1. Mrs. Melton Dickerson Middle School

2. An introductory paragraph is like the trailer to a movie. It should catch the viewers’ attention and give a brief overview of the topic. It may be shorter than your other paragraphs. Include a minimum of three sentences. Include transitions to make it flow!

3. Think of your first paragraph as the “So What?” of your paper.  Why is this topic worth writing about?  Why does it matter?  If it doesn’t matter to you, why does it matter to the target audience?

4. 1. Hook – Grab your audience with your first few sentences. (Can be one sentence or many sentences!) 2. Provide background information on the topic. Explain how the hook ties into the essay. 3. Thesis statement or claim (Main idea) 4. Transition words and phrases connect the Hook to your thesis statement.

5. Step 1: Hooks There are a variety of hooks you can use and a few you should avoid. Avoid beginning with:  A question These become over-used in elementary school.  Onomatopoeia  Your thesis statement  A statement of what your paper is about

6. Hooks Create an Image: One effective hook is to close your eyes and imagine you are experiencing the topic. 2016 Hooks Guide.docx What would you see? Hear? Feel?

7. Hooks: Create an Image For example, a boring hook about the importance of horses in America might be: Horses are animals that have a big place in our history.

8. Instead, think of a specific time in history that horses were important. Think of how a movie trailer might portray it. Watch this intro to the History Channel’s episode on horses: http://www.history.com/shows/big- history/season-1/episode-2

9. For example, if you are to write about a time in history y0u would like to visit, imagine you are standing on a street somewhere during that time. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you feel?

10. Hooks The elderly woman strolls carefully down the street. Her figure is properly covered with a Victorian gown sweeping the floor, long sleeves, and a high neckline. Her long hair is twisted and pinned up in a neat and tidy style. Suddenly, she spies a young woman across the street and frowns in disbelief. Shockingly, she is wearing a sleeveless dress with her arms exposed and the hem above her knees!

11. Step 2: Background information Next, provide information on the topic so that your point becomes clear. Length can be as short as one sentence or it may require several sentences.

12. The elderly woman strolls carefully down the street. Her figure is properly covered with a Victorian gown sweeping the floor, long sleeves, and a high neckline. Her long hair is twisted and pinned up in a neat and tidy style. Suddenly, she spies a young woman across the street and frowns in disbelief. Shockingly, she is wearing a sleeveless dress with her arms exposed and the hem is above her knees! This young woman and many like her, known as “Flappers” during 1920’s America, stunned established society with their outrageous fashion style.

13. Step 3: Thesis statement This should be the last or next to last sentence in the introductory paragraph. Remember, a thesis is your main point. As an equation: Topic + Your opinion on the topic = Thesis

14. The elderly woman strolls carefully down the street. Her figure is properly covered with a Victorian gown sweeping the floor, long sleeves, and a high neckline. Her long hair is twisted and pinned up in a neat and tidy style. Suddenly, she spies a young woman across the street and frowns in disbelief. Shockingly, she is wearing a sleeveless dress with her arms exposed and the hem above her knees! This young woman and many like her, known as “Flappers” during 1920’s America, stunned established society with their outrageous fashion style. Therefore, the time period we must visit in the time machine is 1920’s America to witness the drastic change in women’s dresses and hairstyles.

15.  Does this introductory paragraph answer “So What?”  In other words, does it explain why the 1920’s might be a good time period to visit according to the author The elderly woman strolls carefully down the street. Her figure is properly covered with a Victorian gown sweeping the floor, long sleeves, and a high neckline. Her long hair is twisted and pinned up in a neat and tidy style. Suddenly, she spies a young woman across the street and frowns in disbelief. Shockingly, she is wearing a sleeveless dress with her arms exposed and the hem above her knees! This young woman and many like her, known as “Flappers” during 1920’s America, stunned established society with their outrageous fashion style. Therefore, the time period we must visit in the time machine is 1920’s America to witness the drastic change in women’s dresses and hairstyles.

16.  Remind the reader of the supporting ideas of the essay. Look at the topic sentences of your body paragraphs as a reminder of your main support.  Include the thesis statement.  Refer to the image you created in your introduction ( It’s a “Circle of Life” kind of thing).

17. History offers so many fascinating events of interest we could choose to visit. But, America during the time of the Flappers is definitely an era not to be missed. We would watch in amazement as young girls bloom into vibrant, liberated women. Their scandalous short dresses and clipped hair would be a sight to see! So, Igor, let’s jump aboard your fantastic time travel machine and experience the trip of a lifetime to the mesmerizing 1920’s!

18. “I get thirsty and hot in class all day with nothing to drink. We should be allowed to drink sodas in class. I know the custodian wouldn’t want to mop up spills every night. We’re not babies; we could clean up if an accident happened. I think we would do better work if we could have some caffeine in the morning. “How would I improve these sentences to include better transitions?”

19. “First students should,…” “Second, students will believe….” “Third, we all want to…”. “Next, the entire student body….” “In conclusion….”. This type of writing sounds as if it is Written using a formula. The writer needs to use a variety of transitions or transitional phrases.  NO ONE WANTS TO SOUND BABYISH!

20. Much better…. I get thirsty and hot in class all day with nothing to drink. Therefore, I believe we should be allowed to drink sodas in class. However, I know the custodian wouldn’t want to mop up spills every night. In fact, we’re not babies, we could clean up if an accident happened. Furthermore, I think we would do better work if we could have some caffeine in the morning