Novice writers anguish over composing an introductory paragraph for their essays. They have been instructed at some point to include a “hook” to capture readers’ attention, but they’ve also been warned to avoid sounding gimmicky. Starting an introductory paragraph with a rhetorical question may at first seem like an effective technique, but it can easily develop a formulaic or immature tone for the essay. If you are struggling to guide students with overarching suggestions that can apply to most high school essays, you will find these tips helpful.
Read more at Suite101: How to Write a Strong Introduction Paragraph: Tips to Teach High School Students to Compose an Essay Introduction
Identify the Topic
Following these simple steps will help students quickly write an introduction paragraph after the body has been written. In the first sentence, students should identify, or generally define, the topic. The topic is a broad overview of what will be discussed in the essay. For example, if students are writing about whether Kurt Vonnegut supports or criticizes the government in “Harrison Bergeron,” the topic may address government or the idea of too much governmental control. Encourage students to visualize an inverted pyramid structure, where the paragraph begins very generally and gets more specific as it progresses.
Introduce the book/author
The second or third sentence of the introduction should mention the book you are analyzing and the author. You can briefly explain the context of the story with a brief plot summary in the next two sentences.
State the Thesis
The thesis works well as a final sentence in the introduction paragraph. By definition, a thesis is specific. It outlines the body of the essay. Writing a loose thesis before the essay is written serves as a helpful guide to students, but be sure to remind them that it needs to be adapted once the essay is complete to ensure the content in the thesis is aligned with the content in the actual essay.
These tips define the purpose of each sentence in the introduction paragraph. When students realize that an introductory paragraph needs to be only four or five sentences in length and that it serves a very specific purpose, they feel a sense of relief. They are more than willing to impose structure on these mysterious entities and turn their attention to the heart of their essay, the body.
Read more at Suite101: How to Write a Strong Introduction Paragraph: Tips to Teach High School Students to Compose an Essay Introduction
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