GLArts: Writing an Introduction

Here are the parts you need for your Introduction to your persuasive essay:
Part I: THE HOOK - Hook your reader's interest in your topic in one or more of the following ways:

• Explain why the topic is interesting or important
• Relate your topic to everyone
• Ask an intriguing question.
• Start with surprising or interesting facts or statistics
• Fact: Many studies show that the biological sleep pattern for teens shifts a few hours, which means teens naturally stay up later and feel alert later in the morning.
• For the thesis: If every school day started at ten o'clock, many students would find it easier to stay focused.
• Statistic: According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, teens and young adults experience the highest rates of violent crime.
• For the thesis: Parents are justified in implementing a strict curfew, regardless of a student's academic performance.
• Tell an anecdote (brief story) that relates to your topic.
• Start with a related quote and explain it:
• 
  

  Quote: "A man's errors are his portals of discovery."

  For the thesis: Students grow more confident and self-sufficient when parents allow them to make mistakes and experience failure.

• • Inspire curiosity with an unusual statement: A duck’s quack doesn’t echo. Some people might find a deep and mysterious meaning in this fact …
  • Start with a Definition of a key word for your topic: A homograph is a word with two or more pronunciations. Produce is one example …
  • Anecdote (tell a brief story that introduces your topic): Yesterday morning I watched as my older sister left for school with a bright white glob of toothpaste gleaming on her chin. I felt no regret at all until she stepped onto the bus …

Part II: TRANSITION - Relate the hook to your thesis in a smooth way.
Part III: THESIS - State your thesis at the end of the paragraph.