Introductions to Argument Writing

Writing an Introduction for an Argumentative Essay

How do you think it went?

• Think about each of the three elements.

  • Hook

  • Background Info

  • Claim

• Was there one that was harder? Do you think there is an easier way?

Fill in the Blanks

What are your thoughts on the introduction from yesterday?

Please start your answer with...My thoughts are

​What went wrong

• Overthinking the assignment/Too long

• The claim was not clear.

• Background info goes before the claim.

• The hook needs to be different than the claim.

• No evidence in the introduction

• You might not agree with the prompt, but have to write it anyway.

​Overthinking/ Too Long

• This was just the introduction to the essay.

• Do not go in-depth with your explanation. ( That is for the body paragraphs)

• Your Introduction should be no more than 5 sentences.

Multiple Choice

What is the maximum number of sentences your introduction should be?

• 8 Sentences

• 10 Sentences

• 5 Sentences

• 2 Sentences

Dogs are better because they are active and run.

​Unclear Claim

Dogs are better than cats because they are more active and like to run around.

​Clear Claim

How to make a clear claim

Fill in the Blanks

Write a clear claim using this prompt.

Ice cream is better than Cake.

Multiple Choice

Which Claim is more clear?

• Starbucks is better because of all their coffee offered.

• Starbucks is better than Dunkin because they offer more selections of coffee.

Background Information and Claim

• Your background information goes before your claim.

• Only a short reason should follow your claim.

• Your background info is not your reason.

• If you need to look up a piece of information you can ( Put it in your own words)

Multiple Choice

What is background info?

• Things you already know about the topic.

• The evidence used to prove your claim true.

• The thing jobs do to make sure you don't have a criminal background.

• Text based Evidence

Hook v.s. Claim

• Your claim and hook need to be different.

• Your hook is not the same as your claim.

• Do NOT phrase your claim as a question for your hook.

Multiple Choice

Does your hook have to be a question?

• No

• Yes

Multiple Select

Which hook is better?

• Did you know that dogs are better than cats?

• Did you know that dogs are active for 8 hours a day compared to cats for 4 hours?

• A dog's tail wags at a faster rate compared to a cats.

• Woof! Woof! A dog barks at a larger volume than a cat's meow.

Evidence does not belong in the Introduction

• Evidence does not belong in the introduction.

• DO NOT cite sources in your introduction.

• It is meant to introduce your topic.

• Your body paragraphs are meant to defend and argue.

Multiple Choice

What paragraph do you put evidence in?

• Conclusion

• Argumentative Essay does not need evidence

• Introduction

• Body Paragraphs

You may not agree

• You may disagree with the prompt.

• YOU STILL HAVE TO WRITE THE ESSAY

• Do not change the prompt or wording

Multiple Choice

Which Introduction is better?

• Did you know that fruit has many health benefits? Fruit can help your body's health. Fruit is better for you than vegetables because it has more benefits for your body.

• Fruit is better than vegetables because it is better for your body.

• Crunch! Biting into a tasty red apple is a great way to fuel my body. According to cdc.gov, fruit has more health benefits than vegetables

• Did you know that fruit is better for you than vegetables? This is because they have more nutrients than vegetables.