1. Great Beginnings: How to start your essay A shocking statement or fact An interesting quote/dialogue A question A short description or story

2. Great Beginnings #1: A Shocking fact/statistic A recent study shows that by the year 2015, 75% of US adults will be overweight.* People are taking steps every hour of every day, but how many would see those steps as an opportunity to beat this astounding statistic? You see, if only people would skip instead of walk places, this would be just one problem solved in the world. Skipping could make people’s lives a whole lot better…in many, many ways. * http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,288967,00.html

3. Great Beginnings: #2: Interesting quote/dialogue “Every day you spend without a smile is another day lost,” an unknown author once said. It seems like people these days simply don’t smile enough. But what if I told you that every hour of every day, we face opportunities to change all of this? You see, All day long, people are moving – walking, marching, trudging – and if these people would skip instead of walk places, I guarantee you’d see more smiles, and that’s just the beginning. Skipping could make people’s lives a whole lot better…in many, many ways. “I can’t do it anymore!” my brother screamed. He was feeling the stress of all the homework in middle school, and I could tell he was at his wits’ end. “C’mon, I’ll race you home,” I suggested. We both took off running. But then, instead of continuing my pace, I transitioned into a full-out “skip” down the road. My brother turned around, saw what I was doing…and broke out into sheer laughter. And for that moment, his troubles didn’t seem so big. That’s just one of the times in my life that I’ve seen skipping – instead of boring, old walking – change a situation from bad to good. Skipping could improve all our lives in many ways. Don’t believe me? Read on…

4. Great Beginnings: #3: A Question Do you ever feel like you just don’t have enough time in a day? Or maybe you’re wishing you had more to smile about? If only you could fit in a little more exercise, you tell yourself; maybe that would help. And all the while, there is a simple solution waiting for us every time we take a step. You see, instead of walking everywhere, people should skip! Skipping could make people’s lives a whole lot better in so many ways.

5. Great Beginnings: #4: A short description or story Back when I was a child, a popular toy came out called the “Skip It.” On one end was a ring that you slipped your foot into, and on the other end was a ball. Then you’d skip over the ball as it twirled around your foot. Crazy fun, I’m telling you. We loved that thing, and we even had school-wide competitions with them. Skipping brought joy to us all. And ever since then, I’ve been convinced that if only people would skip instead of walk places, their lives would be a whole lot better…in many ways.

6. The rest of the essay:Why people should skip places, instead of walk (Insert one of the four introductions here) First of all, have you ever seen a skipping person who wasn’t smiling? I know that I personally cannot help but smile when I begin prancing around. If people would skip instead of walk, I guarantee they’d find themselves in better moods. Fighting with someone at work? Just skip down the hall together and you know the tension will just disappear. We all need a little more joy in our lives, right? So why not skip? Not only that, but skipping is fantastic exercise. When was the last time you skipped for a long period of time? You’ll find that it’s a great aerobic activity, getting your blood pumping and your heart racing, and it gives much needed exercise to the muscles in your legs that are sometimes forgotten. Tired of running or jogging at the park? Skip instead!

7. Skipping, persuasive cont… Finally, I want to remind you that skipping gets you places faster. It’s more efficient, and that’s just the plain truth. If you’re running late, you can skip to class instead of run. It’s much safer, and yet it gets you there just as quick! We all could use more time, and just maybe, skipping instead of walking could give us those extra little moments of life we need. At this point, I know what you’re thinking…Why didn’t I ever realize this before? Skipping solves so many problems! From giving us time and exercise to helping us smile more each day, skipping could change our lives for the better. So go on out there and try it! See what happens when you exchange your boring, old walking-ways for the exciting, healthy, and delightful world of skipping.

8. Fantastic Finishers!! Your final punch. An interesting quote William Penn once said, “Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” So let’s go out there and use our time well…by skipping in the moments we have! A memorable scene/story/example One of the most famous scenes in the ever-popular movie, “The Wizard of Oz” includes the main characters, arm in arm, skipping down the Yellow Brick Road. That’s the kind of picture I want when I think of my life too. So let’s do. Let’s start skipping today. + feeling + a call to ACTION = Fantastic finisher!!!

9. Identifying verbs and tenses Read your paper aloud to someone near you. Place a star * beside any word you think might be spelled/used incorrectly. See if your partner can help you with any of these words, or look them up. Decide, is your paper: Past tense Present tense Future tense (rare!) Squiggly line every verb on your paper. Note if it fits the verb tense you selected.

10. Homework…journal?? No homework journal this week. Instead, proof-read your essay and re-write/type it if you need to. Make any revisions or changes you want to. Have your essay ready for me to read by next class! You will earn points for a paper that… Has been checked for spelling, grammar, punctuation errors Has correct verb tenses Has a “great beginning” that captures attention, leads to topic Has three CLEAR main ideas (one for each body paragraph) Has a “fantastic finisher” that really sums things up