1. Introductory Paragraph

2. The beginning of your essay should capture the reader’s interest, introduce your two subjects, and state your thesis

3. Ask a question Who is the greatest American athlete of all time? Start with a quotation “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Use a surprising statistic During one Big Ten meet, Jesse Owens tied one world record and set three more- all with an injured back! Connect with the reader Imagine being a high school athlete who could beat world records

4. Think of an interesting introductory sentence for your essay How can you introduce your theme in an interesting way? How can you introduce The Book Thief and “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas “in an interesting way Can you grab your reader with historical information?

5. Read your attention-getter to your elbow partner Did it grab their attention? Why or why not? What revisions should you make?

6. Pretend your audience has not read or seen The Book Thief or “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” Provide background information about each subject- make sure the information connects to your thesis statement One approach might be to introduce your entire essay by focusing on points about your chosen theme- go from general statements about your theme and progress into statements connected to The Book Thief and “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas”

7. Write 5-6 sentences introducing your two subjects Remember your essay needs to be focused on The Book Thief and “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” Remember you can only focus on one chosen theme- depth or breadth

8. Read your attention-getter and your first 5-6 sentences to your elbow partner Is it interesting? Does it provide enough background information about the two subjects? What would you add and/or take away?

9. Your thesis statement should be towards the end of your introductory paragraph It will provide the focus points of your paper When you write your introductory paragraph, underline your thesis statement Remember the rules!

10. Now your thesis statement is in place, read your introductory paragraph aloud to your elbow partner Does it flow well? Does the thesis statement have at least three main points? Does the background information about the two subjects lead you to the thesis?