Introductions Taking our introductions from so-so to splendid

Introduction! Purpose: To get the reader’s attention, give the reason for writing, and tell the reader the star main ideas.

Recipe for an Introduction: Hook (aka. The Blues): Get the reader’s attention! Background Information: Introduce your reader to the topic, explain important terms or events in history. Thesis: Includes the topic (reason for writing) and the position (what you plan to prove or explain). This statement controls the rest of the paper.

1st Ingredient to an Introduction Hook: Grab your reader’s attention!

Types of Hooks Background Information Facts that have to do with the topic. You may choose to do two facts that have a similar subject. Example: The Ancient Romans and Han Dynasty both had the largest empires of the ancient civilizations.

Types of Hooks Short Story One to three sentences only Example: During Era Three cultures around the world began to grow and develop beyond the hunting and gathering of Era Two, becoming more complex and eventually evolving into a civilization.

Types of Hooks Description A scene or feeling Example Imagine a life without the modern conveniences of today, just learning how to farm and living in a culture that was growing and changing. During Era Three, civilization changed drastically from the days of Era two, with the development of complex civilization including new technologies, ways to provide stable food supply, and more complex governments.

Background Information (Context) You are providing the context of the research topic, getting the reader up to speed so they can understand your research findings. Example: The Gupta Empire was located in what is now northern modern India. From 320 CE to 520 CE the Gupta Empire flourished building universities, constructing roads, and using various metals to in their metalworking. One example of Gupta Empire metal work is the iron pillar at Meharauli. The pillar is 25 feet tall and 13,000 pounds! The ancient Greeks were located in modern day Greece. The Greeks later expanded outwards to Turkey and Egypt in search of goods they couldn’t produce due to their limited resources. Greek civilization flourished from 750 BCE to 338 BCE. The Greeks developed a variety of government systems in their isolated city-states. They were polytheistic and their stories reflected this. The famous Greek poet Homer told the stories of the Trojan War and Odysseus where the gods frequently impacted the lives of the Greeks.

2 nd Ingredient: Thesis and Plan Thesis: Tells the reader your topic. It’s the topic sentence for the entire essay! T= Symbol for Thesis This goes right after your hook in the introduction. Plan: Tells the reader your two star main ideas that will appear in your body paragraphs. P=Symbol for Plan Must go in order Plan and thesis can be put together in one sentence!

Review: 1 st Part of your Introduction = Hook 2 nd Part: BG INFO (CONTEXT) 3 rd Part: Thesis Minimum of 5 sentences in an introduction.

EXPOSITORY INTRO EXAMPLE Imagine a life without the modern conveniences of today, just learning how to farm and living in a culture that was growing and changing. During Era Three, civilization changed drastically from the days of Era two, with the development of complex civilization including new technologies, ways to provide stable food supply, and more complex governments. The Gupta Empire was located in what is now northern modern India. From 320 CE to 520 CE the Gupta Empire flourished building universities, constructing roads, and using various metals to in their metalworking. One example of Gupta Empire metal work is the iron pillar at Meharauli. The pillar is 25 feet tall and 13,000 pounds! The ancient Greeks were located in modern day Greece. The Greeks later expanded outwards to Turkey and Egypt in search of goods they couldn’t produce due to their limited resources. Greek civilization flourished from 750 BCE to 338 BCE. The Greeks developed a variety of government systems in their isolated city-states. They were polytheistic and their stories reflected this. The famous Greek poet Homer told the stories of the Trojan War and Odysseus where the gods frequently impacted the lives of the Greeks. These two different civilizations both faced the challenges of a growing population. The Gupta Empire dealt with the challenges of an expanding population better because of their government and roads.