1. Introductions

2. Hook the reader...

3. Begin with… a quote – “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” (Albert Einstein)

4. Begin with… a question - Who in their right mind thought shedding, drooling beasts were actually house pets?

5. Begin with… an anecdote - An anecdote is a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person

6. Begin with… a statistic - According to new data from Statistics Canada, teens are the happiest people in Canada. And they're getting happier.

7. Introductions Create a picture for the reader

8. Introductions… Provide your audience with a brief outline of the main ideas you will use to support your thesis. This outline does not need to be filled with lengthy details. It can often be a simple sentence which lists the subtopics of the body paragraphs. Ensure that the subtopics are listed in the order that they appear in the body of the essay.

9. Introductions… This outline does not need to be filled with lengthy details. It can often be a simple sentence which lists the subtopics of the body paragraphs. Ensure that the subtopics are listed in the order that they appear in the body of the essay.

10. For example: You can work with your thesis statement keywords to find ideas for your opening sentence. Suppose your thesis is, "televised drug advertisements aimed at children should be prohibited." Your opening paragraph could mention children, advertising, television, or drugs.

11. Introductions Clarify your position AFTER getting the reader’s attention.

12. Let’s look at some sample introductions… Read the introduction sample found on your card. How did the writer hook the reader? What picture was created for the reader? What reasons supported the writer’s opinion? Was the opinion stated before or after the writer had your attention?