How Do I Start? Writing the Introduction

Writing the Introduction U of Wisconsin--Madison In the introduction you will need to do the following things:  present relevant background or contextual material  define terms or concepts when necessary  explain the focus of the paper and your specific purpose  reveal your plan of organization

Present Relevant Background or Contextual Material  Give the reader a context.  Can you move 1 matchstick and make the equation correct? You are not allowed to remove the matchstick and can’t leave any blanks (e.g., XI + = XI isn’t allowed). One solution is very simple and another is very sneaky.

Present Relevant Background or Contextual Material Add only one line to change this 9 to a 6. Here is what happens when you establish a context…

Setting the Context means…  You are setting up your readers’ minds to think in a certain way.

Thesis Statement  Technology is overall having a negative impact on our society.”

Setting the Context Setting the Context   Almost every person at my school owns a cell phone and is completely reliant on that phone for everything: talking to friends, texting their parents, accessing Instagram or Twitter, and even for looking up their grades on the online gradebook. Because this information is so easily accessible on one single device, technology is taking over our worlds, and not in a positive way. In one shocking statistic, a 14 year old girl sent over 27,000 text messages in one month (Richtel). What kind of negative implications are going to come of a society who spends so much time on their cell phones?

Global Context   Almost every person at my school owns a cell phone and is completely reliant on that phone for everything: talking to friends, texting their parents, accessing Instagram or Twitter, and even for looking up their grades on the online gradebook. Because this information is so easily accessible on one single device, technology is taking over our worlds, and not in a positive way. In one shocking statistic, a 14 year old girl sent over 27,000 text messages in one month (Richtel). What kind of negative implications are going to come of a society who spends so much time on their cell phones?

Transition: Introduce The Issue Transition: Introduce The Issue   Almost every person at my school owns a cell phone and is completely reliant on that phone for everything: talking to friends, texting their parents, accessing Instagram or Twitter, and even for looking up their grades on the online gradebook. Because this information is so easily accessible on one single device, technology is taking over our worlds, and not in a positive way. In one shocking statistic, a 14 year old girl sent over 27,000 text messages in one month (Richtel). What kind of negative implications are going to come of a society who spends so much time on their cell phones?

Make it Relevant to the Reader Make it Relevant to the Reader   Almost every person at my school owns a cell phone and is completely reliant on that phone for everything: talking to friends, texting their parents, accessing Instagram or Twitter, and even for looking up their grades on the online gradebook. Because this information is so easily accessible on one single device, technology is taking over our worlds, and not in a positive way. In one shocking statistic, a 14 year old girl sent over 27,000 text messages in one month (Richtel). What kind of negative implications are going to come of a society who spends so much time on their cell phones?

Transition to clarify the Focus Transition to clarify the Focus   Almost every person at my school owns a cell phone and is completely reliant on that phone for everything: talking to friends, texting their parents, accessing Instagram or Twitter, and even for looking up their grades on the online gradebook. Because this information is so easily accessible on one single device, technology is taking over our worlds, and not in a positive way. In one shocking statistic, a 14 year old girl sent over 27,000 text messages in one month (Richtel). What kind of negative implications are going to come of a society who spends so much time on their cell phones?

Finish with the Thesis   Almost every person at my school owns a cell phone and is completely reliant on that phone for everything: talking to friends, texting their parents, accessing Instagram or Twitter, and even for looking up their grades on the online gradebook. Because this information is so easily accessible on one single device, technology is taking over our worlds, and not in a positive way. In one shocking statistic, a 14 year old girl sent over 27,000 text messages in one month (Richtel). What kind of negative implications are going to come of a society who spends so much time on their cell phones? Overall, technology is having extremely negative effects on our society because it is making us disconnected, it is making us less intelligent, and it is making us distracted from what is important.

Put another way…  The Power of a Great Introduction The Power of a Great Introduction The Power of a Great Introduction

Sample   Twenty-seven bones in the hand and wrist allow humans to concurrently create and destroy. Thousands of hands have been behind history’s astounding creations. Hands represent a powerful symbol, one that was not lost on Charles Dickens. In Great Expectations, Dickens uses hands to symbolize social class inequities, and through his criticism, he exposes the dire need for social reform in Victorian London.

Your Turn Remember:  Your thesis is the key  Big picture: Make your paper relevant  Consider the effect you want to have on your readers

Writing the Body U of Wisconsin--Madison  Use your outline and prospectus as flexible guides  Build your essay around points you want to make (i.e., don't let your sources organize your paper)  Integrate your sources into your discussion  Summarize, analyze, explain, and evaluate published work rather than merely reporting it  Move up and down the "ladder of abstraction" from generalization to varying levels of detail back to generalization