The Introductory
Paragraph
Northwestern High School
English Language Arts 9
Mrs. Avery
The Way an Essay Looks
 There
are five parts to a
standard essay/ECR:
Introduction
Body
Paragraph 1
Body Paragraph 2
Body Paragraph 3
Conclusion
The Introductory Paragraph

Before you write, ask yourself
these 2 questions…

What is your stance on the
debatable topic?


Are you for or against?
Who will read your writing?

What do you know about your audience?
Geographics, race, culture, beliefs, etc…
The Introductory Paragraph
has 2 main parts…


The Grabber
The Thesis
But it also has a small part…
The filler sentences!
The Grabber!
 There are many ways to write a
topic sentence, but let’s focus
on three!
Asking
a question… and
providing the answer!
Using
story)
an anecdote (short
What is a thesis statement?

A thesis statement is a statement
that tells the main idea of your
paper to the reader

Your thesis tells the reader what
point you are going to make about
your topic.

Usually, the thesis statement is
found at the end of the first
paragraph in an essay
Why must thesis statements have 3
points?!
 The
thesis must have 3
main points because
those 3 points become
the 3 body paragraphs of
your essay
A good way to write a thesis
is…
Two parts of a thesis:
1. ANSWER
2. Thesis Phrase
Students should not be forced to go
to a segregated school
….because
1__________,
2_________, and
3____________.
What are filler sentences?

Filler sentences are sentences that
connect your “grabber” to your
thesis statement.

Usually, there are 2-3 filler
sentences.

They move the reader from the
instant “grabber” to the main point
in the thesis
Why are they important?

Filler sentences are about the topic
you’re writing about
Restating
the question…
Quote
Facts/Statistics

They provide a transition from the
excitement of the grabber to the
seriousness of the thesis
statement.
So an introductory paragraph
looks like this:
________ Grabber!
__________ Filler Sentences
_______ Thesis Statement
The COMPLETE Intro
 Grabber
 Restate
the question
 Quote
 Facts
 Thesis
(Answer + three reasons)
Question: What important
changes does Northwestern High
School
need?
Introduction: Can you imagine what it would
be like to walk into school everyday, knowing that
your peers are excited about learning, and that
your school has the proper resources to support
them? That’s what could happen if Northwestern
made some important changes. Students today
need an environment that supports their needs,
and makes them feel like they are valued
members of the student body. To ensure optimal
learning, schools should try their best to
accommodate the interests of the students. For
many high school students, school is where they
spend most of their day, and because of that,
they want to enjoy the space they occupy for four
years. Northwestern High School needs to
improve the school atmosphere in order to create
student morale, shorter class periods, and more
diverse extracurricular activities.
You try! Find the Grabber, the
Filler, and the Thesis Statement!
A recent survey reported that employers
consider communication skills more critical
to success than technical skills. Employees
can learn technical skills on the job and
practice them every day. But they need to
bring well-developed communication skills
to the job. They need to be able to make
themselves understood to colleagues, both
in speech and in writing. They need to be
able to work cooperatively as part of a
team. Employers can’t take time to teach
communication skills, but without them an
employee will have a hard time.
Did it look like this?!
A recent survey reported that employers
consider communication skills more critical
to success than technical skills. Employees
can learn technical skills on the job and
practice them every day. But they need to
bring well-developed communication skills
to the job. They need to be able to make
themselves understood to colleagues, both
in speech and in writing. They need to be
able to work cooperatively as part of a
team. Employers can’t take time to teach
communication skills, but without them an
employee will have a hard time. ????

Some of the parents at your
school have started a campaign
to limit the homework that
teachers can assign to students.
Teachers at your school have
argued that the homework is
necessary. Should teachers
assign less homework?
Think about it and Write!

Recently, a group of students from
another high school were caught writing
a derogatory word on the bathroom
stalls. The newspapers have begun
writing stories about how this incident is
a rare, heartbreaking occurrence of
racism, but that it isn’t a common issue
and should not be overly exaggerated.
However, some of your classmates are
having arguments in disagreement of
this opinion. Does racism still exist
today?