THE INTRO & CONCLUSION PARAGRAPHS

THE INTRODUCTION

THREE ELEMENTS

Directly responds to the prompt. The backbone of your paper. Specifically explains what your paper will be about. Provides a POV (point of view). An argument/opinion. Provides a POD (process of development). Shows how your paper will progress. Shows how you will prove your POV. THE THESIS STATEMENT

So when you get a prompt, your job is to establish a thesis statement that directly responds to the question and communicates your point of view about the topic. Let’s imagine that you need to write an essay in response to this prompt: Which class do you believe will best prepare you for your future?

SO…WHICH CLASS WILL PREPARE YOU BEST? POV – POINT OF VIEW POD – PLAN OF DEVELOPMENT

LET’S PRACTICE!

HOW DOES THIS LEAD INTO THE REST OF YOUR PAPER?

“Hook” your audience! Be creative! Make your reader want to read your essay! ATTENTION GRABBER

BEGIN WITH A BROAD STATEMENT THAT YOU CAN NARROW DOWN TO YOUR THESIS STATEMENT.

USE A THOUGHT-PROVOKING QUOTATION.

PROVIDE AN ANECDOTE INSPIRED BY THE TEXT.

START WITH ONE (OR THREE) POWERFUL WORDS.

GIVE AN “IMAGINE IF” SCENARIO.

WHICH ONE IS BETTER? The Odyssey is about a great epic hero.Courage. Strength. Loyalty. Odysseus embodies all the qualities of an epic hero. Epic poems are known for being extremely long. Imagine spending twenty years battling gods, monsters, and witches. Christopher Reeve once said, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” A hero can overcome even the most difficult obstacles. Odysseus picks up the bow and strings it with ease. Before the hundred suitors realize their plight, he fills the room with swarms of arrows knocking the suitors down one at a time. Odysseus engages in many intense battles in The Odyssey.

Title, author, & genre – TAG! (You don’t need to include this in the claims anymore.) Does your audience need to know anything else in order to understand your essay? BACKGROUND INFORMATION

AN EXAMPLE: Poison. Drowning. Overdose. Suicide. Ten people are stranded on an island, and one of them is a mad murderer with a desire to kill. In And Then There Were None, a mystery novel by Agatha Christie, the murderer takes the lives of people he believes are guilty of committing crimes. One guest on the island, Vera Clathorne is constantly reminded of her ever-growing guilt. It is Vera’s guilt, not the desires of a murderous madman, that leads to her mental and physical breakdown.

THE CONCLUSION

THREE ELEMENTS

Do not restate In a new way, explain what it is that you just argued in your body paragraphs REPHRASED THESIS

Explain why your essay matters. Can the audience apply the essay to their own lives in some way? IMPLICATION OF THE ARGUMENT

ONE LAST CHANCE to make an impact Leave your audience thinking Circle back to your AG/intro STRIKING STATEMENT

AN EXAMPLE: Vera’s constant, nagging guilt causes her to lose her mind and act in ways she never would have before setting foot on the island. She could not control her feelings and her anxiety worsened every day. Ultimately, it was not the desires of a murderous madman that sent her over the edge. It was her guilt that leads her to the decision to take her own life.