1. We will be starting To Kill a Mockingbird next week
We will be starting To Kill a Mockingbird next week. What do you know about this book? What have you heard from parents/siblings/friends? What concerns do you have in regard to content/interest/reading pace? 4 sentences

2. Today Collect Thesis Statements
Elizabeth LaBan  Author talk  Thursday, period 6
MLA overview  practice
How to write an intro
Write yours/return thesis statements
GOALS:
Understand MLA
Know the components of an introduction
Write ours
Check thesis statements
Today

3. MLA All papers will be written in MLA format
We will look at an example through the document camera
MLA

4. How to Write an Amazing Introduction Paragraph

5. A standard introduction includes:
The purpose of an introduction paragraph is to INTRODUCE your topic to your audience and state what you will prove (your thesis).
A standard introduction includes:
The Grabber or The Hook or The Lead
The Bridge or The Connector
The Roadmap or Preview
The Thesis Statement

6. We start off with a BROAD idea
And then we get SPECIFIC

7. The Three Sentence Roadmap
The Grabber
The Bridge
The Three Sentence Roadmap
The Thesis

8. The Grabber Otherwise known as the hook or the lead
“grabs” the attention of the reader
It is a broad, general statement that can still be applied today.
Can be in the form of a question
Ex: Sometimes people are treated unfairly.
The Grabber

9. The Bridge Connects what you said in your grabber to your topic
It’s the sentence where you begin to introduce your topic.
Ex: The Jim Crow Laws were created to keep African Americans from attaining the same rights as whites.
The Bridge

10. The Roadmap These sentences will preview what is to come in your paper
You will preview the topics of your paper:
EX:
After the freeing of the slaves, the South was still a racist area.
The Jim Crow laws kept the blacks from gaining too much power.
These laws created many differences in terms of education, labor, and pay.
The Roadmap

11. The Thesis Statement Your point The reason you are writing your essay!
EX: In the 1930s, The Jim Crow Laws were passed in order to keep African Americans and whites separated which showed how racist the South was during this time.
The Thesis Statement

12. The Whole Thing! General Specific
Sometimes people are treated unfairly. The Jim Crow Laws were created to keep African Americans from attaining the same rights as whites. After the freeing of the slaves, the South was still a racist area. The Jim Crow laws kept the blacks from gaining too much power. These laws created many differences in terms of education, labor, and pay.
In the 1930s, The Jim Crow Laws were passed in order to keep African Americans and whites separated which showed how racist the South was during this time.
Specific
The Whole Thing!

13. Using your outline and thesis statement, create a working introduction paragraph for your essay.
If you need help, please let me know.
Your Turn!

14. This is the MEAT of your paper
The Body Paragraphs

15. Each body paragraph should have:
A topic sentence/transitional sentence
At least TWO quotes per area topic
YOUR OWN THOUGHTS AND IDEAS (after a quotation, expand on it)
**You cannot end a paragraph with a quotation
A concluding statement

16. The topic sentence is the central idea around which a paragraph is developed.
It introduces the reader to the topic without announcing it; AKA: this is my paragraph on Churchill’s life.
It’s the first sentence.
It tells you what the rest of the paragraph(s) will be about.
Topic Sentences

17. After this sentence you need to support what you have said
This means giving evidence which justifies what you said in your topic sentence
Topic Sentences

18. Example: Remember my introduction paragraph?
Sometimes people are treated unfairly. The Jim Crow Laws were created to keep African Americans from attaining the same rights as whites. After the freeing of the slaves, the South was still a racist area. The Jim Crow laws kept the blacks from gaining too much power. These laws caused schools to be segregated. They also created many differences in terms of labor and pay. In the 1930s, The Jim Crow Laws were passed in order to keep African Americans and whites separated which showed how racist the South was during this time.
Example:

19. Example: Remember my introduction paragraph?
We will now ADD our first body paragraph which will transition the reader to the first body paragraph
Sample topic sentence:
The Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves, but many people still believed that African Americans were beneath them.
Example:

20. Concluding Sentence
This sentence wraps up what your paragraph was about
HINT: This sentence will be a statement on how this topic (bio, history, lasting impact, makes this person a hero/villain)
It’s the main point you want to get across on your topic.
EX: These laws had many affects on the African American people and gave an insight into what the South was like in the 1930s

21. When we move from one area to another, we need to use a transitional phrase so that the writing does not become disjointed and the reader does not get confused.
They establish logical connections between sentences, paragraphs, and sections of your paper.
Transitions signal relationships between ideas.
To create a transition from one area to the next, we will use a TRANSITIONAL WORD/PHRASE and connect it to our topic sentence.
Transitions

22. Use your Transitions Handout to Help
Figure out what kind of relationship you want to show between your paragraphs and use the corresponding examples to help you.
My Example: Introduction to Jim Crow Laws
Transition to Area #2: Segregated schools
In addition to showing the dislike of the African Americans by the white South, the laws created during this time period caused the two races to have separate schooling systems.
Use your Transitions Handout to Help

23. Topic Sentences Take FIVE minutes: Look at your outline
Look at the different topics you generated
Try to write a topic sentence for each topic (the Roman numerals)
Remember to add transitions
If you need help, please let me know
Topic Sentences

24. A quick “how-to”
Writing a Conclusion

25. Remember the hourglass figure?
We are essentially INVERTING our introduction format.
We start off SPECIFIC
We bring it out the our world today.

26. You do not need to write…
“In conclusion,”
We know it is your conclusion
You do not need to write…

27. A conclusion should stress the importance of the thesis statement, give the essay a sense of completeness, and leave a final impression on the reader.
Just as every essay has a clear beginning, it should have a clear ending. The last paragraph, also know as the conclusion, should make your essay sound finished.
The Conclusion

28. The Conclusion The concluding paragraph typically has two parts:
1. The summary statement is 2-3 sentences which restate the thesis in a fresh way to reinforce the essay's main idea. 2. The clincher is a final thought which should create a lasting impression on the reader.
The Conclusion

29. The summary statement is an effective way to start your concluding paragraph because it helps to drive home the ideas you've expressed in your essay.
Look at your thesis statement again and rework it in a new way. Avoid repeating key words and phrases from the thesis statement because you don't want the summary statement to sound boring or repetitive. Using a thesaurus is a good way to find new, interesting words.
The Summary Statement

30. The Jim Crow Laws were created in an effort to keep the African Americans powerless in America. These laws were designed so that African Americans would not receive proper schooling. They also created inequality in the workforce because it was difficult for African Americans to find work and work that paid well. All of this shows how racist the South was and how they attempted to prevent African Americans from being successful when they gained their freedom.
Example

31. The clincher, also referred to as the closer, is your last opportunity to connect with the reader. One way to make the most of this moment is to return to the technique you used for your grabber.
Open it back up to the real world.
Show the reader how this can still be true today.
Will be more than one sentence
The Clincher

32. Example:
Much like the laws created to segregate the African Americans in the 1930s, laws like this still exist in the world today. In the Middle East there are laws that dictate what women can or cannot do. Some of these laws can be extreme and the punishments can be severe. This help further prove that sometimes laws are created to keep other people from gaining equality.
The Clincher

33. Brainstorm Take five minutes
What can you compare your topic to that has happened in recent times?
Brainstorm

34. Colloquialisms AKA Slang AKA Informal Language
An informal expression that is more often used in casual conversation than in formal speech or writing.
Bit the dust
Was sacked
Bringing home the bacon
Etc….
Colloquialisms AKA Slang AKA Informal Language