How to Write An Introduction Paragraph
- mcnulty767
- Jun 13, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 22
"A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people."
--Thomas Mann, Essays of Three Decades
Writing does not come naturally to most. It is a skill that must be practiced, so do not be discouraged if you feel like your paper is not the best at first.
This guide is meant to provide materials and instructions on how to write an introduction to your essay.
Listed below is a collection of tips and resources that would help instructors and students better understand how to write an introduction paragraph for a classic 5 paragraph essay.
Writing needs to be practiced often and consistently to see improvement or change. Below are a few PDF documents and worksheets meant to help provide a clearer understanding of how to execute a proper essay.
First and foremost...
Frist - MLA Format
In the top left-hand corner of your paper, you should type the following...
- Your Name
- Date
- Teacher's Name
- Class
- Assignment
The font and size for your essay should be
- 12-point font
- Times New Roman
- Double spaced
If possible, I found it best to walk the students through this process on Google Docs, Pages, and Microsoft Word.
Second - A Proper Title
A title should have the following elements...
~ Short
~ Impactful
~ Be interesting
The following worksheet is a lighthearted exercise that will help students practice writing titles for different possible topics and writing a thesis.
Third - An Introduction Paragraph
An introduction paragraph should have at least three things...
1. A Good Hook
2. Some Background Information
3. Your Thesis
1. A good hook can be one of four things...
- an interesting fact
- a question
- a scenario
- a quote related to the topic
There are other ways to start an essay, but these are often the most exciting or successful in catching the readers' attention.
2. The background information should...
- Provide the reader with some information about the topic that is necessary for understanding the essay
- Provide some information that is essential to the topic
- All information should relate to the entirety of your essay
- OMIT irrelevant information in this section that will not be mentioned later on
3. Your thesis is the backbone and the foundation of your paper. It goes at the end of the first paragraph and is almost always just ONE SENTENCE.
- One sentence
- Statement ONLY - not a question
Attached is a PDF with several slides displaying the information mentioned above and a few examples.
Here is a brainstorm to outline Keynote and Powerpoint. This one covers the same material covered above but starts with brainstorming as a class together.
Nice!