Opening and
Concluding
Paragraphs
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
AND
FINAL THOUGHTS
WS 4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,
organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Intro Paragraphs
ATTENTION GRABBER
Next two (at least) sentences
about the novel/play
or topic
Contains your
subject/topic and
Two arguable
points
Attention Grabber
Strategies
 1.
The Outside Connection
 2. The Global Statement
 3. Using a Quote
 4. An Anecdote
 5. The Straw Man
 6. Simile/Metaphor
Wait, isn’t there one
missing?????
What about using a
Question?

DON’T DO THIS - EVER!

Usually the question is not answered

Sometimes it even includes second
person:

Ex: Have you ever wondered what it
would be like to be lonely? In Of Mice
and Men…

Also, do not use a command:
Imagine, being the only one left on
earth.
Strategy #1:
The Outside Connection
Starts with broad statement about the
subject/topic that relates to your thesis
 Give example from current news, other
literature, science, significant people, or
other history that relates to this theme.
 Don’t connect to pop culture or anything
that seems out of character: (No Justin
Bieber connections)
 Transition into your thesis clearly to avoid
confusing the reader.

A locust swarm only truly begins when just
Broad Theme one gets hungry. A single specimen will release a
pheromone that spreads like fire throughout every
locust in a radius of miles and thus the nightmarish,
omnivorous swarm begins, devouring everything in
sight. The same can be said of human beings; people
mimic each other, taking cues from others actions
Transition justifying their own crimes with the sins of others. Culture
is, in the end, a set of rules and that game is won by those
who know how to play. Those who understand the
Claim/Thesis: social rules of a group will fit in the best because
Topic is rules conformity invariably leads to acceptance and
and behavior humans are naturally sound animals who will
develop systems to regulate each other’s behavior.
The Outside Connection
Example:
Broad AG
Transition
to the
literature
you are
focusing
on
The mentor archetype spans from
Greek epics to modern novels.
In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper
Lee, Scout matures into a wellrounded young woman due to the
influence of several guiding figures.
In This Other Novel, the mentor
teaches the protagonist that…
Strategy #2:
Global Statement
 Start
with a broad statement and
then narrow toward your thesis.
 Similar
setup to Outside Connection.
 Very
versatile – works in a variety of
situations.
 Don’t
be too broad or vague, and
avoid absolute statements or
sweeping generalizations.
Global Statement
Example:

Broad
For generations, parents, religion, and
schools have had a monopoly on morality.
From these three sources, children traditionally
acquired their ideas about what is right and wrong,
which goals are important in life, and how other
More
should be treated. Today, the media has become
Narrowing
another powerful force influencing young people.
Television is implanting in children negative
Claim/Thesis values about sex, work, and family life.
Narrowing
Strategy #3:
Using a Quote
 Always
include a lead (TLQ) into
the quote as well as a citation.
 Avoid quoting the literature that
the essay will be about, or re-using
a prompt quote
 Instead, quote a famous speaker,
another novel, or other credible
source. Also give some ethoscontext to your speaker in your
lead-in.
Using a Quote
Example:
Noted philosopher Aristotle once said, “Man,
when perfected, is the best of animals, but when
separated from law and justice, he is the worst of all.”
Without societal controls that regulate behavior, there
is nothing in this world more dangerous than human
beings. In William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies,
Transition the schoolboys on the island have been released from
the tether of civilization and are about to discover their
own propensity for evil. The worst of them is Jack,
Thesis
the head choir boy, who changes from…
Lead
into
Quote
Strategy #4:
Anecdote
A
brief story that
relates to your thesis,
no more than a few
sentences.
 Unless
it’s a personal
essay, no first person.
 Transition
clearly from
the anecdote into
your thesis.
Using an Anecdote
Example:
Anecdote
At a Michigan high school, the student
body nominated Whitney Kropp, an awkward
sophomore, for Homecoming Court. Without
considering the humiliation that she might feel
or how the town would react, Whitney’s
classmates congratulated themselves not only
on their sense of humor but their ability to pull
off a coordinated prank.
Transition The students’ actions illustrate the cruelty that a
Thesis
large group can inflict on a single, vulnerable
individual. In William Golding’s Lord of the
Flies, the schoolboys, stranded on a deserted
island, prey upon Piggy, who has been made a
scapegoat for many of the same reasons.
Piggy discovers that…
Strategy #5:
Straw Man

Begin with an idea that
is the opposite of your
true position. Then
prove it wrong.

Be sure to clearly
transition from the false
idea to your true
position!
What kind of essay might this strategy work well for?
Using Straw Man
Example:
False
False
To
True

People hear a great deal about divorce’s
disastrous impact on children. They are
bombarded with advice on how to make
divorce as painless as possible for their
offspring, and numerous heartbreaking stories
about the confused, grieving children of
divorced parents abound. Little attention has
been paid, however, to a different effect that
divorce may have on young people, for
children of divorced parents may become
skilled manipulators, playing off one parent
against the other, worsening an already
painful situation. In Making Them Pay, a novel
by…
Strategy #6:
Simile or Metaphor
 Create
a simile or metaphor for the
subject or topic that you are writing
about.
 Make sure you can still have 2
sentences afterwards to create
further context for your
simile/metaphor, as well as connect
your simile/metaphor to your thesis.
Using a Simile/Metaphor
Example:
Simile/
The past can oftentimes be like a black hole that
Metaphor drags its victims into a never-ending pit of despair and
darkness. For many, dwelling on past mistakes,
hardships, and painful memories can succeed in
hindering them from living in the present.
Dwelling too much on the past, therefore, can have
Transition negative consequences that impede people from
moving on to brighter futures.
Thus, memories hinder people’s progress by ….
Thesis
Finish your Thesis
Statement before you
attempt your
Attention Grabber.
Then, think backward.
Does your thesis remind you of
something, spark an idea?
Which strategy will work best?
Concluding
Paragraphs
FINAL THOUGHTS
Concluding Paragraph
 Restate
argument in different
words.
 Reflect upon or extend what was
already stated in the body of the
essay or the AG/hook.
Then…
Concluding Paragraph
Restate thesis in different words.
 Reflect upon or extend what was already
stated in the body of the essay or the hook.
 Include a universal statement, like a reverse
global statement.
 Last sentence should be insightful; Something
new…perhaps one final piece of
commentary on the topic/subject that you
wrote about.

Concluding Paragraph
Last Sentence
The last sentence is largely dependent
on the hook in the opening paragraph.
Imagine this is your VEHICLE. Try to
exit the same car in which you started
your journey.
Final Thoughts
THINK about what you WRITE!

That means if it sounds lame, don’t write
it!

Does what you wrote add value?

Does it relate directly back to the thesis?

Does it relate to the topic sentence?

Is the topic sentence arguable?
Final Thoughts:

Too much of ANYTHING gets
BORING.

That means the same word,
phrasing, sentence beginning, TLQ,
or anything else for that matter.

Variety is the key.
CLASS ASSIGNMENT
1.
On a separate sheet of paper, create
an opening paragraph using one of the
six strategies.
2.
You will be given a thesis statement and
you will do the rest.
3.
The class will “vote” on the best opening
paragraph and some changes will be
made. (Winner gets a prize) 
4.
Everyone will then write this paragraph in
their journal.
Open-Ended Practice Prompt
Prompt: Do memories hinder or help people in their effort to learn
from the past and succeed in the present? Support your argument
with appropriate evidence from your readings,, observations,,
and/or experiences.
subject/topic
opinion
two arguable points
Thesis Statement: Memories help people to learn from the past and
succeed in the present by enabling them to learn from past mistakes,
and by preventing them from making similar mistakes in the future.
Open-Ended Practice Prompt
“Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous
circumstances would have lain dormant.”
--Horace
Consider this quotation about adversity from the Roman poet
Horace. Then write an essay that defends, challenges, or qualifies
Horace’s assertion about the role that adversity (financial or political
hardship, dander, misfortune, etc.) plays in developing a person’s
character. Support your argument with appropriate evidence from
your reading, observation, or experience.
subject/topic
opinion
two arguable
points
Thesis Statement: Adversity can enhance a person’s character by
enabling them to become more resilient and better able to adapt to
life’s changes.