1. Boston Tea Party – Summarize key facts, examples and details from a source
King George III – Choose relevant details from a historical event or source to support a response
Thomas Jefferson – Draw inferences from a historical event or source to strengthen a response
Bunker Hill – Make connections using prior knowledge to strengthen a response

2. Aim: What information belongs in the introduction paragraph of an essay?
Do Now: Why is it important to learn how to write properly? Give specific examples (Think about your life right now in the present and later on in the future).

3. I. Introduction paragraph
DO NOT use questions to start off your essay or introduce a topic or idea
DO NOT copy the information from the historical context and put all of it in the introduction
DO NOT “tell me what you’re going to write”
DO explain the topic and the main ideas of the essay in your own words
DO include a thesis statement that answers the question or explains what you will PROVE in your essay

4. Task: Who is the best basketball player in the NBA?
Which thesis is best?
Kobe Bryant is the best
The NBA has a lot of good players and I’m going to tell you who is the best in my essay
The best player in the NBA is Kobe Bryant because he has helped his team win several times and has great basketball skills.

5. Task: Who is the best new musical artist of the past year?
Which thesis is best?
“My World” is the best album I’ve ever listened to.
The best new artist is Drake.
Drake is the best new artist because he makes different styles of music and has fans that are from diverse (different) groups of people.

6. Task: How would you describe the relationship between the colonists and the Native Americans?
Which thesis is best?
The colonists and Natives fought each other during King Philip’s War.
The relationship was bad.
Colonists and Native Americans had a relationship that constantly changed, which showed they had a difficult time living with each other.

7. Task: Discuss the dangerous working conditions of children during the late 1800s and early 1900s and describe the actions taken to improve the lives of child workers during this period

8. Thesis: Throughout the late 1800s and the early 1900s, children faced dangerous conditions in the places where they worked.

9. NO! THIS IS A BAD THESIS STATEMENT BECAUSE IT DOES NOT INCLUDE EVERYTHING FROM THE TASK

10. Thesis: Throughout the late 1800s and the early 1900s, children faced dangerous conditions in the places where they worked and as a result, groups of people took action to improve children’s lives.

11. Historical Context: In 1625, the Dutch founded New Amsterdam, later called New York City. The Dutch controlled New Amsterdam for about 40 years, but they influenced culture in New York for centuries. An important leader of New Amsterdam was Peter Stuyvesant. Task: Write about the ways Peter Stuyvesant improved life in the Dutch town of New Amsterdam

12. During the 17th century, European countries wanted to set up colonies in the New World. These countries wanted raw materials from these new colonies so they could trade and make money. The Dutch was one group of people that set up colonies in the New Netherland region. The most important colony they set up was New Amsterdam, which today is known as New York City. Peter Stuyvesant was an effective leader that greatly improved the lives of those living in New Amsterdam. As the leader, he made many smart decisions and helped the colony grow as well as make a great deal of money for the Dutch.

13. Individual Task:
Read the “Historical Context” and “Task” you were assigned.
On a separate sheet of loose-leaf, write an introduction that addresses the task.
Reminders:
A paragraph is at least 5-7 sentences
The intro includes an explanation/introduction of the topic
The intro includes a thesis
Groups: Boston Tea Party & King George – Workbook page 44