1. Informational Introductions
Grade 10
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2. Informational Writing: Review
Also called expository essays
Purpose is to inform or educate readers on a
certain topic—can even be controversial as long as the reader does not choose a side
Needs a strong introduction to pull the reader in

3. Informational Writing: The Introduction
Your introduction should:
Include a thesis
Capture your audience’s attention
NOTE: An introduction does NOT have to be in a particular order, nor does it all have to be in a single paragraph, but these elements should be at the beginning of your paper.

4. Writing the Thesis What is a thesis?
a clear, specific statement of what you plan to share in your paper
could be an answer to the question asked (is assigned)

5. Informational Writing: The Introduction
Your introduction should not:
Announce what you are going to do in the paper
In this paper I will....
In this essay I am going to talk about....
Define the topic/word
According to Merriam Webster, determination is defined as...
Include a forced “grabber” or “hook”
In other words, do not create a grabber that does not relate to the context of the essay, just to say you have it.

6. Informational Writing: Introductory Techniques
You can begin your essay in many ways.
We will look at the following techniques that writers often use to begin their essays:
an analogy/comparison
a paradoxical or intriguing statement
use a quotation
tell a story
use a surprising fact or statistic
describe something in rich detail
ask a question
provide a personal anecdote
provide background information

7. Introductory Techniques
Begin with an Analogy/Comparison
Make a comparison with something the reader is most definitely familiar with, or if you are requested to read two items and write about one, you can initially make reference to the other.
Example:
Until recently, the only way to load a gas tanker was to climb up on top, where the openings to the tank are located. You can picture this if you think about a soda bottle on a table being filled up with a small hose. A gasoline tanker is loaded in a similar way, but on a much larger scale in which a man climbs on top of the tanker and fills it with a large hose.

8. Introductory Techniques
A Paradoxical or Intriguing Statement:
This can be something directly opposite of what is usually perceived about your topic, or it could just be a really interesting statement or fact. In the example below, this grabber also incorporates the thesis statement.
Example:
Ants are sweet, nutty little insects. I'm not talking about their personalities, but how they taste. Stinkbugs have an apple flavor, and red agave worms are spicy. A bite of tree worm apparently brings pork rinds to mind. This information will come in handy for those of us following the latest recommendation from the United Nations: Consume more insects.

9. Introductory Techniques
Use a Quotation
Find a quote from an expert in the field of your topic, or an excerpt from a poem or book to begin your paper. It must be something truly interesting to grab the reader’s attention and must relate directly to your topic. On a paper about how important it is to stay motivated when young, an example introduction might begin like this:
Example:
What’s amazing is, if young people understood how doing well in school makes the rest of their life so much more interesting, they would be more motivated. It’s so far away in time that they can’t appreciate what it means for their whole lives,” said Bill Gates. He should know, since he seems to have been a motivated young person who has had a very interesting life.

10. Introductory Techniques
Tell a Story
Stories allow people to immediately relate. We like stories. Your reader will connect with your topic if you show them how it affects real people and their world.
Example:
On a beach in north Florida, a tiny turtle struggles to free itself from the oil soaked mud. The longer it stays away from the water, the less likely it will survive. Slowly, it tries to move toward the waves. Its little fins slip in vain against the slippery gunk, and though it certainly can’t know why it struggles, it realizes something is wrong. A year ago, it would have only had its natural predators to fear. Today, though, thanks to faulty systems, turtles – and all other wildlife in the area – have a man-made monster to fear: an oil spill of epic proportions.

11. Introductory Techniques
Use a Surprising Fact or Statistic
If you find a surprising piece of information when researching your topic, consider using it as an introduction. Show the reader something they didn’t know and they will want to read more.
Example:
Believe it or not, peanuts aren’t really nuts at all, they’re actually legumes. These strange little foods grow underground and are responsible for all the jars of peanut butter you see on grocery shelves. One day, their genetic makeup just might hold the key to ending world hunger. Now that’s nuts.

12. Introductory Techniques
Describe Something
Help the reader to “see” your topic by using descriptions that involve the senses.
Example:
In the final days of 1794, a Portuguese ship taking about 400 slaves from Mozambique to Brazil crashed on the rocks off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa. About half of the slaves died in the rough surf, while the survivors were resold and sent on to work on Brazil's sugar plantations.

13. Introductory Techniques
Ask a Question
Asking a question makes your audience think about your topic. The question should not be rhetorical, however. It should be a question that you will at some point answer or expand on in the paper.
Example:
Is it possible for an Iraqi girl to make a difference in the established customs of thousands of years?

14. Introductory Techniques
Personal Anecdote
An anecdote is a brief story that leads to a central point. In essay writing, the anecdote can be an effective attention- getting device because it lets audiences get emotionally involved with the topic. If you have direct experience with your topic, consider using a personal anecdote.
Example:
When I was 11, my parents took me to volunteer at a homeless shelter on Thanksgiving Day. We helped prepare food, and then we served it to over 500 homeless people, including kids. I had never spent any time with people who don't have homes. Volunteering at the homeless shelter on Thanksgiving helped me realize a lot about homelessness, and it helped me learn a lot about myself. I am more understanding, more compassionate, and more giving as a result of volunteering. If I had my way, all students would participate in service learning projects as a way of learning and helping the community.

15. Introductory Techniques
Provide Background Information
Sometimes it is necessary to give the reader a brief history to understand the topic. Give the background information but only what is necessary. Some beginning writers use background information as space filler.
Example:
For years, a coal-producing power plant in the Midwest spewed thousands of tons of polluted wasted into the air. Little was done to regulate the problem until a group of community activists brought the issue to politicians. This small group of concerned citizens brought about a big change.

16. Introduction Technique:
Example Introduction
In Greco-Roman mythology, Jupiter is the king of the gods, a deity who destroyed an older race of titans to become the jealous and vengeful lord of heaven and Earth.
Strange though it may seem, scientific theory lends credence to this historical fiction. As the largest, heaviest object orbiting our sun, Jupiter’s namesake world is the lord of planets, a dominant force in the solar system. 
Introduction Technique:
Analogy / Comparison
The Thesis

17. Informational Writing: Drafting The Introduction
Select a technique to try on your own.
an analogy/comparison
a paradoxical or intriguing statement
use a quotation
tell a story
use a surprising fact or statistic
describe something in rich detail
ask a question
provide a personal anecdote
provide background information