Writing Effective Hooks Lesson Plan

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ENGL101H Lesson Plan: Writing Effective Hooks
Class Size
19 students
Lesson Duration
50 minutes
Assumptions
Students have been introduced to the Position Paper assignment, the draft of which they are
working on. The purpose of the Position Paper is to enable students to take an argumentative
stance on the issue that they have been researching throughout the semester. After the students
have completed the Position Paper, they will start the Public Remediation assignment, which
challenges students to adapt their argument to accommodate a new public audience. Throughout
the course of the semester, students have received guidance and resources on ways to effectively
engage in the peer review process.
Aims/Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to (SWBAT):
● Define a hook
● Identify the characteristics of an effective hook
● Explain the importance of writing effective hooks
● Critique hooks based on their intended audiences and the contexts in which they exist
● Formulate an effective hook based on the criteria discussed in class
Applications
These newly acquired skills will hopefully help students in crafting strong hooks and recognizing
the merits and detriments of a piece. If students have the tools needed to analyze and critique
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hooks, they have the ability to discern when a hook is aiding or hindering the effectiveness of a
piece.
Materials
● Internet Access
● Zoom
● Paper
● Pencils/Pens
● Writing Effective Hooks PowerPoint
● Rate the Hook Worksheet
Outline
I. Free Write (5 min)
A. Put the following prompt into the chat before reading it aloud.
Prompt: What makes you want to read a piece of writing? Once you have started
reading, what makes you want to keep reading, and what makes you want to stop
reading?
B. Give students 4 minutes to respond to the prompt in writing. They can answer the
questions using bullet points or complete sentences. Students can write their
response on a piece of paper or in a Google Doc or Word file. Allow them to turn
their cameras off. Inform students that they should be prepared to share their
answers to the free write.
II. Discussion of Free Write (5 min)
A. Ask 2 to 3 students to share their response to the prompt. They can either unmute
themselves or type their response into the chat box. The purpose of this discussion
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is to gauge the extent to which students engaged with the writing prompt. If
students are not participating, call on a few students at random.
B. If students do not mention hooks or the first few lines of a piece, ask them the
following discussion question.
Discussion Question: How important are the first few lines of a piece in
determining whether you continue reading or not?
III. Introduction (2 min)
A. Introduce the topic and objectives of the lesson.
B. Explain the connection between writing effective hooks and completing the
Position Paper and Public Remediation assignments.
C. Ask students if they have any questions about the learning objectives or the lesson
agenda.
IV. Mini-Lecture on Writing Effective Hooks (15 min)
A. Present “Writing Effective Hooks” PowerPoint.
B. Ask students to respond to at least a few of the “Is this hook effective?” slides.
Students can also use the thumbs up and thumbs down functions to share their
thoughts on each hook. For the Jamie Oliver example, the video is set to start and
end at specific time stamps, but in case of technical difficulties, play the video
from 00:15 to 00:27. Ask students some combination of the following discussion
questions when presenting the “Is this hook effective?” slides.
Discussion Questions: Would you categorize this hook as effective or ineffective?
How could the author make this hook more effective? Is this hook salvageable, or
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should the author start from scratch? What does this hook suggest about the
intended audience? What type of genre/medium is this hook most appropriate for?
V. Group Activity (10 min)
A. Put the “Rate the Hook” worksheet in the chat.
B. Read and explain the directions for the activity.
C. Inform students that they can make a copy of the worksheet if they would like to
jot down their group’s answers. Tell students to be prepared to share when they
return to the main session.
D. Divide students into random breakout rooms of 4 to 5 students each.
E. Allow students to work with their group to rate the hooks based on the criteria
discussed in the PowerPoint and listed on the worksheet.
VI. Class Discussion (8 min)
A. Ask students to use their fingers or the chat box to indicate how they rated each
hook.
B. Ask a few students to share the reasoning behind their rating for each hook.
Emphasize that there is some subjectivity when assigning a number to each hook,
but people can still generally determine the effectiveness with which hooks fulfill
a certain criterion.
C. If there is time, ask the following questions when discussing each hook.
Discussion Questions: Is this hook salvageable, or should the author start from
scratch? If the hook is salvageable, how could the author make it more effective?
VII. Conclusion (5 min)
A. Reiterate the importance of writing effective hooks.

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B. Connect the writing of effective hooks to Position Paper and Public Remediation
assignments.
C. Remind students that the PowerPoint can be found on ELMS.
D. Explain the homework for next class. This homework assignment is described in
the assessment section of this lesson plan.
E. Ask students if they have any questions.
Assessment
Before the next class meeting, students should write one potential hook for their Position Paper.
The teacher should send out an announcement via ELMS to remind students of this homework
assignment. Each student will paste their hook into a Google Doc at the beginning of class before
reviewing and commenting on the hooks of two of their peers. When peer reviewing, students
should refer back to the lessons and resources that they have received on ways to effectively
engage in the peer review process.

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ENGL101H Lesson Plan: Writing Effective Hooks

engage in the peer review process.

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to (SWBAT):

● Identify the characteristics of an effective hook

● Explain the importance of writing effective hooks

● Formulate an effective hook based on the criteria discussed in class

● Writing Effective Hooks PowerPoint

● Rate the Hook Worksheet

I. Free Write (5 min)

answers to the free write.

II. Discussion of Free Write (5 min)

students are not participating, call on a few students at random.

following discussion question.

determining whether you continue reading or not?

III. Introduction (2 min)

A. Introduce the topic and objectives of the lesson.

Position Paper and Public Remediation assignments.

IV. Mini-Lecture on Writing Effective Hooks (15 min)

A. Present “Writing Effective Hooks” PowerPoint.

questions when presenting the “Is this hook effective?” slides.

Discussion Questions: Would you categorize this hook as effective or ineffective?

V. Group Activity (10 min)

A. Put the “Rate the Hook” worksheet in the chat.

B. Read and explain the directions for the activity.

return to the main session.

D. Divide students into random breakout rooms of 4 to 5 students each.

discussed in the PowerPoint and listed on the worksheet.

VI. Class Discussion (8 min)

VII. Conclusion (5 min)

A. Reiterate the importance of writing effective hooks.

C. Remind students that the PowerPoint can be found on ELMS.

the assessment section of this lesson plan.

E. Ask students if they have any questions.

engage in the peer review process.

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