1. Crafting a Lead The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading, in order to write; a man will turn over half of a library to make one book.”

2. Please turn to your partner to your right and read the first two sentences from the entry of your choice to each other… Another girl? Not another girl? Don’t tell me I’ve got another daughter!”Keeper of the Doves by Betsy Byers “Hi! My name is Judson Moon. I’m twelve years old and I’m running for President of the You-nited States.”The Kid Who Ran For President “There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. There once was a very large lake here, the largest lake in Texas.” Holes by Lois Sachar

3. “It was one of those super-duper-cold Sundays. One of those days that when you breathed out your breath kind of hung frozen in the air like a hunk of smoke and you could walk along and look exactly like a train blowing big, fat, white puffs of smoke.” The Watsons Go To Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis “Our land is alive, Esperanza,” said Papa, taking her small hand as they walked through the gentle slopes of the vineyard. Esparanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan “OKAY, LAST PLAY! Your turn, Eddie Ball!” hollered our gym teacher, Mr. Ianucci. “This is Eddie’s shot, everybody!” The Million Dollar Shot by Dan Gutman

4. Types of Leads • Dialogue-talking between two or more people • Statement-a fact or an opinion Quote-words of wisdom; saying that is most often the theme • Summary-summarizing a setting, or background about a character • Question-asking a question, wonder • Monologue- a long speech by one person

5. Let’s Investigate! • Work with a partner responsibly • Find three leads that you like and write them in your writer’s notebook • Write the type of your lead on a sticky post-it note; (one note-one different type of lead) • Post the sticky notes on the side of the big book shelf • Go back to your seat and pick one entry and try to write a different lead for that entry • Let me know if you feel comfortable sharing with the other writers

6. Mrs. Todorovic’s lead • I wonder, “ Do we ever know, truly, if we are loved?” Maybe in some instances we are so loved that we could easily break from an infinitive love- hug until its embrace suffocates us until we vanish. Then on other hand, without love we feel so empty and lifeless, like we have neither organs, nor soul in our body to keep us going, predestined to rot in our solitude of unreturned love. I guess, we are just human beings who are so complex that the quest for love is made of countless intricate catacombs, mysterious secret passages, where we get lost within, either by choice or by fear. • What makes me feel content about all these philosophical thoughts and simply plain feelings is the thought that there is no ABSOLUTE truth; but, just a momentarily exhibit of our sudden burst of the nerve messages provoked by certain external factors. But, am I just lying to myself? Do I even believe in this?