BEFORE WE EVEN BEGIN WRITING, YOU MUST REMEMBER THESE 2 THINGS!!!! FIRST—SKIP LINES WHEN WRITING YOUR ROUGH DRAFT!!! AND…GET YOUR IDEAS DOWN ON PAPER—DON’T TRY TO MAKE THEM PERFECT IN THIS STEP OF THE PROCESS!!!!

 THE INTRODUCTION STATES THE TOPIC OF THE ESSAY/COMPOSITION AND THE THESIS STATEMENT IN AN INTERESTING AND INFORMATIVE WAY.

 DO TELL THE READER WHAT YOU ARE WRITING ABOUT—INTRODUCE YOUR TOPIC  DO CAPTURE THE READER’S ATTENTION—BE INTERESTING.

 DO NOT INTRODUCE YOURSELF AS THE AUTHOR!!!!!  DO NOT BEGIN WITH “I AM GOING TO WRITE ABOUT”!!!!  Do NOT use the words “I think…”,  Avoid using the pronoun “you.”

 WE WILL BE USING OUR PARAGRAPH PLAN WHICH WE HAVE ALREADY WRITTEN.  YOUR INTRODUCTION COULD BE REPRESENTED IN THIS WAY:

INTRODUCE YOUR SUBJECT—GENERALLY— GET YOUR READER’S ATTENTION GRADUALLY NARROW YOUR SUBJECT DOWN— LEAD THEM TO YOUR THESIS USE THE THESIS STATEMENT FROM YOUR PAPER

HERE ARE A FEW METHODS…LET’S TRY SOME!! BEGIN WITH AN AMUSING TONE START WITH A SIMPLE FACT THAT WILL BE IMPORTANT LATER USE A STARTLING FACT USE A CONFESSION USE A QUOTATION USE A HINT OF WHAT IS TO COME OPEN WITH A BOLD OR CHALLENGING STATEMENT OPEN WITH A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE BEGIN WITH HOW YOU FELT AT THAT MOMENT

REMEMBER:  START OFF WITH GENERAL STATEMENT RELATED TO YOUR TOPIC  GET YOUR READER’S ATTENTION RIGHT AWAY  SLOWLY NARROW YOUR TOPIC DOWN TOWARD YOUR THESIS STATEMENT  USE THE THESIS STATEMENT FROM YOUR PAPER AS THE LAST SENTENCE OF YOUR INTRODUCTION.

"A dog is man's best friend." That common saying may contain some truth, but dogs are not the only animal friend whose companionship people enjoy. For many people, a cat is their best friend. Despite what dog lovers may believe, cats make excellent housepets as they are good companions, they are civilized members of the household, and they are easy to care for.

Nietzsche says, “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” Life experiences, both painful and happy, combine to make each person into the individual they are. Each scar is a story. Each experience, a chapter. My ___________tells my story because I ____A_____, ___B_______, and ________C____.

 REMEMBER—THERE ARE 3 PARAGRAPHS IN THE BODY REMEMBER—THERE THIS IS THE SAME NUMBER OF KEY POINTS IN OUR THESIS STATEMENT….COOL, HUH? YOU HAVE ONE PARAGRAPH FOR EACH OF THE KEY POINTS YOU PLANNED TO DISCUSS. THESE PARAGRAPHS SUPPORT AND EXPLAIN THE THESIS STATEMENT OF YOUR COMPOSITION. THE BODY PARAGRAPHS MAY VARY IN LENGTH. WHAT IS AN APPROPRIATE LENGTH FOR A PARAGRAPH? IN EACH PARAGRAPH YOU WILL DISCUSS ONLY THAT TOPIC OR KEY POINT!!!

MIGHT LOOK LIKE THIS… TOPIC SENTENCE BODY PARAGRAPH 1 –write using the first key point in your thesis. Then add supporting details. TOPIC SENTENCE BODY PARAGRAPH 2 –write using the second key point in your thesis. Then add supporting details. TOPIC SENTENCE BODY PARAGRAPH –write using the third key point in your thesis. Then add supporting details.

 TRANSITIONS—REMEMBER TO USE THEM—THEY SHOW HOW IDEAS RELATE TO EACH OTHER. THEY BRIDGE IDEAS WITHIN A PARAGRAPH OR FROM ONE PARAGRAPH TO ANOTHER.  MAKE SURE THAT YOUR SENTENCES AND PARAGRAPHS “FLOW”. THEY SHOULD CONTAIN DETAILS AND EXPLANATIONS.  NOW LET’S LOOK AT SOME 5 PARAGRAPH ESSAYS AND TRY TO FIND THE ELEMENTS WE HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING.

"A dog is man's best friend." That common saying may contain some truth, but dogs are not the only animal friend whose companionship people enjoy. For many people, a cat is their best friend. Despite what dog lovers may believe, cats make excellent housepets as they are good companions, they are civilized members of the household, and they are easy to care for. In the first place, people enjoy the companionship of cats. Many cats are affectionate. They will snuggle up and ask to be petted, or scratched under the chin. Who can resist a purring cat? If they're not feeling affectionate, cats are generally quite playful. They love to chase balls and feathers, or just about anything dangling from a string. They especially enjoy playing when their owners are participating in the game. Contrary to popular opinion, cats can be trained. Using rewards and punishments, just like with a dog, a cat can be trained to avoid unwanted behavior or perform tricks. Cats will even fetch! In the second place, cats are civilized members of the household. Unlike dogs, cats do not bark or make other loud noises. Most cats don't even meow very often. They generally lead a quiet existence. Cats also don't often have "accidents." Mother cats train their kittens to use the litter box, and most cats will use it without fail from that time on. Even stray cats usually understand the concept when shown the box and will use it regularly. Cats do have claws, and owners must make provision for this. A tall scratching post in a favorite cat area of the house will often keep the cat content to leave the furniture alone. As a last resort, of course, cats can be declawed. Lastly, one of the most attractive features of cats as housepets is their ease of care. Cats do not have to be walked. They get plenty of exercise in the house as they play, and they do their business in the litter box. Cleaning a litter box is a quick, painless procedure. Cats also take care of their own grooming. Bathing a cat is almost never necessary because under ordinary circumstances cats clean themselves. Cats are more particular about personal cleanliness than people are. In addition, cats can be left home alone for a few hours without fear. Unlike some pets, most cats will not destroy the furnishings when left alone. They are content to go about their usual activities until their owners return.

Nietzsche says, “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” Life experiences, both painful and happy, combine to make each person into the individual they are. Each scar is a story. Each experience, a chapter. My ___________tells my story because I ____A_____, ___B_______, and ________C____. Rewrite topic A into a sentence. Now continue talking about that topic. Stick with topic A all through this paragraph. Remember, if you change topics, you must begin a new paragraph. Rewrite topic B as a sentence. Continue talking about Topic B. If you didn’t introduce an idea in the thesis statement, don’t start adding it in now. Rewrite topic C as a sentence. Continue talking about topic C. This is the last paragraph of your body. Make sure that all sentences are meaningful and interesting.

THE CONCLUSION SHOULD: o RESTATE THE MAIN IDEA o SIGNAL AN END TO THE READER. o HAVE YOU EVER READ SOMETHING THAT ENDED ABRUPTLY—OR SEEN A MOVIE WITHOUT A GOOD ENDING? o YOU PROBABLY FEEL LET DOWN—OR EVEN CONFUSED. MANY BEGINNING WRITERS FAIL TO WRITE CONCLUSIONS. THEY PRESENT THEIR IDEAS AND THEN STOP WRITING. THE READER SENSES THAT THE WRITER HAS FAILED TO SAY WHAT THEY REALLY WANTED TO SAY.

1.RESTATE YOUR THESIS 2.BROADEN SUBJECT OUT TO MORE GENERAL IDEA—OR LOOK TO THE FUTURE—WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE? WHY SHOULD WE CARE? 3.SUM UP IN A GENERAL, BUT INTERESTING WAY—A “ZINGER” 4.THE INTRODUCTION AND THE CONCLUSION SHOULD TIE TOGETHER. LET’S LOOK AT A REPRESENTATION OF THE CONCLUSION OF THE ESSAY.

RESTATE MAIN IDEA—YOU DO NOT NEED TO INCLUDE YOUR 3 KEY POINTS BROADEN BACK OUT TO GENERAL—LEAD YOUR READERS OUT OF PAPER— REMEMBER YOUR 2 PURPOSES… END WITH A POWERFUL CLINCHER…SIGNAL THAT IT IS THE END OF THE PAPER…LEAVE THE READER WITH A STRONG IMPRESSION.

PLEASE LOOK FOR THE WAY IN WHICH THE CONCLUSION WAS WRITTEN

"A dog is man's best friend." That common saying may contain some truth, but dogs are not the only animal friend whose companionship people enjoy. For many people, a cat is their best friend. Despite what dog lovers may believe, cats make excellent housepets as they are good companions, they are civilized members of the household, and they are easy to care for. In the first place, people enjoy the companionship of cats. Many cats are affectionate. They will snuggle up and ask to be petted, or scratched under the chin. Who can resist a purring cat? If they're not feeling affectionate, cats are generally quite playful. They love to chase balls and feathers, or just about anything dangling from a string. They especially enjoy playing when their owners are participating in the game. Contrary to popular opinion, cats can be trained. Using rewards and punishments, just like with a dog, a cat can be trained to avoid unwanted behavior or perform tricks. Cats will even fetch! In the second place, cats are civilized members of the household. Unlike dogs, cats do not bark or make other loud noises. Most cats don't even meow very often. They generally lead a quiet existence. Cats also don't often have "accidents." Mother cats train their kittens to use the litter box, and most cats will use it without fail from that time on. Even stray cats usually understand the concept when shown the box and will use it regularly. Cats do have claws, and owners must make provision for this. A tall scratching post in a favorite cat area of the house will often keep the cat content to leave the furniture alone. As a last resort, of course, cats can be declawed. Lastly, one of the most attractive features of cats as housepets is their ease of care. Cats do not have to be walked. They get plenty of exercise in the house as they play, and they do their business in the litter box. Cleaning a litter box is a quick, painless procedure. Cats also take care of their own grooming. Bathing a cat is almost never necessary because under ordinary circumstances cats clean themselves. Cats are more particular about personal cleanliness than people are. In addition, cats can be left home alone for a few hours without fear. Unlike some pets, most cats will not destroy the furnishings when left alone. They are content to go about their usual activities until their owners return. Cats are low maintenance, civilized companions. People who have small living quarters or less time for pet care should appreciate these characteristics of cats. However, many people who have plenty of space and time still opt to have a cat because they love the cat personality. In many ways, cats are the ideal house pet.

 REMEMBER TO FOLLOW THE PYRAMID FORMAT WHEN WRITING YOUR CONCLUSION.  REMEMBER TO LEAVE YOUR READER WITH A STRONG IMPRESSION.  YOU CAN TRY TO SUMMARIZE YOUR INFORMATION, TAKE ONE FINAL SHOT AT CONVINCING YOUR READER OF SOMETHING, OR EMPHASIZE AN IMPORTANT POINT.

Nietzsche says, “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” Life experiences, both painful and happy, combine to make each person into the individual they are. Each scar is a story. Each experience, a chapter. My ___________tells my story because I ____A_____, ___B_______, and ________C____. Rewrite topic A into a sentence. Now continue talking about that topic. Stick with topic A all through this paragraph. Remember, if you change topics, you must begin a new paragraph. Rewrite topic B as a sentence. Continue talking about Topic B. If you didn’t introduce an idea in the thesis statement, don’t start adding it in now. Rewrite topic C as a sentence. Continue talking about topic C. This is the last paragraph of your body. Make sure that all sentences are meaningful and interesting. Each scar, like each story, is unique. My scars have made me into the person I am today. We all have events that have form us; pieces of a life that create the whole. We must remember that without knowing a person’s history, we can’t know the person. They too have a story to tell. They too have experiences we do not know of. They too have been made stronger by living that story.

INTRODUCTION BODY PARAGRAPH 1 BODY PARAGRAPH 2 BODY PARAGRAPH 3 CONCLUSION

USING THE PARAGRAPHS YOU HAVE WRITTEN OUT IN YOUR COMPOSITION NOTEBOOKS WRITE AN ACTUAL ROUGH DRAFT OF THIS ESSAY. MAKE SURE TO SKIP LINES. DON’T WORRY TOO MUCH ABOUT SPELLING, PUNCTUATION, PERFECT WORD CHOICE ETC. AT THIS POINT. YOU WILL HAVE TIME FOR REVISION AND EDITING LATER.