Start-Up Activity

Have students close their eyes and picture in their minds a certain place (a park, a room, a bus stop, a street, a river, etc.). Then have them open their eyes and draw a picture of what they saw. Encourage them to include a lot of details in their drawing. Ask for volunteers to share their drawings. Point out how the entire drawing or parts of it provide starting points for a story or report. Next, read and discuss the chapter introduction. Encourage or assign your students to keep an ideas notebook.