Cultural Identity Synthesis
Essay
Mini-Lessons: Hooks and Transitions
Hooks and Transitions
Title today’s entry in your student notebook:
“Hooks and Transitions 1/21/2016”
•
We will go over strategies for both hooks and
transitions. Take notes about the strategies so
you can apply them to your essay during the
revision process.
•
But first, a quick glance at introduction
paragraphs:
Introduction Paragraphs
Catch reader’s attention, set the tone, provide general
background information the reader might need to
understand the thesis, assert a thesis which provides focus
and direction for readers, indicate what is to follow in the
body of the essay.
Basic Format if you’re struggling with introduction:
 Hook: Capture’s reader’s attention
 Thesis: Establishes the focus for the paper, the writer’s claim
 Forecast: Indicates what is to follow in the paper
“Hooks”
In the same way a good movie starts with an interesting
scene that grasps your attention, an effective piece of
writing draws the reader in and gets them eager to read
more.
Nothing is more boring than reading an essay that
begins with “this essay is going to….” or has the thesis
as the first sentence. Grab your reader’s attention with
an interesting hook!
Here are six types of hooks to grab your reader’s
attention:
Anecdote
This is a story that will interest your reader and lead to the
point you want to make.
Example: On a cold winter evening, Mom and I were baking
cookies. We were laughing and carrying on when I asked,
“Mom, what would dad say if I wanted to go out with a
black guy?” Mom retorted, “Don’t even think about
mentioning that to your father! He’ll kill you!” It was at that
moment I knew that my relationships with my parents
would change forever and I would be forced to keep my
relationship with Andre a secret. I used to believe that lying
to my parents was never acceptable. However, now, I
strongly believe lying is justified to protect or support your
beliefs.
Dialogue or Quotation
Related to Topic
When you use a quotation from a text, be sure to
include context (name of article, speaker,
circumstances) somewhere in a follow up sentence so
the reader understands your use of the quotation
When you use dialogue, you indent each time another
person speaks. Dialogue should bring out the speaker’s
true voice in order to sound as authentic as possible.
Dialogue or Quotation
Related To Topic
Example:
“I can’t believe I failed my English class! What am I
going to tell my parents?”
“Linda, just tell them you lost your report card.”
While I value my friendship with my best friend, I
no longer value her advice when it comes to my grades.
Her words haunt me as I replay the events of last week.
After this experience, I strongly believe that lying is never
justified.
Startling Information
This could be an incident, a statistic, or a “sound.”
Example: Brrrriiing! Brrrring! The telephone startled me
out of my sleep at 11:30. My mother and I both picked up
the phone at the same time. Unknown to her, I listened to
the man’s voice which casually, without emotion, described
my father’s fatal accident. After a few seconds of cold
silence, I heard the phone crash to the floor. After this
experience, I believe that people can recover from any
painful experience if they have the right support system.
Opinion
Providing your own commentary that interests your
reader and leads to your main point can be effective.
Example: Like the tribe’s great men before him, Okonkwo
acted in a way that would now be considered ruthless and
savage in order to become powerful and successful. It’s easy
for us, in the 21st century, to think of him as a bad person,
but the context in which people are raised dictates right
and wrong, and there are no universal “good” or “bad”
traits. It all depends on the circumstances, culture and
context one grows up in.
Controversial or Provocative
Question
Use a question that will inspire disagreement or at least
curiosity
Example: Are you a liar? Are we all liars? Can you honestly
say you’ve never lied? Can any of us? Such questions
remind us that morality and ethics are not black and white.
Based upon the articles, one can conclude that lying to
protect one’s self from consequences is different than lying
to maintain a belief system.
Definition
This works best if your topic is centered on a key term or
concept that is complex or unique.
Example: Webster’s Dictionary defines “identity” as “the
qualities or beliefs that makes a person or group different from
others.” Based on that definition, we should all be concerned
about the concept of identity in the 21st century, as social media
and technology have made the world so “small” that uniqueness
has become rare. Few people are different from others in their
behavior nowadays because we are all on our phones most of the
day like robots. Our individual qualities and beliefs are no
longer genuine, because they are so heavily impacted by social
media and technology.
Hooks
Now that you have some concrete examples of
types of hooks, look at yours. Do you want to
change it so that it captures the reader’s
attention more effectively? Take a couple of
minutes to revise your hook based on the
information we just covered.
Transitions
Help ideas flow smoothly
Connect ideas in a way that clarifies their relationship.
Three primary types of transitions to focus upon today:
1. Transitioning from “hook” to thesis
2. Transitioning between body paragraphs
3. Transitioning from body paragraphs to conclusion
Transitioning from hook to
thesis
This illustrates the point that….
This is an example of today’s problem of….
As in the situation above, I believe….
Although some believe _______, I think……
In a similar way…..
In view of this…..
Example: Based on that statistic, it is clear that social media and
technology significantly impact the way one views and interacts
with the world around them because of the way it provides
communication, influence, and convenience.
Transitioning between body
paragraphs
One of the most important reasons why…is…
Another point is…
Similarly/also/moreover/likewise/in
addition/furthermore/however…..
Another example of this is….
On the other hand…..
Example: In addition to the impact it has upon our
communication with each other, social media impacts the
way we interact with the world because it influences what we
think is “cool.”
Transitioning from body
paragraphs to conclusion
All things
considered…
Finally…
Obviously…
From this we see…
Example: Based on the
To sum up…
evidence, anecdotes, and
analysis presented, it is
Thus/lastly/clearly… clear that social media
has a profound impact
As a result…
upon our identity.
Transitions
Now that you have some concrete examples of
types of transitions, look at yours. Do you
want to change it so that your ideas are more
smoothly and effectively connected? Take a
couple of minutes to revise your hooks (hook
to thesis, between body paragraphs, from body
paragraph to conclusion) based on the
information we just covered.
To read more…
I have attached a document on my website entitled
“hooks and transitions” that provides more detail
about these topics.
In addition (transition!), I have put this powerpoint on
my website if you would like to consult it while revising
your rough draft and turning it into your final copy