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Research Report Introductions. The purpose of the introductory paragraph is to grab the reader’s attention and to define your topic. The introduction consists of three parts: The grabber, or lead statement Background information and a brief description of your animal Thesis Statement
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Research Report Introductions • The purpose of the introductory paragraph is to grab the reader’s attention and to define your topic. • The introduction consists of three parts: • The grabber, or lead statement • Background information and a brief description of your animal • Thesis Statement • All elements must be present for a good introduction
Grabbers • You can begin your introductory paragraphs a number of different ways. (Remember, you are trying to grab the reader’s attention.) • Techniques (choose one): • An amazing or unusual fact • A quote, proverb, or saying • A bold opinion • A statistic • An anecdote or description
Example Grabbers • Bold Opinion– An albatross is the grandest living flying machine on Earth. • Statistic—Almost 75% of all UFO reports turn out to be a weather balloon, meteors, or the reflection of the sun. • Description— On this night—the final night—a fog swirled across the desert, as thick and impenetrable as a sandstorm. • Amazing fact— At up to 8,800 pounds, male elephant seals can be up to ten times larger than females. • Proverb- They say the early bird gets the worm, but this isn’t the case with the blue whale. Now write a grabber of your own. Practice with a couple different techniques. Remember, this is the first sentence of your report, so make it memorable.
Introductions—background information • After the grabber, include a bit of information that isn’t in the report, but that the reader may need to know about your animal. • Start with a basic description of your animal, including type of animal, size, and habitat.
Thesis statement • The thesis statement is the most important part of your introduction. It clues the reader in to what will be coming in the rest of the report. • The thesis statement is the last sentence in your introduction. If it is somewhere else in the introduction, you’ve written it wrong. • Sample Thesis statements: • Guanacos are unusual animals that are useful to humans but threatened by hunting. • Mountain gorillas are peaceful animals that live, reproduce and thrive in the mountains of southern Africa. Generic thesis: The __________ is a very _(adjective) ___(type of animal)______ that lives, reproduces, and thrives in a(n) ____(adjective)___ environment.
The Paragraph • Now put your introduction together • Start with the grabber, follow with the background information, and finally write the thesis statement • Remember: the thesis statement must be the last sentence of your introduction