THE INTRODUCTION
THREE ELEMENTS
THE THESIS STATEMENT
• Directly responds to the prompt. The backbone of your
paper. Specifically explains what your paper will be
about.
• Provides a POV (point of view). An argument/opinion.
• Provides a POD (process of development). Shows how
your paper will progress. Shows how you will prove your
POV.
THE THESIS STATEMENT
So when you get a prompt, your job is to establish a
thesis statement that directly responds to the
question and communicates your point of view
about the topic.
Let’s imagine that you need to write an essay in
response to this prompt:
Which class do you believe will best prepare you for
your future?
SO…WHICH CLASS WILL PREPARE YOU BEST?
P OV – P O I N T O F
VIEW
POD – PLAN OF
DEVELOPMENT
LET’S PRACTICE!
HOW DOES THIS LEAD INTO THE REST OF
YOUR PAPER?
ATTENTION GRABBER
• “Hook” your
audience!
• Be creative!
• Make your reader
want to read your
essay!
BEGIN WITH A BROAD STATEMENT THAT
YOU CAN NARROW DOWN TO YOUR THESIS
STATEMENT.
USE A THOUGHT-PROVOKING QUOTATION.
PROVIDE AN ANECDOTE INSPIRED BY
THE TEXT.
START WITH ONE (OR THREE) POWERFUL
WORDS.
GIVE AN “IMAGINE IF” SCENARIO.
WHICH ONE IS BETTER?
The Odyssey is about a great epic hero.
Courage. Strength. Loyalty. Odysseus
embodies all the qualities of an epic
hero.
Epic poems are known for being extremely
long.
Imagine spending twenty years
battling gods, monsters, and witches.
Christopher Reeve once said, “A hero is an
ordinary individual who finds the strength to
persevere and endure in spite of
overwhelming obstacles.”
A hero can overcome even the most
difficult obstacles.
Odysseus picks up the bow and strings it
with ease. Before the hundred suitors realize
their plight, he fills the room with swarms of
arrows knocking the suitors down one at a
time.
Odysseus engages in many intense
battles in The Odyssey.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
• Title, author, & genre
– TAG! (You don’t
need to include this
in the claims
anymore.)
• Does your audience
need to know
anything else in
order to understand
your essay?
AN EXAMPLE:
Poison. Drowning. Overdose. Suicide. Ten people
are stranded on an island, and one of them is a mad
murderer with a desire to kill. In And Then There Were
None, a mystery novel by Agatha Christie, the murderer
takes the lives of people he believes are guilty of
committing crimes. One guest on the island, Vera
Clathorne is constantly reminded of her ever-growing
guilt. It is Vera’s guilt, not the desires of a murderous
madman, that leads to her mental and physical breakdown.
THE CONCLUSION
THREE ELEMENTS
REPHRASED THESIS
• Do not restate
• In a new way,
explain what it is
that you just
argued in your
body paragraphs
IMPLICATION OF THE ARGUMENT
• Explain why your
essay matters.
• Can the audience
apply the essay to
their own lives in
some way?
STRIKING STATEMENT
• ONE LAST
CHANCE to make
an impact
• Leave your
audience thinking
• Circle back to
your AG/intro
AN EXAMPLE:
Vera’s constant, nagging guilt causes her to lose her
mind and act in ways she never would have before
setting foot on the island. She could not control her
feelings and her anxiety worsened every day.
Ultimately, it was not the desires of a murderous
madman that sent her over the edge. It was her guilt
that leads her to the decision to take her own life.