Leaves swoop around us this
time of year and a swirling rainbow of autumn colors fill the air. Leaves leave
the trees, fluttering to the ground to end their seasonal journey. Much thought
is given to hooking the reader with story beginnings, but endings are a key
component in story and essay structure. How best do you leave a story or end an
article you’re writing?
Writing
the ending of any story or essay is often the most difficult task for a writer.
You may want to leave your readers with a solid, firm opinion, or an
open-ending, that can be interpreted in many ways, and perhaps, lead to another
book in a series or inspire a new article or essay.
Leave the page
1.Read the last line of a
favorite picture book or chapter book aloud in class.
Ask students to write two
new endings for this story.
First, they should write a
firm ending such as:
“and it was still hot.” Where the Wild Things Are
And one ending that might
lead to something new:
“Uh-oh,” I thought. “it’s
not just the lunch box.” Third Grade
Angels, Jerry Spinelli
2. Ask students to read Kids Discovery, National Geographic Magazine, or use the daily paper from your
town. Choose an article or Op-Ed piece to rewrite the final paragraph still
using the facts made clear in the article.
Try to “leave” the reader
with a whole new question, which to inspire a new discussion.
Example: “Scientists
understand key reasons why dinosaurs became extinct, but if there hadn’t been
an ice age, do you think we’d still have these massive creatures on Earth?
Perhaps as house pets?”
Now write a new article
ending leaving the reader with clear knowledge of the represented facts. Example:
“Scientific testing on discovered dinosaurs bones are solid proof they
could not survive due to severe weather conditions.”
The best authors and
journalists play with story and article endings to make sure readers feel like
they’ve had a memorable reading experience. Writing a great ending is as
satisfying as jumping into a giant pile of autumn leaves. Enjoy!
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