aaaaaah
Open Up and Say

Dentistry has come a long w thank goodne