I use this 2-day PowerPoint lesson on the SMARTboard at the beginning of the school year (as well as right before state exams in the spring) to teach planning methods for assigned prompts. In Virginia, most tested prompts are personal narratives or fictional storytelling; thus, this PowerPoint focuses on utilizing the web for planning prompts asking you to "describe" or "explain" and plot maps for storytelling. Each days' slides express the daily objective, have components for student interaction at the SMARTboard and activities to do at their seats. I usually follow these lessons up with my "Bold Beginnings" PowerPoint, which teaches kids a multitude of creative intro strategies.