Introductions/ Thesis
Statements
Fun for everyone!
Purpose of an Introduction




Introduce your topic
Capture attention
Provide necessary background information
Set up your argument/ thesis
A Traditional Introduction



Attention Grabber/ Interesting Opening
Link= Transition between attention
grabber and thesis statement. Usually
provides background information.
Thesis Statement= One sentence
summary of your main idea
Typical Attention Grabbers






Big Picture
Historical Context
Quote
Definition
Literary Device (imagery, simile,
personification, etc.)
Startling fact/ statistic
Sample Introduction 1

Heroes are society’s role models, men and women who set the
standard high for what life could be like and what people could
achieve. Heroes show what is important to a society, betraying the
characteristics that a culture values above all others. In the ancient
Greek culture, Odysseus was a hero, a man whose legacy
transcended generations. By studying the story of Odysseus through
Homer’s famous epic poem The Odyssey, the values of the Greek
society emerge: courage, power, and determination. However, the
values of today’s culture have changed since Greek times. Although
Odysseus would have been considered to be a hero in Greek times,
he does not deserve the status of a hero today.
Sample Introduction 2

The scene is a dark, damp, dreary tomb. Decaying bodies fill
the air with an overwhelming stench. It’s here that Romeo comes,
desperate to see his wife one more time and join her in death. It’s
here that Juliet awakes, only to find her husband dead by her side.
It’s here that Juliet hears a noise and quickly ends her own life with
a dagger. The two suicides of Romeo and Juliet are expected. The
reader has known that they would commit suicide since the
prologue of the play. The question is if Shakespeare himself thinks
that these two lovers made the right decision. Does he view their
suicide as the best ending to their star-crossed love, or does he
show the reader the how terrible a self-inflicted death can be?
Throughout the whole play, Shakespeare shows us that he does not
approve of suicide. Instead, the story of Romeo and Juliet
condemns suicide as an immature, selfish action with disastrous
results.
Characteristics of a Good Thesis




FIO!!!
F=Focused
I=Insightful
O=Opinion
Thesis Statement Formula


In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel
Hawthorne uses _____________to convey
the theme of ___________________.
Hawthorne establishes a theme of
_____________ by using
____________________.
It’s a Contract!


You MUST prove what your thesis
statement says. You MUST.
Practice…
In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne
uses symbolism and wilderness imagery to
establish the theme of an individual’s conflict
with mainstream society.

So…organize your ideas according to
your thesis statement.


Functional organization= Your
organization fits your purpose
No need to always have five paragraph
essays
My Organization
Introduction
Par. 1= Proof that individual’s conflict with society
is the theme. (No mention of lit. techniques yet).
Par. 2= Symbolism of the scarlet letter
Par. 3= Symbolism of the rose
Par. 4= Wilderness Imagery
Par. 5= Hester’s new view because of wilderness
Conclusion
Tips



No paragraph should be more than ¾ of a
page
Each paragraph should be focused on one
idea
A big concept (such as wilderness
imagery) could be broken into more than
one paragraph if each paragraph has a
slightly different focus
Purpose of a Conclusion






To synthesize your ideas
To emphasize the significance of your
topic
To wrap up loose ends
To create a sense of closure
To impress your reader one last time
To answer: “So what”
So What?

A good conclusion synthesizes by
answering the question, “so what?”





Why should I care?
What are the practical applications of your
topic?
What are the next steps?
What’s the big picture?
What if?
Conclusion Techniques




Framing- Relate your conclusion back to
your introduction.
Anaphora- Repeating the beginnings of
sentences.
Using the pronoun “we”
Using an opening device (like a story or
literary device) as a closing device.
My Conclusion

I admire my colleague’s commitment to the curriculum and her
desire to provide a rigorous education for all of her students. Her
rigor is a part of RtI, particularly Tier I’s emphasis on a quality
curriculum for all students. However, when so many of her students
are not learning, something needs to change. Perhaps that change
needs to be in the hands of a district learning team that adjusts the
curriculum. Perhaps my colleague needs to use different teaching
strategies or better Tier II interventions. Whatever the case, we can
no longer simply hurtle through the curriculum, covering everything
and teaching little. We have to ensure our students are learning. No
matter how others may criticize RtI, it’s this commitment to student
success that makes me appreciate the initiative. We only really
teach when our students learn.
The End
Or
is it?