Grade 5
Copyright © 2014 Write Score LLC
We are going to work on writing the conclusion
or ending of a piece of writing.
When working on our conclusions, we want to:
o provide a concluding statement or section
related to the opinion, information, or
explanation presented.
o provide a conclusion that follows from the
narrated experiences or events.
o leave the reader feeling satisfied.
One way to end an opinion essay, informational essay, or
narrative story is by making a list.
This is called Making a List ending because it means
ending with a list of key ideas, facts, words, or phrases
connected to what you have already written followed
by a summary statement or section.
To show you what I mean, we are going to read an
narrative story together.
ideas
Notice key ideas, facts, words, or
phrases you think are important.
It was a normal hot and sticky summer day. I was about
eight years old and living with my mom and dad in the
suburbs north of New York City. The blacktop that coated
the surface of our street was melting under the strain of the
sun's piercing rays. It oozed thick, black tar and caused the
soles of my brand new tennis shoes to stick to the ground
and squeak a bit with each step I took. It was that kind of
day. Hot. Sticky. A bit squeaky. So maybe that is why I had
agreed to participate in something very dangerous and risky.
My best friend, Cathy, dared me to play a game with her. It
involved riding our bikes as fast as we could toward one
another. The idea was to see who would chicken out and
turn away before crashing into the other person. It wasn’t a
very smart thing to do.
When the time came to meet the dare, I was nervous and
ready at the same time. Cathy started at one end of the
street. I started from the other. When she screamed,
“GO!”, we both took off on our two-wheelers. We peddled
as fast as our feet would go. Whoosh! Whoosh! The
wheels on my Schwinn were spinning faster and faster and
faster. I pedaled with such force, that I was no longer
sitting on the seat. Instead, I was standing on the pedals. I
stared straight ahead. I was afraid to take my eyes off
Cathy for even a second. My hair whipped across my face.
Closer. Closer. Closer we came to one another. I thought,
"I won't be the one to 'chicken out' I just know Cathy will
swerve away any second, and I will be the winner.“ At that
moment that was all I cared about - winning. But Cathy
didn’t swerve and neither did I. We crashed. Head on.
Our bikes scraped together and crumpled. Our heads
banged into one another and blood began to spurt. I
guess in the end, neither of us could be called "chicken“.
But I knew neither of us felt like winners. We hugged
one another made a promise to never play that or any
other game like it ever again.
Here’s what I noticed in the narrative story :
o
o
o
o
o
It was dangerous
It was risky
A dare
Bikes
Chicken game
o
o
o
o
o
o
It was not very smart
We were scared
Crash
Hurt
Sorry
Never again
Now, I am going to choose three significant ideas,
facts, words, or phrases from my list to use for a
different ending in the narrative story.
Which ones would you choose?
Here are the three significant ideas, facts, words,
or phrases from my list I am going to use for
writing a different conclusion or ending in my
essay:
o It was dangerous
o It was risky
o It wasn’t very smart
I’m going to use these three
details to write a Make a List
ending:
Dangerous. Risky. Not very smart. After we
crashed neither of us felt like winners. We
hugged one another and made a promise to
never play the chicken game or anything else
that was dangerous or risky and not very smart.
Did you notice how I chose three significant ideas, facts,
words or phrases to use for my ending?
o It was dangerous
Becomes
o Dangerous
o It was risky
Becomes
o Risky
o It was not very smart
Becomes
o Not very smart
Did you notice how I followed my list of three with a summary
statement about those three things?
After we crashed, neither of us felt like winners. We hugged one
another and made a promise to never play the chicken game or
anything else that was dangerous or risky and not very smart.
o You are going to do what I just did. Open to a clean
page in your writers’ notebooks.
o Choose three different key ideas, facts, words, or
phrases from the list I made to create a different
Make a List ending for this narrative story.
o
o
o
o
o
It was dangerous
It was risky
A dare
Bikes
Chicken game
o
o
o
o
o
o
It was not very smart
We were scared
Crash
Hurt
Sorry
Never again
Remember to include a summary statement after your list.
o After you finish your conclusion or ending, return to a
completed piece of your writing. It can be an opinion
essay, an explanatory essay, or a narrative story.
o Make a list of key ideas, facts, words, or phrases.
o Use your list to write one or more Make a List
endings for your writing.