1. GOOD INTRODUCTIONS Hooks The Reader – MAKE ME EXCITED TO READ YOUR PAPER! – Have you ever sat down and stared at the page wondering how to start? There are 5-6 EASY and ENGAGING ways to start your essay… Should be 2-4 sentences long. (REMEMBER QUALITY over QUANTITY – you’ll have 26 lines for the STAAR Expository and Persuasive Essays Ends with a good thesis statement.

2. HOW TO START WITH A GOOD HOOK… Prompt: Everyone should learn how to read. Explain why learning to read is important. Present a Startling Fact: Quote a Respected Source: Use a Literary Device: Make a General Statement: Imagery: There are many adults living in the US today who do not know how to read. According to President Bush, every child must learn to read. Reading is the pathway to worlds beyond our own. Each person has the responsibility of learning how to read. All he could hear was the clock tick and pencil’s scribble as everyone in the stuffy classroom started writing but him.

3. Your Turn- Expository Openings Prompt: Everybody has someone whom they admire or someone who is a hero to them. Think about someone whom you consider a hero. Explain why you think that person is a hero. Imagery: Present a Startling Fact: Quote a Respected Source: Use a Literary Device: Make a General Statement:

4. THESIS: A roadmap for your paper. What is the main idea and what is the reading going to know when they finish the paper? A thesis statement is the single, specific claim that your essay supports. A good thesis statement is not simply an observation, a question, or a promise. It includes a topic, a precise opinion, and reasoning. 1. On what or whom will I focus? 2. A short opinion of the focus. 3. What is my plan for action in my paper? All of these questions are answered in one sentences. Here are some examples of good thesis statements:

5. Writing a Thesis Statement The thesis statement is a one sentence summary of the entire paper. Flip the question you are answering into a strong statement. What did Sam Houston change in our state? How did Michael Jordan change sports merchandising? What was the impact of Andy Warhol’s art on society?

6. Writing a Thesis Statement 1.What did Sam Houston change in our state? 2.How did Michael Jordan change sports merchandising? 3.What was the impact of Andy Warhol’s art on society? 1.Texas is one of the 50 states that make up the United States of America, but things could have been much different, if not for the efforts of Sam Houston. 2.The burning question on a star athlete’s mind after signing his first professional contract is always the same, “When do I get my shoe deal?” There is one man responsible for impacting this manner of thinking; it is Michael Jordan. 3.Andy Warhol combined art with popular culture to create a new genre that came to be known as pop art, giving both the artistic world and the masses a new way of defining art.

7. RECAP Writing Effective Introduction Paragraphs (3-4 Sentences): 1.Hook the Reader by using one of the following techniques Imagery (Descriptive Language/Sensory Details) Present a Startling Fact Quote a Respected Source Use a Literary Device Make a General Statement 2. Give background information, lead into the thesis. 3. End with a clear thesis that will serve at the roadmap to your paper – what will you talk about in your paper. DO YOU USE THE WORDS, “In this essay I will talk about these things…. NO NO NO, simply give a clear sentence answering the main question that you will address.

8. Introductions Assignment – See “Writing Effective Intro’s Practice” in net school DIRECTIONS: With each of the following prompts, write 2 introduction paragraphs. You must start each introduction with a different technique for the hook. PROMPT #1 (Expository – Use 3 rd Person): READ the following quote. "The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.“ ~ Mark Twain WRITE an essay explaining why reading is such an important skill to develop.

9. DIRECTIONS: With each of the following prompts, write 2 introduction paragraphs. You must start each introduction with a different technique for the hook. PROMPT #2 (Persuasive – Take a side and use 3 rd Person) It is very important for people to be serious about themselves and to make serious efforts to attain their goals. In school or at work, for example, people have to put in real effort and stay focused on their tasks; in sports, people have to train hard and concentrate on improving their skills. People who are serious, however, forget there are other important personal qualities they should develop. Assignment: Are people too serious? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.