Welcome! September 26th, 2017 Tuesday Do Now Get out your weekly Bell Ringer sheet and begin working on Tuesday’s assignment. Once the bell rings, you will have five minutes to guess the meaning of the word. Make sure you explain your thinking! Remember: Do Now's are INDEPENDENT and QUIET exercises. Thank you 

Read the following sentence and guess the meaning of the word incognito based on the context. Celebrities often travel incognito to protect themselves from the paparazzi. Incognito describes a person or action where someone's true identity is concealed. © Presto Plans

Introductory Paragraphs Your first step to writing any essay is your introductory paragraph. The introductory paragraph does just what it is called – it introduces the essay to the reader. It is a significant paragraph because it makes the first impression. The introductory paragraph has three goals: 1. To grab the reader’s attention – Remember that your reader is an academic in the field of literature, so this person has probably read many, many essays on your piece of literature. As for your peers, they’ve read the exact same text as you, so they know what to expect as well. How will you attract attention to your analysis? Use a hook to grab their attention. 2. To establish context – It is important that your reader knows the specific author and piece of literature being analyzed right from the beginning so that the reader is not confused. It is also crucial to introduce the main ideas of your essay at the beginning that will be narrowed and specified in your thesis statement. 3. To communicate the argument – The reader needs to know your specific claim (a.k.a. thesis statement) because this focuses the reader’s purpose for reading your essay.

Introductory Paragraphs Introductory Paragraph Outline: Hook – Grab the reader’s attention. Provide Context - Give context for the novel. Who wrote it? Why is it important? Link 1– Novel to Topic (How is the topic shown in the book?) Link 2 – Topic to Society (How is your topic prevalent in our society?) Link 3 – Topic to Self (How is your topic prevalent in your own life?) Thesis – What are you trying to prove in your essay?

Introductory Paragraphs Introductory Paragraph Outline: Hook – Grab the reader’s attention. Provide Context - Give context for the novel. Who wrote it? Why is it important? Link 1– Novel to Topic (How is the topic shown in the book?) Link 2 – Topic to Society (How is your topic prevalent in our society?) Link 3 – Topic to Self (How is your topic prevalent in your own life?) Thesis – What are you trying to prove in your essay?

Introductory Paragraphs Step 1: The Hook – Grab the reader’s attention! Directions: For this activity, read the sample hooks. Then, experiment by drafting three different hooks for your current essay. After you’ve drafted three options, show them to three peers and ask them to vote for their favorite by writing their initials next to the options. Select one to use for your introductory paragraph and then have it teacher-approved.

Introductory Paragraphs Step 2-3: Provide Context, Link Novel to Topic For your next sentence(s), you need to tell your reader about the text and topic you’re focusing on. In 1-2 sentences, introduce us to the novel, the author, and how the topic is addressed in To Kill a Mockingbird. Make sure you get approval from me before moving on!

Introductory Paragraphs Step 4-5: Link Topic to Society and Self For the next 1-2 sentences, connect your topic to society and yourself. Society and Self Connection Examples: In addition to Lee’s novel, we can also see examples of the power of kindness through news stories and in our own lives. Through my own experiences and current events, I have seen the impact a single person can have on the world around them. Try it for yourself. It can be similar to the examples above, but make sure you’re not copying it word for word. Give your own spin to it!

Introductory Paragraphs Step 6: Thesis Statement The thesis statement is the most important sentence of your entire essay. It serves as the road map, or blueprint, for your essay, so it is crucial that your thesis statement is clear and logical before beginning the body of the essay. Everyone’s thesis will start out the same way, because we’re all writing about the same prompt. The only thing that will differ is your chosen belief statement. Using the examples on your paper as a template, write down your own thesis statement.

Introductory Paragraphs Step 6: Thesis Statement The thesis statement is the most important sentence(s) of your entire essay. It serves as the road map, or blueprint, for your essay, so it is crucial that your thesis statement is clear and logical before beginning the body of the essay. Everyone’s thesis will start out the same way, because we’re all writing about the same prompt. The only thing that will differ is your chosen belief statement. Using the examples on your paper as a template, write down your own thesis statement.

Introductory Paragraphs Putting it All Together! At this point, you’ve written the entire rough draft of your first paragraph. Go back through your packet, and write down each step of your introduction in the space below. If there are any parts that don’t quite “flow,” you are welcome to revise them. Also, glance back at the first page. Make sure your introduction doesn’t violate any of the essay no-no’s! If you have some extra time, feel free to work on your IXL for the week: B.3 and B.4.