Informative Writing: Conclusions Grade 8 Copyright © 2015 Write Score LLC

A Strong Conclusion Should... reinforce your thesis give the essay a sense of completeness and closure leave an impression on the reader Your conclusion should reflect why the reader should care about your topic. What is the significance of your thesis? Why is it important to you? What information should you or the reader take away from this?

Conclusion – WHAT NOT TO DO! DO NOT simply rephrase the thesis. DO NOT introduce a new piece of evidence or subtopic.

Conclusion Techniques: Provide a summary of main points Suggests results or consequences Circle back to the introduction

Conclusion Techniques: Include a brief summary of the paper's main points. Lew has said that Hamilton’s image will remain part of the new $10 bill. The last woman to appear on American paper money was Martha Washington, the wife of President George Washington. Her picture appeared on a $1 bill in the late 19th century, more than 100 years ago. Bloomberg News

Conclusion Techniques:   Suggest results or consequences Until we do this we will continue to wrestle more with ourselves than with the new opportunities which so many paid so dearly to win. On Being Black and Middle Class by Shelby Steele

Conclusion Techniques: Circle back to the introduction. Conclude by linking the last paragraph to the first, perhaps by reiterating a word or phrase you used at the beginning.

Introduction: “Grow where you are planted” is an old proverb that is a metaphor for living. Although I have heard it before, it took me many years to understand and appreciate its meaning. If I had listened to that proverb earlier, I would have saved myself and others many painful experiences.  Conclusion: I have learned to grow where I am planted, to appreciate the good things in my life rather than look for the bad and be angry. I have learned to take advantage of the many opportunities I have for personal and professional growth, right here and now. And I have vowed to help others around me grow also. My life is much richer now that I follow that old wisdom, and I will pass its lesson on to my children.

Your Turn Write three different possibilities for conclusions based on the article for the following task: Using information from the article Northern Lights, write to explain the northern lights. If you haven’t already written introductions and body paragraphs for this topic, a partial essay is provided on the handout.