Rosichan – English 120
Exercises on Writing Introductions (From an handout by Robin Neal)
Follow the directions on the handout to do these exercises.
1) For this first one, instead of colored pencils, use the shading tab above (the paint can icon under
“paragraph”) and use three different colors to highlight your choices for the Hook, the Bridge, and the
Thesis Statement:
“The Clay Marble” Essay
__________________________ = Hook Strategy
Reading a book is a bit like experiencing the different seasons throughout the year. As a book
progresses, its contents noticeably change. As the end draws closer, white pages do not turn a golden
yellow or brilliant orange and fall from the binding, but a careful reader will notice a change in more
subtle things like moods, themes, settings, or characters. Authors often use change to emphasize certain
lessons they want the reader to understand. “The Clay Marble” is no exception. Minfong Ho purposefully
changes her characters in order to highlight key lessons she hopes the readers will learn.
“Down with Posters” Blog Post by Mr. Neal
__________________________ = Hook Strategy
I despise glitter, It’s proudly tacky and sinisterly invasive. Once a bedazzled project crosses the
threshold of my classroom, the insidious sparkles permanently lodge in every nook and cranny. Months
later I look like Lady Gaga because I’ve accidentally scratched my head after brushing up against an
errant drift of pixie dust. I ban the stuff. We’ve all seen effective projects carried out in this medium.
Engaging visual aids, family trees in foreign languages, and move posters for novels all make sense and
can lead to critical thought. I argue, however, that this work becomes more effective and more
sophisticated when teachers use web 2.0 tools to increase collaboration, develop authentic audiences, and
extend the feedback loop.
A Christmas Carol
__________________________ = Hook Strategy
Christmas as many know it today would not exist without Ebenezer Scrooge. Charles Dickens’
holiday story has been very popular since it was first published, and many people believe that this novel’s
popularity has shaped many of our current attitudes and rituals at Christmas time. One of the main reasons
readers still enjoy this story is because of the dramatic changes that occur to Scrooge’s attitude in just one
magical night. In the beginning of the story he is a mean old man who treats people badly and has no
friends. On Christmas Eve the ghost of his former partner, Jacob Marley, visits him and warns him about
the consequences of his behavior, He also foretells the visit of three ghosts, suggesting that Scrooge can
avoid a terrible fate if he is willing to change. At the end of the novel Ebenezer Scrooge is a completely
different man who has learned valuable lessons and who treats people the same way wants to be treated.
2) For the second part of this assignment, you will be use the following list of random topics, along with
the lists of thesis statements and hook strategies included in the handout to follow the directions in the
handout to write sample introductions. You can choose your own combinations, but you must choose at
least 3 different combinations of topics, hook strategies, and thesis statements to write at least 3 different
sample introductions (Of course, you are always allowed to do more for extra practice, but it is not
required).
Random Topics:
Trucks
Time
Cooking
Napping
Clowns
Losing Weight
Anger
True Love
Space Travel
The Millennial Generation
The challenge in this task is to somehow connect the random topic into a hook that you can transition into
one of the thesis statements with an effective bridge (from the random topic to the thesis). Here’s an
example for you:
Random Topic – Fishing
Hook Strategy – Metaphor
Thesis – Today many children today expect “instant gratification” of their desires, and competitive sports
can help to teach children to work and wait for satisfaction.
Introduction Paragraph
Patience is a “must have” commodity when fishing. Fish do not have a habit of jumping onto the
waiting hook to invite their own demise, so sometimes a fisherman must try different tactics – different
lures or bait, different spots, different approaches – to lure their prey from the safety of the water into the
sizzle of the pan. Life is much like fishing, since things often don’t work out right the first time, and you
have to adjust, try again, and wait for the favored result. In life, like in fishing, patience and work are
often needed to accomplish your objectives. In this age of “instant gratification,” it is sometimes difficult
to convince our children that success really comes after hard work, and it usually comes over time, not
right away. One way to show children the value of patience is to get them involved in competitive sports.
Today many children today expect “instant gratification” of their desires, and competitive sports can help
to teach children to work and wait for satisfaction.
Hook – Yellow
Bridge – Light Green
Thesis – Light Blue
Color-coding is for your convenience, and not required by you for exercise 2.
Write your sample paragraphs on the page following:
Random Topic 1:
Thesis 1:
Sample Paragraph 1:
Hook Strategy 1:
Random Topic 2:
Thesis 2:
Sample Paragraph 2:
Hook Strategy 2:
Random Topic 3:
Thesis 3:
Sample Paragraph 3:
Hook Strategy 3: