THE END: Helping Students Improve on the Oh-So-Typical One-Sentence Conclusion

[Gail Corthell]

 

This is my fourth year teaching fifth-grade and I am still searching for a way to help students write thoughtful, creative conclusions for their expository and narrative writing pieces. My fifth-graders have become quite adept at “grabbing” their readers with their introductions; they excel at including details, “show-me's” and figurative language in the bodies of their writing. After all of this, a reader should rightfully expect a satisfying conclusion, right? Wrong! My budding writers still think nothing of ending their writing with one-sentence conclusions. What's a teacher to do?

 

Consequently, I've decided to focus on presenting an inquiry-based demonstration to all of you. I'll be searching far-and-wide for any practices that will help students write conclusions that show their inner voice and leave their readers satisfied. I have a couple of ideas that have been moderately successful in my classroom so might add those to my demonstration; thus I hope to have a combination Best Practice/Inquiry presentation for everyone.

 

I look forward to meeting all of you. (And if anyone wants to point me in a certain direction for my world-wide search, I'll welcome any help I can get!)

 

THE END

[Lindsey Wells]

Gail,
As a writing teacher myself, this is definitely an inquiry I am interested in. This is one of those never ending battles as far as I am concerned, and I spent quite a bit of time this year trying to come up with this answer myself. I did find a few exercises that I will be happy to share. One technique is giving them 6 or so different ways to write a hook. Since they are good at this, maybe they can pick their best hook to start their paper, but pick another of the 6 to rework as a conclusion. I have tried a couple different forms of this type of conclusion.

Of course modeling and modeling is another technique. I start with children's books and we look at the simple conclusion that works, but doesn't have umph, and then we work our way up to essays, creative stories and novels that really pack a punch in the end. Old student samples, or current ones really work well too. A final suggestion is to simply practice conclusions. Give your class a story without the conclusion, and ask them to all write their own. This is a good way to get good and bad student samples.

I in no way have an answer for you, simply some suggestions. I am very eager to see what your inquiry produces, and am hoping that I can benefit from it as well.

Lindsey Wells

[Michelle Peirce]

Hi Lindsey,

I am just finishing up a training (Write from the Beginning) that has a couple ideas on how to teach conclusions.

One way is to have the students examine different picture books and identify which kind of ending the book has.

They have four or five different types. Also, the students work on a reverse story map. Then, later the student works on writing a specific type of ending. I can show/copy the materials for you if you want, They have better explanations.

[Doug Zimmerman]

Gail,

 

As a budding writing instructor and current writing center consultant, I have spent considerable time talking with students who struggle with both introductions and conclusions.  For introductions, we mostly discuss pertinent but general information any reader would need for a cursory understanding of the essay's material.  Too often they get lost in the "hookiness" and forget that readers need some facts in connection to the material proper.  Students look at me and ask "Why don't they just read the paper and find out what it's about.  What else is needed in the intro besides the hook?"  I try to remind them that readers do not like to guess - they want to be told what the essay's subject is and what they can expect.  Students begin to understand that intros must lead a reader in to the material rather than just exist as an unconnected paragraph.  Conclusions, however, do tend to illicit a different reaction - "It just seems like I'm repeating the introduction."  I applaud this recognition and work with students to revise conclusions away from, but still connected to, the information already stated in introductions.  We discuss ways in which conclusions lead readers out of the material (just as intros lead readers in to the material) but simultaneously leave those readers with something memorable they can think about later.  I can not speak with any authority about your student writers and their particular needs as I am university based; however, I do have some suggestions.  In talking to students about conclusions, I often ask them if their ending, if read out of context to the rest of the essay or narrative, answers any lingering questions readers might have?  The "So What?" question usually gets their brain working and generates further discussion.  I also ask if a reader were to read ONLY the ending, would they have any clue as to what the paper was about?  As always, each writer has their own process and some may even find that writing the conclusion first works best. Some students love this idea and we rework conclusions while simultaneously brainstorming body paragraph organization.

 

I look forward to working with you during the Summer Institute and to hearing your presentation.

 

Doug

[Gail Corthell]

I appreciate your thoughtful reply!  Your comment that conclusions need to lead readers OUT of the material is a thought that makes a lot of sense to me.  I'm working with 5th graders and think that they might really be able to grab onto that concept; also, what 5th grader has not uttered the words "So what?" at some time or another?  Thanks for adding your thoughts to my summer "interest".

 

Doug Zimmerman said:

Gail,

 

As a budding writing instructor and current writing center consultant, I have spent considerable time talking with students who struggle with both introductions and conclusions.  For introductions, we mostly discuss pertinent but general information any reader would need for a cursory understanding of the essay's material.  Too often they get lost in the "hookiness" and forget that readers need some facts in connection to the material proper.  Students look at me and ask "Why don't they just read the paper and find out what it's about.  What else is needed in the intro besides the hook?"  I try to remind them that readers do not like to guess - they want to be told what the essay's subject is and what they can expect.  Students begin to understand that intros must lead a reader in to the material rather than just exist as an unconnected paragraph.  Conclusions, however, do tend to illicit a different reaction - "It just seems like I'm repeating the introduction."  I applaud this recognition and work with students to revise conclusions away from, but still connected to, the information already stated in introductions.  We discuss ways in which conclusions lead readers out of the material (just as intros lead readers in to the material) but simultaneously leave those readers with something memorable they can think about later.  I can not speak with any authority about your student writers and their particular needs as I am university based; however, I do have some suggestions.  In talking to students about conclusions, I often ask them if their ending, if read out of context to the rest of the essay or narrative, answers any lingering questions readers might have?  The "So What?" question usually gets their brain working and generates further discussion.  I also ask if a reader were to read ONLY the ending, would they have any clue as to what the paper was about?  As always, each writer has their own process and some may even find that writing the conclusion first works best. Some students love this idea and we rework conclusions while simultaneously brainstorming body paragraph organization.

 

I look forward to working with you during the Summer Institute and to hearing your presentation.

 

Doug

[Gail Corthell]

Hi Michelle

I'd absolutely love to see any materials you have.  I am not familiar with how a reverse story map would work and would be really interested in any list of books you might have to use as mentor texts for studying conclusions.  Thank you so much for offering your thoughts!  I look forward to meeting you soon.

Gail

Michelle Peirce said:

Hi Lindsey,

I am just finishing up a training (Write from the Beginning) that has a couple ideas on how to teach conclusions.

One way is to have the students examine different picture books and identify which kind of ending the book has.

They have four or five different types. Also, the students work on a reverse story map. Then, later the student works on writing a specific type of ending. I can show/copy the materials for you if you want, They have better explanations.

[Michelle Peirce]

I will bring my WFTB notebook tomorrow to show you. It was a great class.