Writing an Introduction

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Writing an Introduction
By Mr. Batch
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Four Parts of the Intro

1. The Hook
2. Background Information
3. Thesis
4. Statement of Arguments

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Types of Hooks

• 1. Opening with an unusual detail Manitoba,
  because of its cold climate, is not thought of as
  a great place for a reptile. Actually, it has the
  largest seasonal congregation of garter snakes in
  the world.
• 2. Opening with a strong statement Cigarettes
  are the number one cause of lighter sales in
  Canada.
• 3. Opening with a Quotation According to Jeff
  Benedict, co-author of Pros and Cons The
  Criminals Who play in the NFL, the league today
  has dozens of players who have gone from jail to
  the playing field."
• 4. Opening with an Anecdote An anecdote can
  provide an amusing and attention-getting opening
  if it is short and to the point.
• 5. Opening with a Statistic or Fact According to
  a recent study, one out of five NFL players have
  had a brush with the law.
• 6. Opening with a Question Have you ever
  considered how many books we'd read if it were
  not for television?
• 7. Opening with an Exaggeration or Outrageous
  Statement The whole world watched as the comet
  flew overhead.

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Thesis

• One sentence
• Answers the essays question without saying Yes
  or No
• Gives your opinion without saying I
• Gives ONE encompassing reason for your stance
• Example
• Question Should an athlete who commits a crime
  be allowed to participate on a sports team?
• Answer (Thesis) Athletes who commit a crime
  should be allowed to participate on a sports team
  because everyone deserves a second chance.

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Strong Thesis Statements vs. Weak Thesis
Statements

• A strong thesis statement takes a stand.
• For example, if you are writing a paper for a
  class on fitness, you might be asked to choose a
  popular weight-loss product to evaluate. Here are
  two thesis statements
• Weak There are some negative and positive
  aspects to the Banana Herb Tea Supplement.
• This is a weak thesis statement. First, it fails
  to take a stand. Second, the phrase negative and
  positive aspects is vague.
• Strong The Banana Herb Tea Supplement poses
  potential danger to customers because it promotes
  rapid weight loss that results in the loss of
  muscle and lean body mass.
• This is a strong thesis because it takes a stand,
  and because it's specific.

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Strong Thesis Statements vs. Weak Thesis
Statements

• A strong thesis statement justifies discussion.
• Your thesis should indicate the point of the
  discussion. If your assignment is to write a
  paper on kinship systems, using your own family
  as an example, you might come up with either of
  these two thesis statements
• Weak My family is an extended family.
• This is a weak thesis because it merely states an
  observation. Your reader wont be able to tell
  the point of the statement, and will probably
  stop reading.
• Strong While most American families would view
  consanguine marriage as a threat to the nuclear
  family structure, many Iranian families believe
  that these marriages help reinforce kinship ties
  in an extended family.
• This is a strong thesis because it shows how your
  experience contradicts a widely-accepted view. A
  good strategy for creating a strong thesis is to
  show that the topic is controversial. Readers
  will be interested in reading the rest of the
  essay to see how you support your point

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Strong Thesis Statements vs. Weak Thesis
Statements

• A strong thesis statement expresses one main idea
  
• Readers need to be able to see that your paper
  has one main point. If your thesis statement
  expresses more than one idea, then you might
  confuse your readers about the subject of your
  paper. For example
• Weak Companies need to exploit the marketing
  potential of the Internet, and Web pages can
  provide both advertising and customer support.
• This is a weak thesis statement because the
  reader cant decide whether the paper is about
  marketing on the Internet or Web pages. To revise
  the thesis, the relationship between the two
  ideas needs to become more clear. One way to
  revise the thesis would be to write
• Strong Companies should exploit the marketing
  potential of the internet by using Web pages that
  offer both advertising and customer support.
• This is a strong thesis because it shows that the
  two ideas are related. Hint a great many clear
  and engaging thesis statements contain words like
  because, since, so, although, unless, and however

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Strong Thesis Statements vs. Weak Thesis
Statements

• A strong thesis statement is specific
• A thesis statement should show exactly what your
  paper will be about, and will help you keep your
  paper to a manageable topic. For example, if
  you're writing a paper on hunger, you might say
• Weak World hunger has many causes and effects.
• This is a weak thesis because many causes and
  effects is vague. You should be able to identify
  specific causes and effects. A revised thesis
  might look like this
• Strong Hunger persists in Africa because jobs
  are scarce and farming in the infertile soil is
  rarely profitable.
• This is a strong thesis statement because it
  narrows the subject to a more specific and
  manageable topic and it also identifies the
  specific causes for the existence of hunger.

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Thesis Quiz

• Create a possible thesis statement for the
  following essay questions.

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Practice Example

• Should the portions for school lunch be
  increased?
• School lunch portions should be increased because
  students have a difficult time focusing on an
  empty stomach.
• - OR
• School lunch portions should not be increased
  because limiting the intake of calories leads to
  healthier students.

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1

• Should students be allowed to dress-down (wear
  whatever clothes they want to) once per academic
  cycle?
• Students should be allowed to dress-down once per
  academic cycle to nurture the student bodys
  sense of identity.

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2

• Should the death penalty be legal?
• The death penalty is both immoral and
  unconstitutional and therefore should be illegal.

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3

• Should high schools start later in the morning
  (and therefore end later) to increase student
  production?
• High school start times should be later in the
  morning because teenagers will be more productive.

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Statement of Arguments

• Last sentence of introduction
• Lists your three main topics for support
• Thesis High school start times should be later
  in the morning because teenagers will be more
  productive.
• Example of Statement of Arguments Support for
  this position include the amount a teenager needs
  to sleep in order to function properly, the
  numerous studies that prove when teenagers have
  the highest rate of success, and the fact that
  teenagers often have to stay up late to finish
  homework and chores.

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Example of an IntroductionHOOK
BACKGROUND THESIS STATEMENT OF
ARGUMENTS

• Have you ever tried to work all day after
  sleeping only a couple hours the night before?
  Everyday teenagers around our country are facing
  this problem when they come to school. Many
  recent studies have forced school systems to
  assess whether high schools should move their
  start times back to increase student production.
  Even though every person knows what it feels like
  to function without proper rest, most school
  systems still have high schools starting earlier
  than any other school even kindergarteners.
  High school start times should be later in the
  morning because teenagers will be more
  productive. Support for this position include the
  amount a teenager needs to sleep in order to
  function properly, the numerous studies that
  prove when teenagers have the highest rate of
  success, and the fact that teenagers often have
  to stay up late to finish homework and chores.

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Writing a Conclusion

• How to effectively summarize your essay

By Mr. Batch
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The purpose of a conclusion

• The conclusion is almost like your introduction
  in reverse
• It should
• Synthesizes
• Fuses
• Blends
• Integrates

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How to write a conclusion

• NEVER SAY In Conclusion
• Restate your thesis statement (from intro)
• Restate your statement of arguments (from intro)
• Answer the question So what?
• Show your readers why this paper was important
• Show that your paper was meaningful and useful
• Review your most important points (never give new
  ideas though!)
• Give your reader a call to action
• Something to think about
• A way to use your paper in the "real" world
• What they can do to put your ideas into action
• Think globally

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SampleRestated Thesis Restated
Statement of Argument Answered So
What? Showed that the essay was useful
Gave a Call to Action

• If the letter was to the president of the school
  board and was in support of later school times
  for high schools it might say
• High school start times should be later in the
  morning based on the focus of teenagers peaking
  at a later time than younger adolescents. The
  amount a teenager needs to sleep in order to
  function properly, the numerous studies that
  prove when teenagers have the highest rate of
  success, and the fact that teenagers often have
  to stay up late to finish homework and chores all
  support this argument. If parents, teachers, and
  school boards want to see their students succeed
  and get the most our of their time in high
  school, the start time for schools needs to be
  addressed. Based on the schedule and times
  discussed in this essay, the transition for
  schools to make to earlier start times for
  younger students and later start times for older
  students is possible. Please address this issue
  at the next board of education meeting and help
  the students of your schools earn the education
  opportunities they deserve.