1. The Writing Process Introductions and theses

2. What is an introduction?  Opening paragraph of an essay  Purpose is to present the reader with information about the essay IN GENERAL and what the author intends to prove or argue  Brief…only 3-4 sentences (could be more)  Includes: hook, thesis, evidence (in that order)  Most important piece: thesis and evidence

3. What is a thesis  A statement telling the reader the topic of an essay  A statement to be proven by a writer in an essay  Statement is broad applying to the whole essay (not specific paragraphs)

4. What does an introduction look like? Sentence 1-2: hooking the reader, applicable story, common information, analogy, etc. Sentence 3: Thesis, restate question as statement Sentence 4: list of evidence

5.  Thesis applies to whole essay (broad) while evidence applies to each paragraph (narrow, specific).

6. What is the essay format?  Introduction Thesis Evidence  Body paragraphs 1, 2, 3 (more or less) Each paragraph is about 1 piece of evidence or argument  Conclusion Restate thesis Restate evidence

7. Practice Write a short introduction to the following topics:  Why are dogs the best pets to own?  Why is Salem the best place to live?

8. Summary Question:  What NEW information did you learn about introductions and theses? OR  What information about introductions and theses was clarified for you?