Summer Reading

1
Summer Reading

• Introductions and Conclusions

2
The Five-Paragraph Essay
The Introduction
3
These are the elements of an effective introduct
ion
I. Grabber Sentence

• II. Expository Details
• Novel Title/Authors Name
• Story Background
• Main Character

III. 3-Point Thesis
4
The Body Paragraph

• Remember, the main idea of each body paragraph
  should be one of your thesis points.
  
• The main idea should be the first sentence of
  each body paragraph.
  
• Each body paragraph should include three specific
  quotations from the novel.
  
• Make sure your introduce your quotations and
  explain their relevance!

5
The Grabber

• The purpose of a grabber is to capture the
  readers attention.
  
• However, a grabber must also be relevant to your
  topic!
  
• The grabber is also the most general statement in
  your introduction.
  
• So, how do you write an effective grabber?

6
Writing a Grabber

• Ask a Question
• (Give a Command)
• Tell an Anecdote
• (Use a Quote)
• Relate an Interesting Fact
• (Give a Surprising Detail from the Plot)

7
A Sample Prompt

• In the novel April Morning, the protagonist
  undergoes many experiences, experiences that
  significantly change him. In the beginning of
  the novel, Adam Cooper is truly an adolescent
  however, by the end of the novel, Adam is an
  adult. How do Adams experiences change him from
  an adolescent into an experienced and more mature
  young man?

8
Asking a Question

• Can one experience change a boys life forever?
• How can a terrible tragedy give a young man the
  opportunity to grow and change?
  
• Imagine a small group of farmers who decided to
  stand up to over a thousand well-trained soldiers.

9
Tell an Anecdote

• Yesterday he was a boy... Tonight, hes not.
  With these words, Moses Cooper expresses how the
  experiences of one day can change a young man
  forever.
• Falling asleep I said farewell to a
  childhood... In a space of little more than
  twenty-four hours, Adam Coopers childhood is
  gone, and he has become a man.

10
Relate a Surprising Fact

• In the early hours of April 19th, 1775, the
  actions of a small group of men changed the
  world.
  
• The Battle of Lexington is not only the story of
  a nations struggle for independence, but also
  the background for a young boys struggle to
  become a man.

11
Expository Details

• Pretend that your reader has never read the novel
  about which you are writing.
  
• In your introduction, you need to orient the
  reader to give him or her just enough
  information to understand the context of your
  ideas.
• This information is called expository details.

12
Expository Details

• You should always include the title of the story
  and the authors name in your introduction.
  
• Dont retell the story! Avoid giving the reader
  any information that
  
• they will learn somewhere else in your paper
• doesnt relate to your thesis

13
A Sample Introduction

• Imagine being a boy in 1775, standing on a
  field in Lexington and facing hundreds of British
  soldiers. This happens to fifteen year-old Adam
  Cooper in the novel April Morning by Howard Fast.
  In the story, Adam is a young boy longing to
  reach manhood. He is then called to arms, along
  with his father, when British redcoat soldiers
  march through his town of Lexington on their way
  to Concord. In the battles that begin the
  American Revolution, Adam begins his
  coming-of-age journey through fire and blood. In
  April Morning, Adam Cooper comes-of-age by facing
  death, accepting responsibility for his actions,
  and letting go of his fantasies and romantic
  ideas about war.

14
A Sample Introduction

• Imagine being a boy in 1775, standing on a
  field in Lexington and facing hundreds of British
  soldiers. This happens to fifteen year-old Adam
  Cooper in the novel April Morning by Howard Fast.
  In the story, Adam is a young boy longing to
  reach manhood. He is then called to arms, along
  with his father, when British redcoat soldiers
  march through his town of Lexington on their way
  to Concord. In the battles that begin the
  American Revolution, Adam begins his
  coming-of-age journey through fire and blood. In
  April Morning, Adam Cooper comes-of-age by facing
  death, accepting responsibility for his actions,
  and letting go of his fantasies and romantic
  ideas about war.

The grabber
15
A Sample Introduction

• Imagine being a boy in 1775, standing on a
  field in Lexington and facing hundreds of British
  soldiers. This happens to fifteen year-old Adam
  Cooper in the novel April Morning by Howard Fast.
  In the story, Adam is a young boy longing to
  reach manhood. He is then called to arms, along
  with his father, when British redcoat soldiers
  march through his town of Lexington on their way
  to Concord. In the battles that begin the
  American Revolution, Adam begins his
  coming-of-age journey through fire and blood. In
  April Morning, Adam Cooper comes-of-age by facing
  death, accepting responsibility for his actions,
  and letting go of his fantasies and romantic
  ideas about war.

Expository Details
16
A Sample Introduction

• Imagine being a boy in 1775, standing on a
  field in Lexington and facing hundreds of British
  soldiers. This happens to fifteen year-old Adam
  Cooper in the novel April Morning by Howard Fast.
  In the story, Adam is a young boy longing to
  reach manhood. He is then called to arms, along
  with his father, when British redcoat soldiers
  march through his town of Lexington on their way
  to Concord. In the battles that begin the
  American Revolution, Adam begins his
  coming-of-age journey through fire and blood. In
  April Morning, Adam Cooper comes-of-age by facing
  death, accepting responsibility for his actions,
  and letting go of his fantasies and romantic
  ideas about war.

Three-point Thesis
17
The Five-Paragraph Essay
The Conclusion
18
These are the elements of an effective concl
usion

• Conclusion
• (Restated Thesis)

• II. Summary
• of Main Points
• Main Idea 1
• Main Idea 2
• Main Idea 3

III. Clincher
19
The Conclusion

• The conclusion to your essay is just your thesis,
  reworded and restated!
  
• The purpose of a conclusion is to remind the
  reader what they have just read.
  
• Your conclusion should be a mirror-image of your
  thesis statement dont introduce any new
  information!

20
A Sample Conclusion

• As he faces the loss of his father, takes on the
  responsibility for his family, and lets go of his
  illusions about adulthood and war, Adam Cooper
  changes from a young boy into a man.
• Notice that this conclusion is a restatement of
  the thesis!

21
Summarizing Your Main Ideas

• The next few sentences in your conclusion should
  restate and remind the reader of the main ideas
  of each of your three body paragraphs.
  
• Dont just repeat your main ideas, but restate
  and rephrase them!

22
Restating Main Ideas

• Although he begins the novel unable to even think
  about death, he eventually learns to accept the
  tragic loss of his father. He has to take over
  his fathers role as the man of the house and
  take responsibility for his mother, grandmother,
  and little brother. His experiences in the days
  bloody battles force him to let go of his false
  ideas about both war and manhood.

23
Restating Main Ideas

• Although he begins the novel unable to even think
  about death, he eventually learns to accept the
  tragic loss of his father. He has to take over
  his fathers role as the man of the house and
  take responsibility for his mother, grandmother,
  and little brother. His experiences in the days
  bloody battles force him to let go of his false
  ideas about both war and manhood.

24
Restating Main Ideas

• Although he begins the novel unable to even think
  about death, he eventually learns to accept the
  tragic loss of his father. He has to take over
  his fathers role as the man of the house and
  take responsibility for his mother, grandmother,
  and little brother. His experiences in the days
  bloody battles force him to let go of his false
  ideas about both war and manhood.

25
Restating Main Ideas

• Although he begins the novel unable to even think
  about death, he eventually learns to accept the
  tragic loss of his father. He has to take over
  his fathers role as the man of the house and
  take responsibility for his mother, grandmother,
  and little brother. His experiences in the days
  bloody battles force him to let go of his false
  ideas about both war and manhood.

26
The Clincher

• The final statement of your conclusion should
  express a larger idea or theme of the novel.
  
• This statement should be as general as your
  grabber.
  
• This is the so what? statement of your essay
  connect the ideas of your essay to the readers
  (or your) personal experience.

27
Writing a Clincher

• Use an important quote
• Adam himself realizes that he has grown and
  changed I said farewell to a childhood a
  past that was over and done with and gone away
  for all time. Indeed, the horrible events of
  war can shape a boy forever.
• Emphasize a key theme
• Coming-of-age is a dramatic process, and a person
  can change forever in just a single day.
  
• Make a general statement
• Although Adam Coopers experiences in war are
  unique, each person must learn to grow, take
  responsibility for themselves, and face reality,
  just as he did.

28
A Sample Conclusion

• As he faces the loss of his father, takes on the
  responsibility for his family, and lets go of his
  illusions about adulthood and war, Adam Cooper
  changes from a young boy into a man. The events
  of the Battle of Lexington and Concord change
  Adam Cooper forever. Although he begins the novel
  unable to even think about death, he eventually
  learns to accept the tragic loss of his father.
  He has to take over his fathers role as the man
  of the house and take responsibility for his
  mother, grandmother, and little brother. His
  experiences in the days bloody battles force him
  to let go of his false ideas about both war and
  manhood. The combination of these struggles and
  conflicts change Adam Cooper from a young boy
  into a man. Adam himself realizes that he has
  grown and changed I said farewell to a
  childhood a past that was over and done with
  and gone away for all time. Indeed, the
  horrible events of war can shape a boy forever.

29
A Sample Conclusion

• As he faces the loss of his father, takes on the
  responsibility for his family, and lets go of his
  illusions about adulthood and war, Adam Cooper
  changes from a young boy into a man. The events
  of the Battle of Lexington and Concord change
  Adam Cooper forever. Although he begins the novel
  unable to even think about death, he eventually
  learns to accept the tragic loss of his father.
  He has to take over his fathers role as the man
  of the house and take responsibility for his
  mother, grandmother, and little brother. His
  experiences in the days bloody battles force him
  to let go of his false ideas about both war and
  manhood. The combination of these struggles and
  conflicts change Adam Cooper from a young boy
  into a man. Adam himself realizes that he has
  grown and changed I said farewell to a
  childhood a past that was over and done with
  and gone away for all time. Indeed, the
  horrible events of war can shape a boy forever.

The clincher
30
A Sample Conclusion

• As he faces the loss of his father, takes on the
  responsibility for his family, and lets go of his
  illusions about adulthood and war, Adam Cooper
  changes from a young boy into a man. The events
  of the Battle of Lexington and Concord change
  Adam Cooper forever. Although he begins the novel
  unable to even think about death, he eventually
  learns to accept the tragic loss of his father.
  He has to take over his fathers role as the man
  of the house and take responsibility for his
  mother, grandmother, and little brother. His
  experiences in the days bloody battles force him
  to let go of his false ideas about both war and
  manhood. The combination of these struggles and
  conflicts change Adam Cooper from a young boy
  into a man. Adam himself realizes that he has
  grown and changed I said farewell to a
  childhood a past that was over and done with
  and gone away for all time. Indeed, the
  horrible events of war can shape a boy forever.

Restated main ideas
31
A Sample Conclusion

• As he faces the loss of his father, takes on the
  responsibility for his family, and lets go of his
  illusions about adulthood and war, Adam Cooper
  changes from a young boy into a man. The events
  of the Battle of Lexington and Concord change
  Adam Cooper forever. Although he begins the novel
  unable to even think about death, he eventually
  learns to accept the tragic loss of his father.
  He has to take over his fathers role as the man
  of the house and take responsibility for his
  mother, grandmother, and little brother. His
  experiences in the days bloody battles force him
  to let go of his false ideas about both war and
  manhood. The combination of these struggles and
  conflicts change Adam Cooper from a young boy
  into a man. Adam himself realizes that he has
  grown and changed I said farewell to a
  childhood a past that was over and done with
  and gone away for all time. Indeed, the
  horrible events of war can shape a boy forever.

Clincher
32
Putting It All Together

• The purpose of your introduction is to tell the
  reader what you are going to say.
  
• The purpose of your conclusion is to remind the
  reader what you have just said.
  
• Tell me what youre going to tell me
• Tell me
• Tell me what you just told me