The Hook

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The Hook

• Catchy
• Compositions
• Capture
• Critics
• Concentration

Adapted by Donna Barrett and Elise Keeney from
Nancie Atwells Lessons that Change Writers and
The Hook a PowerPoint presentation by Connie
Campbell found at http//jc-schools.net/writeaway/
(accessed 09/19/2008)
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The Hook
The introductory paragraph combines the hook
with the with the topic sentence (thesis) to form
the essay lead.
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The Hook Whats the Point?
The hook paragraph makes the reader want to learn
more.
We definitely want to impress the blue-haired
old ladies who grade our writing assessments!
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The Hook
To catch the reader, use a hook in the
introductory paragraph.
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The Hook Anecdote
Tell a brief story that captures the essence of
the issue/situation. Note the story must be
brief and should not extend past the first
paragraph. Otherwise, your whole essay slips into
being a narrative!
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The Hook Anecdote
A small-town housewife wants to buy a pair of
shoes for her child. She goes out to her favorite
local shoe store, only to discover theyve closed
due to the popularity of discount giant Wal-Mart.
Huge stores like Wal-Mart are ruining the chances
of small business to succeed.

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The Hook Anecdote

• Bad Barbecue

When I went to a local barbecue restaurant
last week, I was shocked to discover their health
inspection rating was below 70! At my school,
that is a failing score, yet this restaurant is
still open and serving food to the local
citizens! Providing a safe food supply is one of
the most sacred agreements between marketer and
consumer. Why isnt anyone doing anything to stop
this dangerous practice?
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Scuba Steves Tip for Essay Success
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The Hook Quotation
Use someone elses relevant words to
address/exemplify the issue. Note the quote
must be related to your topic. It is not enough
to create a fake conversation. This is called
dialogue and does not qualify as a quote.
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The Hook Quotation
John Kennedy once said, Ask not what your
country can do for you. Ask what you can do for
your country. Today, though, it seems that many
want to know how much the government will give
them. It is time for our generation to make a
change and stand on our own feet, without
intervention from Uncle Sam.

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The Hook Quotation
Just Grow Up!
I recently saw a bumper sticker that said,
Its never too late to have a happy childhood.
What kind of childish idea is this? Adults we
kids need you to grow up and act like the leaders
you are supposed to be. If you spend your adult
life trying to recapture your childhood, when are
we to have the chance to be children? Someone has
to be responsible.
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The Hook Quotation
Dont do this! This is dialogue, not a quote!
Mom, whats for dinner? Not now! Im about
to get a high score on Guitar Hero! Youre
always playing games, Mom! Hey! I had too many
responsibilities when I was a kid. Nows my time
to have fun. This shouldnt happen. Adults have
to be responsible so that we can have a
childhood.
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Scuba Steves Tip for Essay Success
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The Hook News

• Give the reader the who, what, where, when, why
  of the issue (and sometimes the how).

Note you do not have to include ALL of these
EVERY time. Sometimes, you wont need one or two
of the Ws to get your point across.
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The Hook News
Heart disease is the number one killer in the
United States and many want to know why. Some
scientists blame fast food restaurants for the
recent rise in the number of unhealthy Americans.
In 2008, a few towns even made fast food illegal
in their city limits! However, it may not be
possible to identify just one culprit in this
battle.

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Scuba Steves Tip for Essay Success
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The Hook Background
Give the reader a brief history of the
issue. Note be careful that your history does
not verge into becoming an anecdote. This isnt
supposed to be a story. Stick to straight facts.
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The Hook Background
During World War II, governments on both sides
of the conflict used special persuasive posters
called propaganda to spread their beliefs to
their citizens. The same persuasive techniques
that were used then can be used to convince
people today. In fact, the persuasive tactics we
use were first developed by ancient Greeks like
Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato!

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Scuba Steves Tip for Essay Success
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The Hook Announcement
Tell the reader about the issue and take a
stand. Note even though you are telling the
reader about the issue, do not use the words, I
am going to tell you about or anything like
that.
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The Hook Announcement
People are going to make bad choices
sometimes thats just part of being human. As
long as we take responsibility for our actions
and make amends, theres usually no problem. Such
behavior builds strength of character, in fact.
Theres an increasing trend, though, in which
parents are allowing children to blame everyone
but themselves for their mistakes. If we are
going to continue as the strongest nation in the
world, we have to find a way to stop this
nonsense!

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Scuba Steves Tip for Essay Success
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The Hook

• Use a hook to lure the reader into the
  composition.
• Lets impress those blue-haired old ladies!

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(No Transcript)