1. Objective: Write an engaging introductory paragraph © 2009 Veronica Ros-Murillo

2.  Keep an audience in mind—who needs to hear your story?  Decide if your story will make your audience laugh, cry, change their mind, touch their heart, teach them something new, etc. Fill out the following sentence: If ________ could read my story, they would _________. Example: If divorced parents could read my story, they would learn that they shouldn’t prevent their child from establishing a relationship with the other parent.

3. 1) Hook – an interesting opening that makes your audience curious about your story 2) Background information—necessary details about you that will help your audience understand your point of view 3) Thesis—write an intriguing statement that provides a hint at the significance of your story

4.  Q&A: Ask a question that makes your audience think critically or reflectively, & then give your own answer to the question so it leads into your background information.  Q&I: Begin with a famous quotation related to your topic and give your interpretation, which should lead into your background info.  Shocking Statement or fact: Write a sentence that will startle your readers, one that will make them want to read about your upcoming background information.

5.  Deep Dialogue: Start your essay with a conversation that shows the personality of the main characters of your story—you and somebody else.  Delicious Description: Make your audience hunger for more of your beautiful writing. Use sensory details, rich vocabulary, and varied sentence structure to create a vivid picture related to your topic.  Flashback or Flash-forward: Recreate a scene from your past or invent a possible scene from the future that is related to your topic.

7.  Why does independence and freedom matter so much to teenagers? Perhaps it is because everyone wants to spread his or her wings and learn to make decisions. Perhaps it is the desire to make their own rules, or because teens think they know better than the adults in their lives. When I was sixteen, I believed that getting my driver’s license was the ticket to freedom and independence. Instead of spreading my wings, I found myself grounded for an entire summer! HOOK BACKGROUND HINT AT SIGNIFICANCE (THESIS)

8.  A wise person once said, “The only REAL mistake is one from which you learn nothing.” This powerful statement makes you think about all the embarrassing events in your life. For me, I imagined my first night out with my new driver’s license would be the beginning of a whole new world of fun. Unfortunately, a careless mistake taught me a lesson I would never forget. HOOK BACKGROUND HINT AT SIGNIFICANCE (THESIS)

9. Each year there are over 3,000 accidents involving teenage drivers. Although the severity of theses accidents vary greatly, the fact that teenagers are involved causes many to question the age at which a person is mature enough to handle the responsibility of driving a car. Looking back, I have to wonder if I was ready myself. HOOK BACKGROUND HINT AT SIGNIFICANCE (THESIS)

10. “Dad, is it OK if I take the car tonight?” I asked casually. “I don’t know. Are you sure you are ready?” Dad replied. Did I imagine a slight twitch around his left eye? Never a good sign. “Of course I’m ready. Don’t worry, Dad. I’ve got this.” I answered with confidence. All teens know that the best way to get what you want is to sound like you know what you are doing. But if I had only paid attention to Dad’s eye twitch, I could have saved everyone a lot of trouble and saved myself a lot of embarrassment. HOOK BACKGROUND HINT AT SIGNIFICANCE (THESIS)

11.  It was a Friday night in May. The type of night a sixteen year-old lives for—school was over for the week and a night out with friends was just ahead. The temperature hovered in the upper seventies, and the knowledge that summer was just around the corner laced the air with excitement. The keys jingled in my hand as I yelled goodbye to my parents and slammed the door in a rush to get started. It was my first night out with a new driver’s license and my newfound independence put a spring in my step. I had no idea what the night held in store for me.

12.  The look of disappointment battled the anger that was slowly boiling up inside my father. I knew the explosion was coming, and I braced myself for impact. My first night out with a driver’s license had gone horribly wrong and it still puts a pit in my stomach to think about that fateful night. If I had only known how the night would unfold, I might have stayed home and saved everyone a world of trouble.

13.  Write 2 or more versions of your intro on separate pieces of paper.  Afterward, we will peer review to see which version your peers find most engaging.