Creating A Quality Introduction

1. Creating A Quality Introduction The “road map” to your essay

2. Introductions should… • Be at least 3-4 complete sentences • Have a hook (no, we aren’t going fishing) • Introduce your general topic • Have a thesis to introduce your main ideas

3. Getting Started First, you will need a hook. But, not this kind.

4. How will you hook your reader? • Statistics • Simile or Metaphor • Setting/Scene • Anecdote • Name Dropping

5. Statistics • 43% of pilots admit to falling asleep at the wheel. • A person uses about 57 sheet of toilet paper a day. • There are more than 9,700 juveniles in prison in the United States. • It takes 3,000 cows to supply the NFL with enough leather for a year worth of footballs.

6. Simile or Metaphor • My life hasn’t exactly been a picnic, but I’ve never had to live on the street. • Living in Arizona is like sitting in a 400 degree oven! • Multi-colored leaves blanket my yard every October. • I look like a one-legged dog when I dance, but dancing is one of the best forms of exercise.

7. Setting/Scene • The empty streets were a sign that something terrible was about to happen. Hurricanes had hit this town before, but somehow this felt different. • The snow drifted silently across the road as the radio played in my car. At that moment I had never been happier to have a cell phone. • The sky was blue behind the bare tree branches as I watched the wounded squirrel fall. In that moment I knew hunting was not for me.

8. Anecdote • I was in the sixth grade the first time I realized the impact of the incidents of September 11. • The first time I experienced prejudice was in a country store in Arkansas. • I got my first football when I was three-years-old, but football has been around much longer than that. • When I moved to California people thought my accent was funny, but that’s how everybody in Tennessee talks.

9. Name Dropping • In a campaign against childhood obesity, Michelle Obama has implemented healthier choices for school lunch programs. • Tumbler recently quoted Soulja Boy as saying they think they are making hip-hop history. * This one is tricky. It can take some time to find accurate and reliable quotes that are relevant to your topic.

10. Now that you have a few new ways to create a hook you are ready to reel in your readers!

11. Next, you need your thesis statement. Your thesis should give people the direction of your essay. What is your topic? What are your main ideas? What’s your opinion about your topic?

12. Try making a thesis statement for this topic. Topic: The TV show Ridiculousness Main Idea #1: Ridiculousness is a funny show on TV. Main Idea #2: It shows clips of people doing crazy things. Main Idea #3: Some people think it is inappropriate. My opinion: It is a good way to unwind at the end of the day.

13. Ridiculousness is a show on MTV hosted by Rob Dyrdek. He shows video clips of people getting hurt doing silly tricks or embarrassing themselves. While some people think it is inappropriate, I think it is funny and a great way to unwind at the end of a stressful day.

14. Help us come up with an introduction for our Hip-Hop essay.