The Introduction Paragraph

“The hardest part of writing is starting my papers…” “Once I start, I’m usually fine.” “I have no idea where to start.” These comments are rather common! Much like the rest of your paper, if you break this down into its parts, you’ll feel more confident about starting your papers. Remember, the purpose of this paragraph is to give your reader a starting point for what is to come later in your paper.

Three Parts to the Introduction Hook – Lead your reader in to the paper; if you can make it creative and interesting. This is a chance to get creative. Bridge – Transition your reader from the hook to the thesis Thesis – This part includes the title, author, and thesis points you will discuss throughout your paper. BE CLEAR!!!

Hook Techniques Allusion – refer to some popular cultural, historical, or literary character/idea that the reader can connect to Anecdote – some hypothetical story made up by you that illustrates your point Description – use imagery to place your reader in the moment General Statement – set the tone with this sentence for something to come later

Bridge In one to three sentences try to get your reader to start moving toward your thesis statement. If you start very creative with a hook, you’ll need to write an excellent bridge to reel your reader back to the purpose of your essay.

Thesis This is the most critical part of your first paragraph. This CLEARLY states what exactly you will be writing about in your paper. For this assignment, you will tell the reader the following: Title is Dances With Wolves Author is Michael Blake Lieutenant Dunbar is a typical hero because…

Most importantly… Do not be afraid to get creative and think outside the box in this part of the paper. You will be writing very formal, scripted paragraphs the rest of the way, so use this paragraph as an opportunity to make your paper valuable to yourself. Each paper you write is a chance to get your view across. This paragraph starts that opportunity.