Intro Paragraph Summer Reading Essay

Intro Paragraph  Introduces the topic of your paper to your reader  =Author, book title and the importance of transitions in your novel

How to begin  Ideas: Give the name of the author, book title. Then, explain in a few sentences why transitions are an important part of your novel

Intro Paragraph  Minimum of 5 sentences  Give author, book title and explain the importance of transitions in your book  Last Sentence=thesis statement  the 2 literary elements you plan to discuss in the next couple paragraphs. (=thesis)

What is a thesis statement?  =The most important part of the essay/paper  =the last sentence of your introduction  Summarizes the main idea of your paper in one sentence  The 2 lit elements you plan to discuss and support with evidence/examples in the next 2 paragraphs

Practice: You will need to know the 2 literary elements you plan to discuss in your essay to write your thesis  If you are unsure of which elements you want to write about at this point, just write a working thesis that you can change later if you change your mind on the literary elements  Author’s name and book title: _________________  2 literary elements: 1._________________ 2._________________ Thesis=

Basic Sentence Structure for body paragraphs 1. Topic Sentence=explain point 1  2. Intro to point 1 quote  3. 1 st Quote to prove point #1 with citation  4. Explain quote and HOW it proves your point #1  5. Intro to point #1 quote #2  6. 2 nd Quote to prove point #1 with citation  7. Explain quote and HOW it proves your point #1  8. Transition/Lead-in to next point

Topic Sentence  the first sentence of the paragraph  tells the reader the main idea of the entire paragraph  The rest of the paragraph develops the main idea using examples and support

Intro to quote  = Introduce the supporting evidence or quote you are going to use to prove your point. (What does your reader need to know/understand before you give them the proof?)  Ex/  Topic= John Steinbeck was greatly influenced to write about the place where he grew up.  Intro to quote=Steinbeck chose to use his place of birth as the setting of most of his stories.  Quote with citation =“Steinbeck grew up in Salinas Valley, California during the 1930’s” (Klein 3).  (Klein 3) =author’s last name of book and page number where the quote is located

Quotes  = examples from the book to support your point  These are the heart of the paragraph. From these: everything else flows  In your essay, these will be the facts/examples you use from your summer reading book  You will cite these parenthetically ( ) =use author’s last name and pg.#  MLA  ex// “John Steinbeck grew up in Salinas Valley, California during the Depression era, 1930’s” (Klein 3).

Explain quote  your explanation should show how the concrete detail proves your point  Ex/  Topic= Steinbeck was greatly influenced to write about the place where he grew up.  Intro to Quote=Steinbeck chose to use his place of birth as the setting for many of his stories.  Quote with citation=Steinbeck grew up in Salinas Valley, California during the 1930’s (Klein 3).  Explanation of Quote= Steinbeck uses the Salinas Valley as the setting for his stories because it is the place he knows best, since he grew up there.  ….Intro to quote 2: …..

Lead in/transition  Last sentence of the paragraph  Wraps up the paragraph and leads the reader into the next paragraph topic or point mentioned in the thesis  Transitions/leads to the next point OR the conclusion of your essay, if you are done

Structure/Outline to Follow  Follow this structure for your 2 body paragraphs (2 lit elements):  1. Topic Sent  2. Intro to quote  3. Quote (MLA citation)  4. Explain Quote  5. Intro to quote  6. Quote (MLA citation)  7. Explain Quote  8. Lead in to next point OR, to add more quotes:

Conclusion  5 sentence minimum  Summarize your thesis and explain how your evidence (quotes) supports your points.  Re-emphasize your thesis in a fresh way, showing how you have achieved your purpose. (DO NOT re-state your thesis word for word.)  Explain to your reader how you have come to a logical conclusion, or make a memorable final statement.

Paragraph FORMAT  Paragraph Format for Summer Reading Essay=4 paragraphs total  1.=intro  2.=Body #1 (Lit element 1)  3.=Body #2 (Lit element 2)  4.=Conclusion