Lead 1

     Imagine a classroom where students focus intently on their writing, where students collaborate to improve, where students share their writing with the world.  Providing computers for each eighth grade language arts classes will make this classroom a reality.

Lead 2

     For the past ten years as a language arts teacher at Jennings County Middle School, I have struggled to make technology available to my students, but we are limited the number of computers for students to use.  Right now there are two computer labs and one mobile laptop lab that must be shared among more than forty classroom teachers.  Scheduling the computer lab for my classes to use is a nightmare.  I could use computers with my students nearly every day if they were available in my classroom.

Hopefully, you were able to get your ideas out of your head and into words yesterday.  Now it’s time to give some shape to your writing and make it as convincing as possible.  Let’s start with your lead or introduction.  You want to hook your reader from the very first word.  Look over the different types and examples of essay leads in your Writing Handbook.  Which ones might work for your editorial?  Experiment with two or three different ways to begin your writing. 

Post just the leads (at least two different ones) on your blog page. 

Once you have posted yours, read the leads posted by your classmates.  (You can find links on the side of my page to all my students.)  Respond to your classmate’s leads using the checklist in your Writing Handbook.  Point out something positive (maybe which one hooks you the quickest).  Ask questions about parts you don’t understand or that aren’t clear.

Tomorrow we will work on conclusions.