Essay Introductions and Conclusions

If you’re writing an essay, why should you include an introduction paragraph?

• To provide specific details, statistics, and facts from text evidence
• To state your thesis and give the audience an idea of what your essay will be about
• To wrap up your writing so your audience understands the importance of what you just discussed in your body paragraphs
• To provide visuals like maps and graphs so your audience can get a better understanding of historical events or complex ideas

What should be completed before you write the intro paragraph?

• the conclusion paragraph
• the body paragraphs
• proofreading for spelling and grammar mistakes
• the outline

Why should you provide background before you write your thesis in the intro paragraph?

• You need to lead your audience into your thesis; you may also need to provide necessary information so your audience better understands the topic you are going to discuss.
• You need to lead your audience into your thesis; you may also need to remind your audience of the importance of what you discussed in your body paragraphs.
• You need to ask an important, thought-provoking question to get your audience to understand that a lot of people think about your essay topic and so should they.
• You need to let your audience get to know you better as a person. They won't want to read your writing until they know who you are.

Why is asking a question as a hook a risky move?

• They might not be able to answer your question, and now you've made your audience feel insecure, so they don't care about reading your essay.
• They might want to actually answer your question and start writing their own essay to answer you, and now they are too busy to read your essay.
• Your audience might not be interested in the topic that your question is related to, so now they don't care about reading your essay.
• Your audience might be an English teacher who has a pet peeve of reading questions as a hook, so you will automatically receive an F if you start your essay with a question.

What are the 3 topics for the body paragraphs going to be about in the essay about pets?

• Dogs make better pets than cats.
• Dogs are easy to train, friendly, and hygienic.
• Dogs are fluffy, tough protectors, and smell better than cats.
• Cats make better pets than dogs.

According to video #2, what are the 3 requirements for a conclusion paragraph?

• 1. Must restate thesis/central idea
  2. Must be at least 3 sentences
  3. Must conclude thoughts
• 1. Must restate thesis/central idea
  2. Must be at least 6 sentences
  3. Must tell the reader to take action

Is it a good idea to rewrite your introduction paragraph thesis statement word for word in your conclusion paragraph?

• Yes, of course!

• No way.

What should you do in the last sentence of your conclusion paragraph?

• Write a statement that connects back to your hook from the intro paragraph.
• Write a statement that gives the audience a command.
• Write a statement that rewords your thesis statement from your intro paragraph.
• Write a question to leave your reader with something to think about.

In video #2, what did this person do in the last sentence of her conclusion paragraph?

• She wrote an inspirational statement that related back to a quote from Mahatma Ghandi that was used in the hook.
• She asked a question about what Mahatma Ghandi would think about today's world leaders.
• She wrote a controversial statement that linked back to an unpopular belief of Mahatma Ghandi.
• She wrote a restatement of her thesis that did not connect back to the Mah

According to Ms. Wilson, how many sentences should it take to restate the body paragraph topics in your conclusion paragraph?

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4