1. Imagine you are standing on stage in front of all your classmates. You are trembling with nerves because you are about to sing the national anthem. The music begins. You open your mouth to sing, but no words come out, only a tiny squeak. You hear your classmates begin to snicker and whisper to each other, but you are frozen. The music continues, but all you can do is stand there with your hand over your heart, mouth wide open, humiliated. The song comes to a close; you turn to leave the stage. As you look down at your feet in shame, you notice your fly is open.

2. On your notebook paper … Pick a moment from this description and tell me where your feet were… Pick a moment from this description and tell me where your feet were…

3. Next… For the same moment, tell me what you saw… For the same moment, tell me what you saw…

4. Finally… For the same moment, what did you think… For the same moment, what did you think…

5. Now, put it all together. Take those three statements and put them together into one complex sentence. Take those three statements and put them together into one complex sentence. + + + +

6. Congratulations! You’ve just written a Ba-da-bing!

7. What’s so great about a Ba-da-bing? Ba-da-bings are complex sentences. Ba-da-bings are complex sentences. Ba-da-bings instantly add more detail. Ba-da-bings instantly add more detail. Ba-da-bings add more voice. Ba-da-bings add more voice. Ba-da-bings are easy but have huge impact for struggling writers! Ba-da-bings are easy but have huge impact for struggling writers!

8. When can we use Ba-da-Bings? Personal Writing: We can ALWAYS use them in our own stories. Personal Writing: We can ALWAYS use them in our own stories. Open-ended questions: We can use them for Literary Pieces (i.e. fiction). They will only sometimes work for non-fiction pieces. Open-ended questions: We can use them for Literary Pieces (i.e. fiction). They will only sometimes work for non-fiction pieces.