Writing a Conclusion

Have a good topic sentence to your paragraph Have a good concluding sentence to your paragraph

Summarize the main points of your report Although athletic competitions were held throughout ancient Greece, the most famous was the ancient Greek Olympics which were held in Olympia every four years. This report explained all about those ancient Greek Olympics which began around 700 B.C. to honor the gods. It described who participated and who was allowed to watch. It also explained the events that the men participated in… Without the Greeks, the Olympics may have never been created.

Give your opinion on the subject The ancient Romans loved their entertainment. The Colosseum was a wonderful work of architecture. The beauty of it stuns some audiences, but they are unaware of the evil battles once held inside its extraordinary walls. In a sense, ancient chariot races were not that different from our modern-day Indy 500. Both are exciting, entertaining, and, at times, dangerous. For all of the magnificent ideas we have received from Rome, we must give them a round of applause.

Reminders Your opinion should be based on the information in your report. You should not need your note cards to write the conclusion. No new information should be included in your summary.

Compare/Contrast Then and Now How much has changed from an ancient Roman soldier’s life to today’s soldier? Soldiers today still have to carry their own weapons and equipment, and like the soldiers of the past, today’s soldiers also wear uniforms including a helmet to protect their heads. They spend months and years away from their families risking their lives to fight for their country just like the ancient Roman soldiers did… Maybe we are not so different from people of our past.

Play the “So What” Game If you’re stuck and feel like your conclusion isn’t saying anything new or interesting, ask a friend to read it with you. Whenever you make a statement from your conclusion, ask the friend to say, “So what?” or “Why should anybody care?” Then ponder that question and answer it. Here’s how it might go:

“So what?” “Why should anybody care?” You: I’m just saying that fashion was important to the Greeks. Friend: So what? You: Well, fashion was important because it set them apart from the barbarians. Friend: Why should anybody care? You: That’s important because fashion also determined your social status.

“So what?” “Why should anybody care?” You: Basically, Greek/Roman children had few toys to play with. Friend: So what? You: Well, it shows that most families could not afford toys. Friend: Why should anybody care? You: It also shows that children began working and learning a skill earlier than children do today.

The end to writing a conclusion