To: CSR 406
From: R Feinberg
Re: the first paragraph
Assignment- review of brookgroup.com website
The assignment- There are 2 website assignments. One is to review 5 different websites due at various times in the semester (you have done 2- Mary designs and Benchmarkportal) and will do brookgroup.com. The other is a more involved project where you will review three websites in great depth (this is due Nov 15)
This little memo concerns what I want for your review of brookgroup.com and results from what I seen is a very weak ability to write first paragraphs…the most important part of the paper. So we will simply do first paragraphs for this assignment. In doing so I will be able to work with you to show you how a first paragraph is done. Review www.brookgroup.com but only write a first paragraph…not a 2 page paper.
Now for some instruction.
http://slc.otago.ac.nz/studyskills/ch4sect0.asp - very nice tutorial about many issues related to writing.
Paragraph Focus – before I talk about the first paragraph let me talk about paragraphs.
Before getting into the structure, it’s important to realize that paragraphs aren't simply a way of dividing a long piece of writing into manageable chunks (though they do that, too). Paragraphs give the whole essay its structure by organizing the information in a logical manner. To help do this, each paragraph focuses on one topic or idea. Occasionally, related ideas may be grouped into a single paragraph if they each take only a sentence or two to explain. In general, though, one idea/topic = one paragraph.
The first paragraph
This is the foundation of a paper. It is critical. It related to everything else that you say. The introductory paragraph should also include the thesis statement, a kind of mini-outline for the essay. This is where the writer grabs the reader's attention. It tells the reader what the paper is about. The last sentence of this paragraph must also include a transitional "hook" which moves the reader to the first paragraph of the body of the essay.
· Select a point- what is the point of the paper. What is it that you want your reader to know about this website at the end? You can’t say everything so pick the broad overriding thing. The point must be narrow enough to make it manageable within the requirements of the essay.
· Write a thesis sentence. Be sure the thesis statement(or sentence) expresses a controlling idea that is neither too broad nor too specific to be developed effectively
· Now write the first paragraph :
An introductory paragraph should state the thesis of the essay, introduce the divisions in the body paragraphs of the essay, gain the interest of the reader
Testing your first paragraph
Test 1- By the end of the first paragraph of your paper, the topic you selected, the question you've chosen to ask, your answer to that question, and the organizational plan you will follow in your paper should all be clear to the reader. Good opening paragraphs don't have to be long and they usually don't contain examples; their purpose is to guide the reader into the examples that will follow.
Test Part #2: If you read out loud to yourself only the first sentence of each paragraph in your paper, your paper should make sense. If it doesn't, then your topic sentences aren't strong enough.
When you think you are done with the first paragraph do the following:
o Ask yourself:
Does this make sense? Am I convinced?
Will this convince a reader?
Will they understand my values, and agree with my facts?
o Edit, correct, and re-write as necessary
o Check spelling and grammar!
o Have a friend read it and respond to your argument.
Were they convinced?
o Revise if necessary
I found this on the Internet about first paragraphs:
In the same way that the introduction of an essay introduces and outlines the topic of the whole essay, the introductory sentence (or topic sentence) of a paragraph introduces the topic of the paragraph. It can be a simple statement, like this: "The fairy Ariel is one of the central symbolic images of The Tempest." That's all you'd need. The reasons why Ariel is a central symbolic image are then covered in the body of the paragraph.
The Introduction
Although the introduction is the first part of an essay, it's usually the part that gets written last. The reason is that the introduction has to say exactly what is to follow in the body of the essay, and you can't know for sure what's in the body until you've written it. Saving the introduction for last is one strategy for writing, another is to write a draft of the introduction first, to give you direction when writing the rest of the essay. You'd then revise the introduction once the rest of the essay is complete. So let's look at what an introduction does, and what it should contain. Then we'll examine the all-important thesis statement.
What an Introduction Does
Essentially, an introduction introduces the topic of the essay (no surprise there, I hope). Consider what a reader needs to know in order to understand what you are writing about.
Another function of the introduction is to capture the reader's attention, so they will want to continue reading. There are a number of ways to do this; some of the most effective devices are a quote from a famous person that relates to your topic, a compelling description or scene, startling statistics, or a question. Anything that will interest a reader and involve them in the topic is good. For example, in an essay about William Shakespeare's The Tempest, you could open your essay with a quote from the play, or you describe a scene from the play, or you could ask "Why is Shakespeare's wizardly character Prospero surrounded by so many vivid symbols?"
Finally, the introduction states the thesis of the essay; that is, the core idea or essence that you are trying to get across. I'll explain the thesis statement in more detail below.
What an Introduction Contains
To do all those things I described above, an introduction needs the following things (more or less in this order):
· an attention-getter (such as a question, quote, or scene)
· essential background information about the topic
· a thesis statement
Just like the basic essay structure, that's only three things to remember.
The Thesis Statement
Learning to write an effective thesis statement (also called the thesis sentence) is probably the most important skill you can have as an essay writer (it will also be invaluable in writing research papers).
The thesis statement is a sentence (or rarely, a couple of sentences) that states the subject of the essay, and shows the division of that subject into the subtopics you will be discussing (usually in the order they will appear in the essay). If, for example, you are writing an essay that will have three body paragraphs, each with its own subtopic, you should mention those three things in your thesis statement.
Here's an example, using the same hypothetical essay I used in Part 3 when describing the three-part structure: "In William Shakespeare's play The Tempest, Prospero is surrounded by significant symbols; three of the most compelling are the strange books of magic, the bestial creature Caliban, and the fairy Ariel."
A reader knows from reading this sentence that my essay is going to be about symbolism in Shakespeare's The Tempest, specifically the symbols most important to the character Prospero. In addition, the reader will be expecting the three symbols to be discussed in (at least) three separate paragraphs, in the order they are listed in the thesis statement.
Transition
I'll talk more about transitions when we get to paragraph structure in Part 7. For now, though, keep in mind that your essay should progress smoothly from section to section, paragraph to paragraph, and introduction to body. The transition from introduction to body can be fairly simple. If you've written an effective thesis statement, the reader is already expecting to skip on to the first part of your essay. If you need more room for background information, you may want to begin your first paragraph after the introduction with a statement such as "Before looking at the symbolism in The Tempest it is important to mention some of the details of William Shakespeare's life."
All you really need to remember about introductions is that they introduce. As I said in Part 3, when writing an essay, you first tell the reader what you're going to say, then you say it, then you summarize what you've said. The introduction does the first part: telling the reader what you're going to say.
After the first paragraph this is what you would do.
· Organize the essay:
Begin by listing the major divisions which the body paragraphs in your essay will discuss; then fill in the primary supports that each body paragraph of the essay will contain
· Write topic sentences for the body paragraphs of the essay:
For each body paragraph, furnish a topic sentence that directly relates to the thesis sentence
· Write the body paragraphs of the essay:
Each body paragraph should develop the primary support covered in that paragraph's topic sentence
· Write a paragraph of conclusion:
§ Restate the thesis and divisions of the essay
§ Bring the essay to an appropriate and effective close
§ Avoid digressing into new issues
This was good also from the Internet about after the introductory paragraph
Body - First paragraph after intro
The first paragraph of the body should include the strongest argument, most significant example, cleverest illustration, or an obvious beginning point. The first sentence should contain the "reverse hook" which ties in with the transitional hook at the end of the introductory paragraph. The subject for this paragraph should be in the first or second sentence. This subject should relate to the thesis statement in the introductory paragraph. The last sentence in this paragraph should include a transitional hook to tie into the second paragraph of the body.
Body - Second paragraph
The second paragraph of the body should include the second strongest argument, second most significant example, second cleverest illustration, or an obvious follow up the first paragraph in the body. The first sentence of this paragraph should contain the reverse hook, which ties in with the transitional hook at the end of the first paragraph of the body. The topic for this paragraph should be in the first or second sentence. This topic should relate to the thesis statement in the introductory paragraph. The last sentence in this paragraph should include a transitional hook to tie into the third paragraph of the body.