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The title is your first point of contact with
your audience
The title should:
◦ Capture your reader’s attention
◦ Be specific to your project
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Spice up your opener: Consider a subtitle
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Beauty Pageants: An Untold Story
Let Us Descend Into Chaos: A Cautionary
Tale about Mental Health Cutbacks
Exotic Animal Ownership: The Elephant in
the Living Room
NFL Lockout: Let the Game Continue
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“Just admit you wanted attention”: Rejecting the selfie and
the body in an online image-sharing website
The courtship dance: Sociobiology and Dancing at
Lughnasa
“But I’m not a writer”: Developing identity in basic writers
The object of desire: Faith, devotion, and performance in
Mariette in Ecstasy and The Patron Saint of Liars
Place, space, affect: The mindbody politic and
composition’s “best” practices
“Your cakeday is not your birthday”: Discourse in the
Imgur community
Lesson from a black diamond
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First paragraph (or two) of your essay
Accomplishes 3 goals:
◦ Engage your audience
◦ Introduce the topic and context
◦ Make a claim (your thesis statement)
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Introductions often begin with a broad
opening statement that establishes the
subject matter and background.
◦ Don't make it too broad: “Since time began…”
◦ Do identify the relevant topic and sub-topic:
“Amish culture consists of…”
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They also include important background
information (the exigence) the reader
must have concerning the topic. This
helps establish the context for your essay.
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The most important part of the introduction
is the thesis statement.
An introduction often ends with the thesis
statement. It begins with a broad statement
and gradually narrows down until it directly
addresses the thesis:
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Introductions may also tell the reader how
the upcoming body paragraphs will be
organized.
◦ You can outline the major points.
◦ Or, you can show how the paragraphs are
organized.
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Chronological?
Grouped by theme?
Related questions?
Compare/contrast?
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Begin with:
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Exigence
Background
Quotation
Surprising fact
Definition
Short narrative
http://www2.ivcc.edu/rambo/eng1001/intro
ductions.htm
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Be sure your introduction captures the focus of
your project
Consider writing the introduction after you’ve
written your body paragraphs
Introduction is your first opportunity to engage
your audience
Should set the tone for the rest of the paper
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Presents the main idea of a text
Usually one sentence
Prepares your reader for what you will
discuss in your paper
All academic papers should have a thesis
statement
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Consider the following thesis statements.
What do you expect the rest of the paper
will discuss?
◦ Because of the rising demand among high
school graduates for job-related training,
Centerville college should expand its
vocational offerings.
◦ New York’s art museums offer visitors an
opportunity to view a wide variety of
paintings.
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May preview the organization of the paper
What do you expect the organization of a
paper with this thesis will look like?
◦ “Mt. Pleasant offers parties, great recreation
spots, fine dining, and excellent shopping.”
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The thesis for this project will be
argumentative, not informative. To ensure
your thesis is debatable, try writing an
antithesis.
◦ Thesis: Term limits would improve government by
bringing people with fresh ideas into office every
few years.
◦ Antithesis: Term limits would harm government
because elected officials would always be
inexperienced.
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A thesis statement is an assertion, not a
statement of fact or an observation.
◦ Fact or observation: People use many lawn
chemicals.
◦ Thesis: People are poisoning the environment with
chemicals merely to keep their lawns clean.
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A thesis is the main idea, not the title. It
must be a complete sentence that explains
in some detail what you expect to write
about.
◦ Title: Social Security and Old Age.
◦ Thesis: Continuing changes in the Social Security
System make retirement planning nearly
impossible.
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A thesis statement has one main point rather
than several main points. More than one point
may be too difficult for the reader to
understand and the writer to support.
◦ More than one main point: Stephen Hawking's
physical disability has not prevented him from
becoming a world-renowned physicist, and his
book is the subject of a movie.
◦ One main point: Stephen Hawking's physical
disability has not prevented him from becoming a
world-renowned physicist.
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A thesis statement is narrow, not broad. If
the thesis statement is sufficiently narrow,
it can be fully supported.
◦ Broad: The American steel industry has many
problems.
◦ Narrow: The primary problem of the American
steel industry is the lack of funds to renovate
outdated plants and equipment.
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A thesis is not a quote
A thesis is not a question
“I think,” “I believe,” and “I feel” are
unnecessary in a thesis
Your body paragraphs will support your
thesis
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Explain, support, and substantiate the thesis
Should have a logical, coherent flow
Focus each paragraph on one main idea
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Transition – move from one paragraph to the
next
Topic sentence – main idea of the paragraph
Evidence and analysis – deeper supporting
detail
Brief wrap-up (warrant) – why this
information is important; connects reasoning
and support to thesis
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Words and phrases used to connect one idea
to the next
Transitions show relationships between or
within paragraphs
Refer to handout from week 1 for transition
words and phrases
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States the main idea of the paragraph
Prepares the reader for what the paragraph
is about
Topic sentence is like each paragraphs own
thesis
Generally placed at the beginning of each
paragraph--builds a base for rest of the
paragraph
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Example:
◦ One of the strongest arguments in favor of a
relaxed approach to immigration is that the UK
benefits economically from immigrant labor.
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What do you suppose the rest of the
paragraph is about?
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A paragraph is a collection of related
sentences dealing with a single topic.
Keep one main idea to one paragraph.
◦ You can have one idea and several bits of
supporting evidence within a single paragraph.
◦ You can also have several points in a single
paragraph as long as they relate to the overall topic
of the paragraph.
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The paragraph should develop the idea stated
in the topic sentence
Details supply the audience with what they
need to know
Don’t assume the audience understands-thoroughly explain your logic
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Paraphrases and quotes from your research
Supporting details (evidence) can include:
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Facts
Figures
Expert testimony
Observations
Examples
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Explanation of why or how the data supports
the claim
Example
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Conclusions also are your opportunity to
make a good final impression and to end on a
positive note.
Your conclusion should make your readers
glad they read your paper.
Your conclusion gives your reader something
to take away that will help them see things
differently or appreciate your topic in
personally relevant ways.
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Play the “So What” Game
If you’re stuck and feel like your conclusion isn’t saying
anything new or interesting, ask a friend to read it with
you. Whenever you make a statement from your
conclusion, ask the friend to say, “So what?” or “Why
should anybody care?” Then ponder that question and
answer it.
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Return to the theme(s) or idea(s) in the
introduction
This strategy brings the reader full circle. For example,
if you begin by describing a scenario, you can end with
the same scenario as proof that your essay is helpful in
creating a new understanding. You may also refer to the
introductory paragraph by using key words or parallel
concepts and images that you also used in the
introduction.
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Synthesize, don’t summarize
Include a brief summary of the paper’s main points, but
don’t simply repeat things that were in your paper.
Instead, show your reader how the points you made
and the support and examples you used fit together.
Pull it all together.
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Propose a course of action, a solution to an
issue, or questions for further study
This can redirect your reader’s thought process and
help her to apply your info and ideas to her own life or
to see the broader implications.
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Point to broader implications.
For example, if your paper examines the Greensboro
sit-ins or another event in the Civil Rights Movement,
you could point out its impact on the Civil Rights
Movement as a whole. A paper about the style of writer
Virginia Woolf could point to her influence on other
writers or on later feminists.