Take the first step with Sizzling Starts
A classroom full of fun, enthusiasm and great writing
begins with Sizzling Starts®
What is a Sizzling Start?
A piece of writing needs to grab the reader’s attention right from the start. But most students start with overused (and let’s face it, dull) openings: ‘Once upon a time…’, ‘One day I…’ or ‘In my opinion…’.
Sizzling Starts is guaranteed to change those boring introductions once and for all!
Open a story with your character jumping out of a plane or when the train is veering off the track. Start a persuasive text with a thought-provoking expert quote. Spark interest with a fascinating fact at the beginning of an information report.
'Sizzling Starts has been a game changer for us. It has really opened the students' (and teachers'!) eyes to richer vocab, setting the scene with a show, don't tell and allowing a story to start with impact.'
Gray Primary School, NT
'My Year 7s LOVED Sizzling Starts. They just loved reading them aloud with passion and energy.'
Forbes High School, NSW
'Marking NAPLAN this year, I noticed the Seven Steps flair in students' writing - I could pick the Sizzling Starts!'
Coomera Rivers State School, QLD
New to Seven Steps?
Seven Steps to Writing Success is the proven, evidence-based approach to teaching writing that students love.
Seven Steps has already helped over 50,000 teachers unlock the inner writer in every student. How? By explicitly teaching them the skills that professional authors use, including how to:
- plan and structure an engaging text
- come up with creative, unique and cohesive ideas
- hook the reader from the first sentence
- bring writing to life with descriptive language.
The skills students need to become great writers.
So where do you begin?
At the Sizzling Start of course! Although it’s Step 2 of the Seven Steps, it’s the easiest place to begin for both students and teachers.
Seven Steps is based on best-practice pedagogy, with each Step chunked to reduce the cognitive load on students. So don’t ask students to write a whole text – just focus on Sizzling Starts for 2 weeks.
We give you everything you need to do it: training videos, classroom PowerPoints, exemplars, lesson plans, activities, assessment tools and more!
Your classroom will be bursting with creativity, fun and a buzzing writing culture!
Ready to get started with Sizzling Starts?
Sign up for a free account and bring fun, collaboration and engaging writing to your classroom.
You’ll see a marked difference in your students’ writing from the first lesson and most importantly your students will enjoy their writing lessons, engage with the activities and feel proud to share their writing with the class.
Your free account will give you access to the Sizzling Starts modules across narrative, informative and persuasive writing in Teacher Hub.
You’ll find everything you need to learn, teach, apply and assess Step 2: Sizzling Starts.
- Short training videos
- Lesson plans
- Classroom PowerPoints, exemplars and activities
- Assessment resources
- A certificate to celebrate your students’ writing success.
'Students remember to use Sizzling Starts outside of writing class - in science, geography, history. They also use the concept in poetry and when writing reviews.'
Nunawading Christian College, VIC
'Sizzling Starts has encouraged even my most reluctant writers!'
St Margaret Mary's Randwick North, NSW
'When working through Sizzling Starts, there were peals of laughter. One student said his sense of humour could finally be appreciated in the classroom!'
Aitken College, VIC
Writing sample
Classroom display
Template
Informative report
‘🔥🔥 Sizzling Start 🔥🔥
Focusing on the Seven Steps to writing everyday has improved my students’ writing so much in just 5 weeks!!’
Check out this pop art classroom display. These students have used action words to engage the reader. Thanks for sharing @missclassroomcat.
‘Kids loved writing a variety of Sizzling Starts for their narratives then choosing their best one to display 🔥’
‘Have you ever seen a Monarch butterfly slowly emerge from a Chrysalis?
It takes a bit to come out – they can take about 3-4 days. They stay still and move their wings a bit and sometimes move a bit.’