5waystostartaprimaryschoolcomposition 1

5 Ways to Start a Primary School Composition

“What should I even type?” Ms Xie wondered. The stark whiteness of the blank page seemed to take up her entire field of vision. She was hit by writer’s block. Since her blog post was due on Monday night, she had to find a way to write something to wow her readers—and fast.

Was that introduction attention-grabbing? Wouldn’t you like to read more? Hi, I’m Ms Xie, and I’m thrilled to share with you five techniques on how to write a good introduction to your school compositions.

Have you ever caught yourself going onto the internet, and searching for terms like, “How to write a composition for Primary School?

Students must be strategic when tackling composition questions and from the beginning of the story, there is already ample opportunity to capture the reader’s attention and to score. Adding on to our previous post on brilliant beginnings, I would like to share with you a few more ways to get your readers glued to your story right from the start.

Instead of “Last Sunday,”, or “One sunny day,”, students should make their compositions stand out by using the most appropriate method given for the topic. Here are five ways to help students.

1. Start With a Line of Dialogue

This is a great method to try out because it is suitable for almost any topic given. Let’s say that the topic is “Dishonesty” and the character found a wallet on the ground. Many students would write, “One sunny day, I was walking home from school.” However, the story would be improved with a line of dialogue. Using a line of dialogue to start should instantly add relevance and life to the story.

Before writing the line of dialogue, the student has to ask himself either one of the following questions:

  • How is the character related to this story? (Main character or a character that shows the setting e.g. a staff working at a cinema?)

  • What is the character thinking?

  • What is the character feeling?

  • What does the character want when he sees this?

An example of an eye-catching line of dialogue will be the following:

“Great! Now I can buy some ice cream!” I exclaimed as I picked up the wallet.

Not only is this a line of dialogue relevant to the story crafted, it also leaves the reader curious as to what is happening in the story by starting at an exciting point in the story.

What will an ineffective line of dialogue then? Some students tend to give very general lines of dialogue and write statements such as:

“We have arrived!” Or some other variant of “I am here!”

To make this more impactful, try being specific and stating where the location was in the story itself.

E.g. “Wow! I wonder what flavour I should choose,” I squealed while my eyes darted from one tub of ice cream to another. Last Sunday, I was at the ice cream parlour with my family.

Another example of a line of dialogue that is too general is the following:

“Bye, John!” my mother said.

This does not pique the reader’s curiosity and make him or her want to find out more. It also does not show how the character feels and what she is thinking.

Instead, try:

“Remember to take out the trash, John!” my mother reminded me before she left the house.

Here is another pitfall. Can you tell why it is not ideal?

“I have found a wallet!” I exclaimed to myself.

This is an action. It’s far better to start a story by showing the action than to narrate it to the audience. Imagine that you are picking up a wallet. Do you say the action as you do it? No. Therefore, in such situations, if the student starts with a line of dialogue, he or she has to imagine what the person is thinking when he says it, which brings us to…

2. Start With a Thought

This is very similar to a line of dialogue, but what’s the difference? This technique would be used effectively especially if the character cannot say this thought aloud. Saying this thought aloud would get the character into trouble. Imagine that the character is about to take a test. Does the character say:

“Oh no! I didn’t study for it!” Jim shouted.

Jim probably would not be able to say this because he feels so nervous. Moreover, examination halls require silence. Instead, show his thought:

“Oh no, I didn’t study!” Jim thought as panic engulfed him. He started to sweat as he rifled through the pages.

Other scenarios in which this technique can be used are as follow:

A teacher is about to call on the student:

“Please don’t call on me, please don’t call on me,” Jim prayed.

The teacher is about to end class:

“Oh, I hope Miss Lee forgets about assigning homework,” I crossed my fingers and prayed.

*Do bear in mind that the use of quotation marks to punctuate a thought (or internal dialogue) is not necessary. You will notice that many writers tend to express thoughts without the quotation marks like this during writing:

Oh no, I didn’t study! Jim thought as panic engulfed him. 

Therefore, do not be alarmed if you come across thoughts that have been expressed as shown above.

3. Start With an Action

Not with any action, of course, but with an action that is usually happening at the climax or leading to the climax of the story. This opening action is particularly great for scenarios with violence in them, such as bullying. While we do not condone violence, we do acknowledge that problems such as bullying happen often in school. This is also a commonly tested topic in the examinations.

In this story, the bully is about to punch me, the victim.

We can start a story like this.

The bully raised his fist and glared at me.

This is a great way to begin a story because it creates a suspenseful atmosphere with the action by starting at an exciting point in the story.

This also works well for running a race:

I dashed down the racetrack, slightly behind my rival.

This technique lends well to the story about races because we get into the action quickly. Some students may use this technique for stories that deal more with emotions, such as sitting for an examination that one was not prepared for. Here’s what they may write:

I sat down in my seat and stared at the paper.

Do bear in mind that while there are no right and wrong answers for compositions, the action can more active to capture the reader’s attention. Try this instead:

I scribbled the answers to the questions.

4. Start With a Sound

This can be used for many stories, but are much better for emergency situations or stories about fires. This technique also lends well to action-packed stories with a lot of sound effects.

“Sizzle!” The frying pan crackled as I poured hot oil on it.

However, don’t use these sounds too often! If not, the teacher will get tired of reading them. Some common beginnings to avoid include:

“Chirp, chirp!” The birds sang.

“Riiing!” My alarm clock/ The school bell rang. 

“Ding dong!” I rang the doorbell.

While it’s not wrong, many teachers have read this sort of beginning and it is not memorable. instead, focus on the loudest or the most important sound in the scene.

Alternatively, you can also write sound like this:

The car screeched when the driver pressed on the brakes.

5. Describe the Picture Used

Lastly, you can start by focusing on describing the picture given. For example, if the picture is important in the story, such as a fire, it would be wise to describe the fire at the start of the story.

Bright orange flames licked the base of the pan. Last Sunday, my mother was making pancakes.

If the weather is crucial to the plot, is the given topic or picture, then it is safe to start the story by describing the weather. Some topics may include “A Sweltering Day” or “A Storm”.

Remember, descriptions about the weather may not be helpful all the time. Many students still tend to describe the weather, even when the main character is indoors:

White magnolia clouds drifted across the sky and the sun beat down on everyone.

Thunder roared and lightning flashed.

While this may be acceptable, it does not jump straight into the setting straightaway. Neither does it start at the location of the story. Due to this, the student spends time creating one extra paragraph about making his or her way to the location of the story. It’s always wise to set the story at the location itself. The main character should only leave the setting towards the end of the story if need be.

Final Notes:

Now that you know all of these five strategies, here’s your chance to make your school compositions more interesting! Although a lot of common topics may seem boring — A Fire, An Honest Act, An Accident — it’s up to you to find the joy in writing and make your story come to life! Hopefully, with these five beginnings, you’ll be able to come up with an engaging opening to pull your reader into the story.

Which of these beginnings would you use? Let us know in the comments!

Happy writing!

start a primary school composition

Group 48 8 1
Ms. Xie

Ms. Xie is an English Teacher at Lil’ but Mighty. Her best subject has always been English and she’s been writing ever since she could hold a pen. Her first book, Dragonhearted, was shortlisted for the Scholastic Asian Book Award in 2014 and published in 2016. It was also shortlisted for the Singapore Book Awards in 2017. She also likes hugging fat cats. The fatter they are, the better.

Have something to share? Drop us a comment below!

Leave a Reply

Share

Other related posts

Creative Writing | 3 Easy Steps to Write Your Own Haiku!
Verbs: More than Just Action Words! | Part 3: Changes in Verb Forms
Ketchup on English! – is, are, was and were!
Audience In Visual Text | Visual Text Comprehension
Exploring Points of View (POV) in Composition Writing
Metaphors For? | Part II – Implied Metaphors
10 Beautiful Vivid Verbs to Boost Your Writing and Oral! | Primary School English
Metaphors For? | Part I – An Introduction to Metaphors
3 Family-Friendly Shows on Netflix (Educational & Entertaining)!
Verbs: More than Just Action Words! | Part 2: Tenses
2021 Father’s Day Contest Winners
Verbs: More than Just Action Words! | Part 1: Subject-Verb Agreement
10 Beautiful Words You Can Use in Narrative / Descriptive Writing | Secondary School
Ways To Create A Well-Rounded Character | Creative Writing
Understanding Purpose-Related Questions in Visual Text Comprehension
How Playing Video Games Can Improve Our English (With Practical Tips for Parents!)
Primary School Composition | Onomatopoeia – What’s That?
2021 Mother’s Day Contest Winners + Our Founder’s Journey (Mother’s Day Special)!
Composition Revision: Using Your 5 Senses in Your Writing
How to Create A Dynamic Piece of Writing Using Idioms
Ketchup on English! – Subject-Verb Agreement
Punctuation Marks: Colon Vs. Semicolon
4 steps to Create Suspense
That Simile Though 2 | Using Stronger Similes
Reading with Expression! Learn How to Emphasise Key Words with Ketchup & Mayo
PSLE ORAL | Compiled Prelim 2021 Oral Topics + Questions!
If you’re looking at getting recent PSLE Prelim Oral topics and practice questions, this will be an excellent resource for you!
5 Steps to Convert a Newspaper Article into a Cloze Passage
I would like to share with you 5 steps on how authentic articles can be transformed into cloze passages easily. Read on here!
PSLE English | Oral Conversation: Free SG50 Sample Practice + Model Answers
In this blogpost we will be touching on the oral stimulus-based conversation topic of National Day and SG50! Read on here!
PSLE English | Oral Conversation: Filling your Story with Details Easily + Free Revision Cards
By simply using the 5W1H, your children will be able to lengthen their stories (hence, the conversation!). Read on here!
PSLE English | Situational Writing: Q&A + Formal vs Informal Writing Comparison Chart
To aid you in your situational writing revision, here is a comparison chart that shows the differences between formal and informal writing!
PSLE English Tips | Oral: Stimulus-Based Conversation Checklist
To help my children handle the Stimulus-Based Conversation examination, here are some instructions again about using the checklist!
A Little Encouragement | DIY Motivational Bookmark (Easy to personalise too!)
A bookmark with a quote to motivate is also a chance for them to see the power of words and how words can mean more than what they seem.
Situational Writing: Step-by-Step Guide + Free Revision Card
I believe a walkthrough on the process of doing situational writing is in order. Here are the requirements for content and language!
I Love Reading | 5 Ways to Motivate Reluctant Readers
One of the most important ingredients necessary for a child or anyone learning English is the habit of reading. Get motivated to read now!
PSLE English | Printable Ultimate Grammar & Synthesis Summary
Today, we are sharing two lists of essentials in our Ultimate Grammar and Synthesis Summary Printable. Download them free here!
How Well Do You Know Your Past Participles?
While we are familiar with the past, present and future tenses, the little less known but equally important tense is the past participles.
Primary Composition Writing | Starting Sentences with Introductory Clauses
Today, we'll be revising the use of sentence starters to help you create variety in your sentence structures. Read on here!
The Sentence Train | Lower Primary English
Today, we are going to learn what makes up a sentence. It will come in handy when you do the word order activity in school! Read on here!
PSLE English Tips | Oral: Reading Checklist
This Oral Reading Checklist can be used by children when they practise reading on their own. Download it now!
Language of COVID | 10 Words Added to the Dictionary
Using Personification to Show, Not Tell!
Expressing Character Feelings Too! | Using Show-Not-Tell (Part 2)
How to Choose a Book to Read: 8 Ways
How to Dress Up A Boring Paragraph | Creative Writing
Ketchup on English! – Halloween Special: Prepositions of Time!
Ketchup on English! – Verbs Are Not Just Action Words!
Expressing Character Feelings | Using Show-Not-Tell
Which Picture Should I Use? | Choosing the Best Picture to Use for Composition!
Oral: Reading Passage | Long Vowels – Have You Been Reading Your Vowels Correctly?
Previous
Next

Like what you are reading?

Subscribe now to receive news and tips hot off the press!

shape icon 06
shape icon 05