Engaging Writers with "Ba Da Bing"

Students in Melanie Martino's 5th grade classroom learned the writing technique of "Ba Da Bing!" Sometimes writers need help with making their moments COME ALIVE for the reader. This sentence exercise is simple to follow and produces a transformation in students' writing.

I learned the Ba Da Bing method at this years' Literacy Conference and couldn't wait to model it in Melanie's room. Below is the visual I showed students. 

Melanie let students write a Ba Da Bing moment focusing on a dangerous storm of their choice. I had students first close their eyes and visualize the following:

1. Where their feet were planted the moment the storm hit  (Ba)
2. What they saw as they looked around   (Da)
3. What they immediately thought to themselves  (Bing)

Ba Da Bing can be a revision technique for dull openings or a boring topic sentence. It can also be used across the curriculum, including a quick snapshot for vocabulary words. The uses are endless! Check out the writing for these talented 5th grade authors!

Melanie had students use the "See" page of their Narrative Story Starter Flip books. The results made a huge difference!

Notice the figurative language that was also used in their descriptions!

Each piece is totally different and represents the actions and thoughts of the writer! 

 

 Hats off to these talented authors!