Crafting
Introductions
 “Introductions
and conclusions are
important because they are the places
where the readers are paying the most
attention”
 “If readers don’t like your introduction,
chances are they wont like the rest of you
paper”
 Try
to put yourself in your readers position;
if you had to read a paper you might ask
yourself:
 “What is this?”
 “Why am I reading this?”
 “What is the writer trying to persuade me
of?”
 “Why is this important?”
 Why should I care?”
Five Introductory Moves
Your introduction should answer some of
your readers’ questions immediately by
making some or all of the following moves:
Five Moves (continued)
 Move
1: Identify your topic.
 Move 2: State your purpose.
 Move 3: State your main point, thesis
statement, or a question you will answer.
 Move 4: Offer background to your topic.
 Move 5: Stress the importance of the topic
to your readers.
 There
is no set order in which these moves
can be done.
 “The first three are the most important,
because these moves tell readers (a)
what you are writing about (b)why you
are writing (c) what you want to explain
or prove. The other two moves will help
your readers familiarize themselves with
your topic.”
 Generally,
your paper’s main point, or
thesis statement, should arrive somewhere
near the end of the introduction.
Using a Grabber
 “To
catch a reader’s attention, some
writers like to use a grabber or hook at the
beginning of their introduction”
Ask an Interesting Question
 “A
question draws readers into the text by
prompting them for the answer”
 “Have
you ever thought about becoming
a professional chef? The training is
rigorous and the work can be difficult, but
the rewards are worth it.”
State a Startling Statistic
 An
interesting statistic can immediately
highlight the importance of the topic
 “A
recent survey conducted by ‘us news’
showed that nearly one in three
graduating high school students are not
prepared for introductory college
courses.”
Make a Compelling Statement
 “Make
a statement that challenges
readers at the beginning of the text.”
“
Unless we take action now on global
warming, we are likely to see massive
storms and rising ocean levels that will
drown costal cities.”
Begin with a Quotation

“A quote is a good way to pique your
readers' curiosity.”

“The great American, Ben Franklin, once said,
‘They who would give up an essential liberty
for temporary security deserve neither liberty
nor security.’ Today, it seems like our fellow
citizens are more willing than ever to make
this trade.”
Using a Lead to Draw in
Readers
 “A
lead is the first one or two paragraphs
of a news story in a magazine,
newspaper, or Web site. Like a grabber,
the aim of a lead is to capture the
readers’ attention while giving them good
reasons to continue reading.”
Scene Setter
 “A
scene setter describes the place in
which something important or interesting
happened.”
Anecdote
 “An
anecdote starts out with the
introduction with an interesting true story
that happened to the author or someone
else.”
Case Histories
 “A
case history tells two to three very short
stories about different people who have
had similar experiences or problems.”
“
The ‘lead’ comes before your main
point (i.e. your thesis) in the introduction.
Its job is to draw your readers into your
paper and encourage them to keep
reading.”
Thesis Statement





tells the reader how you will interpret the significance
of the subject matter under discussion.
is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the
reader what to expect from the rest of the paper
directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is
an interpretation of a question or subject, not the
subject itself.
makes a claim that others might dispute. is usually a
single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph
that presents your argument to the reader.
The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers
and organizes evidence that will persuade the
reader of the logic of your interpretation
Example 1
In early December 1971, the first Chicano Studies director
Felipe Ortego walked into the administration building at University
of Texas of El Paso in support of MEChA students overtaking the
building and taking, then President Joe Smiley hostage. Ortego
recalls, “Then silently, as the clock moved toward noon, the MEChA
students ushered the secretaries out of the office and locked the
doors. Phones were disabled. Joe Smiley grew nervous. The room
crackled with the electricity of uncertainty” (Parnassus). Though
Ortego did not help plan this “blow out,” he supported his students
in this decision. Ortego, his fellow Chicano faculty, and MEChA
students had grown frustrated with the lack of attention their
request for higher cultural representation within the university
received. They had come to the conclusion that the only way to
be taken seriously was to take a radical stance, and force the
administration to hear them.


This event represented the frustration of Mexican Americans from years of
repeated attempts to have access to equal opportunities in education. These
earlier attempts were not far reaching enough to bring about the demands
they wanted. Thus, the “Chicano Movement” emerged with a new radical
stance to force the decisions they wanted through militant action. Though
much discussion has been given to the Chicano Movement’s K-12
involvement through high school “blow outs,” this paper seeks to investigate
the Chicano Movement’s lasting impact in higher education. More than this, it
seeks to investigate the more radical approaches taken by the Chicano
Movement, and investigate the success of these methods in higher education
(university level). To investigate this on a more localized, and thus more
specific level, this paper will investigate the implications of the MECHA’s (the
Chicano student organization) takeover of the University of Texas at El Paso’s
administration building in December 1971 in an effort to have more cultural
representation at the state level, as well as in their teachers. To create an indepth analysis of this “blowout,” I will first investigate the development of
radicalism as a tool for the Chicano Movement. This paper will then shift to
investigate the goals of MECHA in the blow out and immediate effects it had
on higher education for these students. Finally, the lasting implications of this
blowout for students and educators at the University of Texas at El Paso will be
discussed.

In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, it is clear that the text
offers commentary on the state of education as being less
than satisfactory, specifically through the character
“Scout.” (1) In chapter four of the text, expounding on
ideas articulated earlier in the novel, Scout clearly
challenges the education that she receives in her day
school. She specifically finds it unfathomable that the
education system she is in represents the ideal of those who
created it. (2) This is clearly seen when Scout says, “as I
inched sluggishly along the treadmill of the Maycomb
County school system, I could not help receiving the
impression that I was being cheated out of something”
(Lee, p.37). She elaborates on this idea by offering, “I did
not believe that twelve years of unrelieved boredom was
exactly what the state had in mind for me” (Lee, p.37).

(3) As a result, it seems clear that the school in the text is in
fact providing very few educational opportunities for the
students. Though this is Scout’s first year of formal
education, she already feels “cheated,” and furthermore
envisions nothing but “boredom” in her future. (4)
Furthermore, this formal education is juxtaposed against the
“real education” that her brother Jem performs on his own:
“Jem was a poor example: no tutorial system devised by
man could have stopped him from getting at books “ (Lee,
p.36). (3) Jem’s own self directed education (going to
books for answers of his own volition) is clearly shown to be
the “real” education. (4) Thus, in chapter four of this text,
Scout clearly shows the lack of education and learning that
occurs at her school, and furthermore, shows the benefits
of a self directed education. (5)
Example 2

The validity of a public education system, and moreover, the
benefits of a public education for students has been a hotly
debated subject throughout American educational history. In
addition, what a real education looks like is difficult to categorize
(4). Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, offers an interesting
perspective into what a real education is through multiple vantage
points she offers throughout her novel. She demonstrates the
consequences of a harsh, inflexible education through Boo
Bradley, the public education system in Maycomb, as well as, the
education the Finch’s receive at home (1). Moreover, the reader
becomes subject to the dichotomy of a inferior, ignorant public
school education versus a self directed, exploratory education that
one is able to carry out on their own (2 & possibly 5). This paper
asserts that Lee illustrates the self-directed education as being the
“true education,” specifically through her use of satire in chapter
four of the text; the reader is able to see Scout’s commentary
reflects that Jem’s self directed education clearly trumps that of the
Maycomb County school system (3).
Revised Homework
Assignment

The homework assignment for this week is
revised from the one that appears in your
syllabus. You are to write 250 word literature
reflection, as well as a 100-125 word minimum
introduction for this reflection. You will be
expected to use the tools from this power
point, and demonstrate understanding of the
concepts we have covered today. Thus, for
next class you will be expected to complete
at least 350-375 words.