Hook, Develop, Conclude

Overview

Students examine how speakers capture attention, develop a clear message and finish with impact. They then plan and draft a short speech for a familiar Year 6 audience, making deliberate choices about content, language and structure.

Learning intentions

• WALT create an engaging opening, or hook, for a speech.
• WALT select and organise content that supports a clear message.
• WALT write a conclusion that leaves the audience with a memorable final thought.
• WALT make language choices that suit our purpose and audience.

Success criteria

• I can begin with a question, surprising fact, vivid image or strong statement.
• I can include two or three relevant ideas, details or examples in a logical order.
• I can link my ideas with words such as because, for example, therefore and consequently.
• I can finish by restating my message and giving the audience something to think about or do.

Curriculum links

• Writing to persuade — introduce a topic, state a position, organise ideas, use supporting details, emotive language, linking words and a related conclusion.
• Writing to inform — group related information, develop ideas with facts, definitions, details and examples, and use precise vocabulary.
• Audience, purpose and language choice — justify what content is included or left out based on its effect on others.
• Writing processes — planning through talk and determining precise wording before writing.

Lesson structure (40 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook and listening. Open with the provocative opening slide showing the question, “Should every Year 6 student have one hour of free reading every day?” Read two contrasting openings aloud: a flat introduction and an engaging hook. Students discuss which speaker they would listen to and explain why.

2. 5–12 min · Identify the speech shape. Display the speech structure slides and model the three-part structure: hook, content and conclusion. Explain that a hook earns attention, the content develops the message with reasons, facts or examples, and the conclusion brings the audience back to the main idea. Students help label the parts of a short model speech and identify the audience and purpose.

3. 12–19 min · Model strong choices. Think aloud while improving a weak opening and conclusion. Demonstrate hook types: a thought-provoking question, surprising fact, vivid description and bold statement. Model choosing only relevant content for the audience, then link ideas using specifically, for example, consequently and therefore. Students turn and talk to rehearse one possible hook for the prompt, “Our school should protect native birds.”

4. 19–27 min · Plan with a partner. Give each pair the speech planning and drafting sheet. Students choose one age-appropriate topic, such as improving the playground, protecting local wildlife, encouraging active transport or increasing library time. They identify their audience and purpose, select their strongest two or three points, and orally rehearse a hook and conclusion. Partners give feedback using: “The part that would make me listen is…” and “I would like more detail about…”

5. 27–36 min · Draft the speech. Students independently write a short speech on the worksheet. Require a clear hook, logically ordered content with supporting details or examples, linking words and a conclusion that restates the message and leaves the audience with a thought, feeling or action. Confer with students, prompting them to remove interesting but irrelevant details and choose precise or emotive words deliberately.

6. 36–40 min · Share and assess. Invite three or four students to read their opening and conclusion, or share with a partner if confidence is a concern. Students identify the hook type and describe its effect on them. Finish with the reflection and exit prompt: “My hook works because… My conclusion leaves the audience thinking/feeling/doing…”

Resources

• the complete speech-writing slide deck
• the speech planning and drafting sheet
• Whiteboard and markers
• Timer
• Student writing books or devices
• Highlighters for marking hooks, supporting details and conclusions

Assessment

• Listen during discussion and oral rehearsal for students who can identify audience, purpose, hook and conclusion.
• Check planning sheets for a clear message, relevant and ordered content, supporting details, linking words and deliberate language choices.
• Use the final reflection to identify whether students understand how a hook attracts attention and how a conclusion affects an audience.

Differentiation

• Support students with a choice of topic, a word bank and sentence starters: “Have you ever…?”, “Specifically…”, “For example…”, “That is why…”.
• Allow students to record or dictate ideas before writing, rehearse with a trusted partner and use a speech frame with labelled boxes for hook, point one, point two and conclusion.
• Provide an oral model and display linking words throughout the lesson; pre-teach audience, purpose, relevant, emotive and conclusion for English language learners.
• Extend confident writers by asking them to combine two hook techniques, order points from strongest to weakest and include a deliberate counterargument or rhetorical question.