Hooks and Intros

Caffeine in our morning coffee. Caffeine in our sports drinks. Caffeine in our favorite chocolate bars. Even caffeine in our cough syrup! No matter where we turn, it seems we can't escape caffeine.

• flashback

• contradiction

• repetition

• action

What would the world be without art? Imagine a world with no poetry, paintings, or music. Over the past decade, the practice of the arts has significantly decreased in schools because these activities are seen as less important to society. Even though this may seem true, the arts programs are beneficial to students because they provide an opportunity to express creativity, relieve stress, and boost learning skills.

• dialogue

• action

• advice

• rhetorical question

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.6

CCSS.L.8.6

CCSS.L.9-10.6

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

CCSS.W.9-10.2D

The cave is dark and everything is silent. I can't even see my hands in front of my face. I know this adventure is going to be something I will never forget. The beauty of the Carlsberg Caverns is unequaled by any other place on Earth.

• action

• flashback

• advice

• repetition

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.11-12.5

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

"Hello, it's so good to see you today!" says Joe Capezuto, a Walmart greeter at my local store. His role is to wait at the front door of a Walmart store and greet all shoppers who enter. CEO and founder Sam Walton implemented the role nationally in the 1980s. The job is considered to be a big part of the company's identity and culture, and it's one that all retailers should consider to run a more successful business.

• figurative language

• sentence fragments

• dialogue

• contradiction

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

Remember, you’ll always regret what you didn’t do rather than what you did. This is what you're likely to find yourself saying after you've opened your parachute after jumping out of a plane at 10,000 feet. Skydiving will change your outlook on life for the better!

• dialogue

• advice

• contradiction

• sentence fragments

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.8

CCSS.RL.11-12.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

I had one little brother and I would use him as a scapegoat to get us video games. Obviously, I would get the more girly toys like dolls and Barbies, yadda, yadda, yadda. But what I really wanted was video games or action figures, so I would send him to ask mom. Toy and game manufacturer's today should market all of their products to both boys and girls.

• dialogue

• contradiction

• figurative language

• flashback

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.11-12.5

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

"Quick! Hit the floor!" my dad yelled. "Whatever you do, don't look up," my mother added as I dropped to the floor and slid myself under the bed. It was a terrifying night for my family when a bat got into the house. I wish we had known that bats are actually harmless, affectionate creatures.

• advice

• dialogue

• flashback

• figurative language

It is a three-ton killing machine that lurks in the ocean shadows, on the prowl for its next meal. Up to 20 feet of terrifying nightmare. Yet it is undeniably, hauntingly beautiful. The Great White shark should be a protected species because it is an important part of the ocean, attacks on humans are rare, and human behavior influences the behavior of sharks.

• flashback

• dialogue

• figurative language

• advice

Is any price too high to pay for the safety of your children? Most parents have experienced that feeling of fear when a young child wanders off at the playground or disappears during a trip to the store. New technology, in the form of voice watches and miniature sensing devices, is aimed at avoiding such distress by keeping track of children who are too young to carry a smartphone. These new technologies are a must-have for any parent of young children.

• figurative language

• flashback

• repetition

• rhetorical question

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

Tantrums. Picky eating. Bathroom accidents. All of these can make even the most experienced parent feel overwhelmed from time to time. For teenage parents, that stress is magnified. That's why parenting classes should be required for young mothers and fathers under the age of 18.

• action

• figurative language

• dialogue

• sentence fragments