Cracking Open Sentences

Some sentences are boring and tired.

• It was a nice day.

• I had fun.

• Snow is nice.

• It was pretty.

Let’s Crack one Open!

We can use our hammers to crack open sentences and make them

shine!

Here is an example:

Instead of: ‘It was a nice day,’ here is what a third grader wrote:

The sun came up over the sea. Cold water splashed my feet sending a

chill over my body. The air smelled of sweet salt water. The sun rays

made the water glitter like fireworks. The sand felt warm on my frozen

feet. The wet rocks made a beautiful shade of gray.

Another Example:

Instead of: “It was kind of dark,” here is what a third grader

wrote:

The sun barely peeks through the curtain, making the empty living

room dim. Not the grim kind of dim, but a serene dim that leads the mind

to creativity.

Opening one sentence can change the tone of

the entire piece, and add concrete description that

will help any writing come alive!

Now It’s Your Turn!

• Choose one sentence from your writing• Write it on the left side of your manila

paper.• On the right side of the paper, write your new and improved “cracked-open”

sentence!

Remember to make it sparkle!