5 Ways to Help your ESL Students Hook their Readers

​Like some kind of tragic rainbow, apples, oranges, lettuce and watermelon lie strewn across a landfill only to be covered over as more produce arrives.
I wrote this line in an effort to show students how to write better hooks for their research essays and in the process I ended up hooking myself not only on the idea of writing better hooks, but I also found myself excited to actually research and write an essay on food waste.
Usually I recommend that students start a research essay by thinking of a big question they would like to know the answer to and then breaking that big question into 3 smaller questions. After that, the research begins and only after all of the information is gathered, do we start working on things like thesis statements and hooks.
Writing several different hooks before even starting a research essay can be a great way to stir up interest in the subject though, so why wait until later? The next time I assign an essay, I will start by showing by students 5 ways to create great hooks that will inspire them to want to move on to the next steps in the writing process. I think I might be able to use this to get myself interested in all kinds of things.

Hook 1: Describe a scene
To create the hook about the “tragic rainbow” above I did an image search for food waste. Hundreds of images popped up and I chose the first one that attracted my eye. I then thought about how I could describe that photograph in 1 powerful sentence. It was really fun to try to find words that would convey the essence of the photograph and in doing so I was defining the problem for myself as well as my potential reader. Photography is one of my favorite things. I love taking pictures. I love looking at pictures. I love writing about pictures so this one was right up my alley.

Hook 2: Find a relevant quote
This hook is also fun to find, simply go to Google, and type in “quotes about _______”, fill in your topic here. Then read a bunch of quotes until you find one that you think says something interesting about your topic. In my case I found this quote by J. R. R. Tolkien. “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” and a world with fewer environmental problems I would add. Reading all of the different quotes gave me a good overview as to how people think about and talk about food. It is also like reading an inspirational comedy with sprinkles of wisdom.

Hook 3: Find a fact that will provoke some kind of emotional reaction
​Again, simply go to Google and type in “facts about ___________” and any number of interesting things will come up. Read a bunch of them and choose one that makes you feel something. I found an interesting fact on the Foodtank website written by Emily Nink which claims that “Food waste generates 3.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide, which accelerates global climate change”. I don’t know about you, but that surprises me and makes me feel a bit scared. There is nothing more motivational than finding out that your topic is in fact, really important.  

​Hook 4: Tell a very short story about your topic.
​To create this hook, I thought about the topic of food waste and wrote a true story of my Monday afternoon.
The sign said 16 containers of blueberries for 500 yen. I couldn’t resist this incredible deal but when I got them home, they were covered with mold. Yuck! I thought about throwing them away but instead, I washed them really well and made jam. Now I have 5 jars of delicious jam in my refrigerator and there is one less thing in a landfill.
This hook encouraged me to think about my own personal connection with the research topic. Food waste is not something that is only relevant to the world as a whole, I dealt with it on Monday and will probably deal with it today when I have to decide if I want to finish that whole pile of rice the cafeteria worker just put on my plate or throw half of it away.

Hook 5: Give a common misconception
Think about what many people misunderstand about the topic.
Many people think of food waste as inevitable and throwing away food is no big deal. If it is difficult to think of any misconceptions, it is possible to turn to Google again and type in “misconceptions about _____________.” This is a great way to think about the topic because it makes it abundantly clear why doing this research is important and why lots of people should read the essay you are writing. 


On Friday I asked my students to write 5 different hooks for their research essays and bring them to the next class. They will show their hooks to their classmates who will then vote on the one they think is the most interesting for each person. The researcher is free to take his or her classmates advice or choose the one he/she likes best. I know that I personally am the most attached to the “tragic rainbow” hook that I made but I would love to hear what other people think. 


How do you help your students hook their audiences?  
​

You may also enjoy these posts.