Intro. Paragraph = Hook + Thesis

To answer an essay question, students will be able to compose an effective introduction paragraph. Today in our notes, we focused on writing a hook and thesis.

The hook connects the audience to the topic. We talked about three ways to begin an introduction paragraph.

1. Write "Imagine" as the first word of your paragraph and create a situation the reader can visualize about the subject.

2. Write definition or fact about the subject.

3. Write a famous quotation related to the subject.

In our notes we reviewed our first writing assignment of the school year: Describe a summer movie. Students wrote these example hooks.

Imagine	Imagine teenagers battling against evil forces to save their school.
Definition	The Merriam-Webster’s School Dictionary defines adventure as an undertaking involving unknown dangers and risks.
Famous Quotation	Manohla Dargis, a New York Times movie critic, says about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part Two, “It isn’t often in the summer that you enjoy the intense pleasure of a certain kind of old-fashioned cinema experience, the sort that sweeps you up in sheer spectacle…”

The thesis is specific and communicates your perspective about the topic. Perspective is the author's view or interpretation.

Example:

Many fans will agree with me that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows is the most thrilling adventure story.