Writing a Great Introduction

You Never Get a Second Chance To Make a Good First Impression:
Writing a Great Introduction


What’s in a Great Introduction?

 You begin with an attention grabber (see more on that below).

 Next, you offer some background information that might be important. If you are going to write about a book, movie, study, song, etc. mention it here.


 Finally, you offer your thesis. This is the road map for the reader. (See below for more information)


Here are a few different kinds of attention grabbers:
 Begin your paper with a very short, interesting story that is related to the topic.
 Start with a great quote from a related text quotation from the work you are discussing.
 Start with an interesting/surprising/ little known fact about the topic.
 Begin with an interesting fact about the topic.
 Ask a question that leads your reader to think about the topic.
 Describe a scenario that puts your reader into the topic/event/situation you are writing about.

Next, Give ‘em Some Background Information:
So now that you have their attention, you need to reel them in. Here you need to give them a little background information on the topic. It helps them get a better idea of what you are going to write about.
 If you are writing about a piece of writing, like a novel, story, song, poem, etc., give the name of the piece and the author.
 If you are writing about a topic, give a VERY brief hint at its history or at least address why it is important.
 You many need to consider introducing the main characters if you are writing about a historical or political event, or if it is about a novel.
Finally, Give ‘em a Road Map (Okay, actually, that would be an essay map):
Your thesis acts like a road map for your reader; it helps them know where they are going. It should contain your opinion/attitude on the topic and offer the main points you will be covering in your body paragraph.
Here’s a Form to Help You Out:
Introduction Paragraph: (indent)

A. First Sentence: can be a question, quote or fact to grab the reader’s attention.





B. Background Information: This can be information about the characters/people you are going to write about. It could be the title and author of a piece of writing, or music, etc.




C. Your thesis statement: (Opinion + 3 Points)