1. Writing the Introduction
5 Steps to GELAT – IN.

2. G: Grabber Imagine living in a country torn apart by war and violence.
- or the “hook”
- a “big” statement about the TOPIC of your essay (NOT the text)
- It may be a quote, a question, or a “philosophical” statement”
Imagine living in a country torn apart by war and violence.
What is the price of war?

3. E: Explain the grabber
- Put it in your own words
- Elaborate on the importance of your hook/ grabber or the quote you picked.
- It should be a set closer to the specific topic of your essay.
Those forced to live in such a world must learn to adapt – and sometimes that means to become a soldier.

4. L: Link to Literature
- Time to transition to your text
[This idea/ theme] can be found in many works of literature.
The motif of living in a war-torn world is found in many works of literature.

5. A: Annotate the text - It should NOT mention the title or author!
- Provide a 1 sentence summary of the story from the lens of your topic.
- It should NOT mention the title or author!
In one such story, an Irish author creates such a soldier, someone who must learn to survive in his violent world.

6. T: THESIS
- What are you going to prove in your essay?
- TAG it!
The Republican Sniper, a character in Liam O'Flaherty's short story “Sniper”, is skilled and experienced.

7. G: Grabber E: Explain Grabber L: Link to Literature A: Annotate text
T: Thesis I N
TRO

8. Example Intro
Imagine being a teenager growing up ashamed of a parent on a daily basis. Teens involved in this type of situation may learn to cope with the embarrassment, or may let it overwhelm them. This idea of coping with embarrassment can be found in many works of literature. In one such story, a young boy must learn to accept the fact that his father has a condition that will most likely never go away, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In the short story “Stop the Sun” by Gary Paulson, the teenage boy Terry is a dynamic character because his attitude towards his father’s PTSD changes throughout the story.

9. Conclusion RL
Transition + Restate your thesis – synonyms and FLIP
Thesis: The Republican Sniper, a character in Liam O’Flaherty’s short story “Sniper”, is skilled and experienced.
Conclusion: Throughout the story, O’Flaherty continuously implies the expertise of the Republican Sniper, along with his knowledge of war time situations.
Link it back – end with a general statement about your topic or bring it back to your Grabber/Hook.
Grabber: Imagine living in a country torn apart by war and violence?
Conclusion: These character traits are essential to survival in such a violent area, but not without some loss and regret.

10. Putting it all together, it looks like this:
Throughout the beginning of the story, Terry had been embarrassed about his father’s PTSD, but towards the end of the story Terry’s feeling changed to sympathetic.    Terry knows very little about what his father is going through at the start of the story; all he could think is his father is weird. He never really understands what is happening to his father until he talks to him. Terry felt his father’s emotions and became more caring and understanding. The story about Terry and his father clearly illustrates that communication helps people  get through difficult times and aids in reaching a better understanding.