Writing An Introduction for Essay

A Lesson Plan Class Objectives: Learn how to write an effective introduction to an essay Learn the kinds of introductions one can use in an essay Understand what to avoid in writing an introduction Connection to Course Goals: The introduction is a key component of a good essay A good introduction sets the mood and tone of the rest of the piece for the reader Anticipatory Set: (3 minutes) What to you is the hardest part of an essay to write? What makes an introduction hard to write? Introduction: (2 minutes) Importance of the Introduction Catch the attention of the reader Hook the reader into reading more of your work Goals for the class Procedures: 1. Lecture: Two kinds of introductions (15 minutes) a) The Hook An anecdote an example of the thesis statement - Thesis statement: Writing is not a hard chore. - Anecdote: When I was young I dreaded having to put together an essay, until one day I just decided to type away and found that I actually enjoyed it. Turns out, it wasnt so hard after all. An Authoritative question - What makes writing so hard? A controversial opinion - Anyone can be a writer. A shocking fact or statistic - In the United States, studies by the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) / National Center for Educational Progress have found that about one student in five produces completely unsatisfactory prose, about 50 percent meet basic requirements, and only one in five can be called proficient. A definition of an unusual term (a term that is central to your thesis statement) - Freewriting: Writing continuously without worrying about how well you are writing. This kind of informal writing is meant to explore ones thoughts, unload ones feelings, or reflect on something.

b) Funnel Beginning with a broad topic then zeroing in on the thesis statement - For the beginning writer, creating a whole new composition seems a daunting task. Much like anything one has not tried before, writing poses too many unknowns. However, much like anything one learns over time, the more you know about it, the easier it becomes. So when you find out what those unknowns are, you realize that writing is not such a difficult chore after all. 2. Activity: (10 minutes) a) Think of a thesis statement for any of these topics: My Christmas wish The ideal Christmas My dream vacation b) Choose a kind of introduction to use and write a 2-5 sentence introduction for it 3. Introductions to avoid (5 minutes) a) Cliches In starting a new essay, it is best to start with a clean slate. Writing isnt all fun and games to most people. b) The Definition of a Well Known Word: Making a drafta completed version of a writing which may be rewritten, revised, or polished is how a writer sees every work. c) The Announcement You want to write. You think its very difficult to do that. d) The Time Traveler So you see yourself as a successful writer in the future. e) The Commonality What do novelists, essayists, reporters and scriptwriters have in common? 4. Activity (15 minutes) a) Write your introduction for the thesis statement you created earlier b) Find a partner and exchange introductions c) Give suggestions to improve our partners work 5. Conclusion: (5 minutes) a) Recap b) Collect introductions for grading

Rubrics for Essay Introduction

Criteria Grammar 5 No grammatical mistake Original, creative Used what was taught in class 4 1-2 grammatical mistakes Creative or original only Did not use what was taught in class 3 3-5 grammatical mistakes Borrowed 2 More than 5 grammatical mistakes Not a complete statement Disorganized introduction Introduction unrelated to thesis statement 1 No correct grammar found

Thesis Statement

Kind of introduction

Did not avoid items to avoid

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