WRITING LESSON Introductions & Thesis Statements

WHAT GOES IN AN INTRODUCTION?  There are 4 main components that should appear in any introductory paragraph:

WHAT GOES IN AN INTRODUCTION?  There are 4 main components that should appear in any introductory paragraph:  Context – we’re going to use this term to replace “hook” or “grabber”. You should use this sentence to “set the scene” or set out some kind of problem.

WHAT GOES IN AN INTRODUCTION?  There are 4 main components that should appear in any introductory paragraph:  Context – we’re going to use this term to replace “hook” or “grabber”. You should use this sentence to “set the scene” or set out some kind of problem.  Author and title – Remember, a novel or gets Italicized OR Underlined. Shorter works, like short stories and poems go “In Quotation Marks”.

WHAT GOES IN AN INTRODUCTION?  There are 4 main components that should appear in any introductory paragraph:  Context – we’re going to use this term to replace “hook” or “grabber”. You should use this sentence to “set the scene” or set out some kind of problem.  Author and title – Remember, a novel or gets Italicized OR Underlined. Shorter works, like short stories and poems go “In Quotation Marks”.  Then you have to address the question. A basic way to do this is to re- state it, right from the prompt. A more sophisticated option is to write it in your own words, or to address the problem that you believe your thesis statement is going to solve.

WHAT GOES IN AN INTRODUCTION?  There are 4 main components that should appear in any introductory paragraph:  Context – we’re going to use this term to replace “hook” or “grabber”. You should use this sentence to “set the scene” or set out some kind of problem.  Author and title – Remember, a novel or gets Italicized OR Underlined. Shorter works, like short stories and poems go “In Quotation Marks”.  Then you have to address the question. A basic way to do this is to re- state it, right from the prompt. A more sophisticated option is to write it in your own words, or to address the problem that you believe your thesis statement is going to solve.  Thesis statement – This should be the last sentence in your introduction.

WHAT GOES IN AN INTRODUCTION?  Each of these parts should be at least one and up to three sentences  As you get more comfortable writing an intro you’ll add more to what you’re saying and writing  How do we provide context at the beginning of an introduction?

THE SHAPE OF AN INTRODUCTION General Specific

THESIS STATEMENTS  Thesis statements get divided into two main parts  Thesis WHAT? WHY?

THESIS STATEMENTS CONT’D  WHAT?  What is your main argument?  What point are you trying to make?  What is the answer to the question posed by the prompt?  WHY?  Why is that true?  HOW?  How are you going to prove it to the reader?

SAMPLE INTRO In the Salem witchcraft trials, many victims were falsely accused and condemned to death by the lies of the jealous. The Crucible by Arthur Miller well represents how lies, mistruths, and secrets can cause incredibly resonating calamities. In the case of the Salem witchcraft trials, which proves to be the more effective way of getting what you desire: telling the truth or manipulating it? Lying is the more influential use of information, since all of the chaos in Salem is caused by deceit, as shown by the pretense of the girls, the actual truth being regarded as false, and accusing others of witchcraft for personal gain.

NOTICE ALL OF THE PARTS In the Salem witchcraft trials, many victims were falsely accused and condemned to death by the lies of the jealous. The Crucible by Arthur Miller well represents how lies, mistruths, and secrets can cause incredibly resonating calamities. In the case of the Salem witchcraft trials, which proves to be the more effective way of getting what you desire: telling the truth or manipulating it? Lying is the more influential use of information, since all of the chaos in Salem is caused by deceit, as shown by the pretense of the girls, the actual truth being regarded as false, and accusing others of witchcraft for personal gain.

ANALYZE THE THESIS STATEMENT Lying is the more influential use of information, since all of the chaos in Salem is caused by deceit, as shown by the pretense of the girls, the actual truth being regarded as false, and accusing others of witchcraft for personal gain.

SEPARATE THE TWO PARTS Lying is the more influential use of information, since all of the chaos in Salem is caused by deceit, as shown by the pretense of the girls, the actual truth being regarded as false, and accusing others of witchcraft for personal gain. WHAT?WHY/HOW?

SEPARATE THE TWO PARTS Lying is the more influential use of information, since all of the chaos in Salem is caused by deceit, as shown by the pretense of the girls, the actual truth being regarded as false, and accusing others of witchcraft for personal gain. WHAT? Lying is the more influential use of information WHY/HOW? as shown by the pretense of the girls, the actual truth being regarded as false, and using others of witchcraft for personal gain. Since all of the chaos in Salem is caused by deceit,

NOW YOU’RE GOING TO TRY  Turn to the back of the notes sheet and practice writing your own introduction by working backwards  When you’re done with that, start working on your thesis statement for your essay on The Crucible  Call me over when you have a thesis statement written so that I can check it for you