INTRODUCTIONS

Introductions This doesn’t follow the topic sentence and 3 examples format. It does have: – a thesis statement that previews your paper – general background information – a catchy hook Fact/statistic Definition Small story Question

Review: A thesis statement states the main idea of the essay in a complete sentence, not in a question. is usually at the end of an introduction. often lists subtopics does not directly announce your main topic

General Background Information – You can’t assume that the people reading your paper know all the things you know – What are some things they would need to know to understand your topic? Where Mesopotamia is The Empires you will be talking about The Time period Others?

A Catchy Hook – Fact/statistic – Definition – Small story – Question

Facts/Statistics People have been living in Mesopotamia for over 5000 years People settled in Mesopotamia in the year 3500 BCE There were 5 major empires in the Mesopotamia region

Definitions “Mesopotamia” “The Fertile Crescent” “The Cradle of Civilization” “Neolithic” The elements of a civilization Stick with terms that introduce or can apply to your whole topic. – For example, don’t define ‘mummification’ because then people will think your whole paper is about mummies.

Stories/Scenarios Trader from Sumer Farmers from Sumer whose fields were flooded Soldier from Assyria Criminal under Hammurabi’s Code Even if your story is about one civilization, transition to apply it to the whole of Mesopotamia. – Ex: “Justice was harsh in Babylon but all Mesopotamian civilizations had laws and punishments. They also all had advanced technology and a focus on religion”

Questions How long have people lived in the Middle East? How did ancient civilizations control their people? How did people live in ancient times? If you set up your reader with a question, provide the answer in the rest of the introduction. It is a good way to transition into the general background information. – Ex: How did people live in ancient times? It depended on where they lived. In ancient Mesopotamia there were many empires to choose from including….However, no matter what empire people lived in, they all had advanced technology, social classes, and a kind of government.

Sample Introduction People have been living in the Middle East for over 5000 years! In the year 3500 BCE people moved into the area between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers which became known as Mesopotamia. Over the next 3000 years, the region of Mesopotamia included many great empires including Sumer, Babylon, Assyria, Egypt, and Persia. Although all of these empires existed at different time periods and had their own unique characteristics, there were also similarities. In fact, the ancient Mesopotamian Civilizations all had advanced technology, believed in many gods, and had effective methods of controlling their citizens.

Transitions If you have 3 examples that prove your topic sentence, you should use a transition word when you move to the next example. This keeps your writing from sounding like a list. What are some transition words? – First, Second, Third, Finally – Next, Also, Another, In addition – Therefore, Furthermore, On the other hand, However, In conclusion

What are the transitions words in this paragraph?

Conclusions The reverse of introductions Restate your thesis by summarizing the main ideas of your paper Don’t use details—keep it general and broad Don’t introduce new ideas End with something catchy: refer back to the hook from your introduction if you want

Introduction Conclusion People have been living in the Middle East for over 5000 years! In the year 3500 BCE people moved into the area between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers which became known as Mesopotamia. Over the next 3000 years, the region of Mesopotamia included many great empires including Sumer, Babylon, Assyria, Egypt, and Persia. Although all of these empires existed at different time periods and had their own unique characteristics, there were also similarities. In fact, the ancient Mesopotamian Civilizations all had advanced technology, believed in many gods, and had effective methods of controlling their citizens. The Mesopotamian civilizations accomplished many great things in the ancient world and their similarities are striking. The technology they created improved their lives and helped make their empires successful, and many inventions influenced later civilizations. Although all Mesopotamians had different gods, the influence of religious beliefs was obvious in every culture and helped the people find hope and explain the unexplainable. Finally, the Mesopotamian civilizations had unique methods for ruling but all found a way to keep their empires united and maintain the loyalty of the people. It is easy to see why the Mesopotamian region is seen as the birthplace of all civilization.