Introductions and Conclusions - PowerPoint Presentation

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Introductions and Conclusions

Content adapted from

http://writingcenter.unc.edu

and

http://home.earthlink.net

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IntroductionsSlide3

Introduction paragraphs

An introduction serves to set your reader up

For an explanatory paper, we will use the introduction to orient our reader on a couple of points

What book we are talking about

Some information about that book

What we are going to say about that book

And why the reader should continue reading our paperSlide4

The Elements of an Introduction

Introduction paragraphs contain

A hook

Background information

Reasons of Support

Your ThesisSlide5

The Hook!

This is your chance to make a first impression with your paper. Make sure it’s a good one!

A hook can be anything that you think relates to your paper and will grab the reader’s attention. It could be

1. An unusual detail

2. A strong statement

3. A quotation

4. An anecdote

5. A statistic or fact

6. A question

7. An exaggeration or outrageous statementSlide6

For example...

If I wanted to use a quote as my hook, I could write

Stephen King once said, “I think the best stories always end up being about the people rather than the event, which is to say character-driven.”

The reader may recognize King’s name, or find that they agree or disagree with the quote. The reader is hooked, and wants to continue reading.

Finding quotes is as simple as a Google search. There are thousands of quotes catalogued on quote databases, like

Goodreads.com

, where I found this one aboveSlide7

Or if I want to use an anecdote

I can tell a quick story to start my paper. This could be something personal, or something I’ve heard about.

I had read

To Kill a Mockingbird

in ninth grade. I remember liking the book well enough, but I had soon forgotten about it when other books came and took its place. It was only recently, and entirely by chance, that the book re-appeared in my life. I had stumbled across an old copy, and started to read it. I discovered that I had been missing my favorite book for so many years.Slide8

Or even a statistic or fact

I could state a fact about what I am writing to hook my readers.

To Kill a Mockingbird

has sold over 40 million copies nationally, and is one of the most celebrated examples of American literature from the past century.Slide9

Now for Background

Background information acts like a bridge to make a smooth connection between the hook and the claim.

This is where you explain the connection between your hook and your thesis

For example

To Kill a Mockingbird

has sold over 40 million copies nationally, and is one of the most celebrated examples of American literature from the past century.

There are multiple reasons for its success, but perhaps the most important is that it is a story well told. The plot grabs hold of the reader, and doesn’t let them go.

Hook

BackgroundSlide10

Reasons of Support and Thesis

Your thesis is what you are explaining or defending in the paper

My claim for my paper could be

To Kill a Mockingbird

is one of the most compelling and important novels of the last century

And my reasons of support could be

It has relatable and likeable characters

The plot is engrossing

And it is beautifully writtenSlide11

All together my Introduction looks like...

To Kill a Mockingbird

has sold over 40 million copies nationally, and is one of the most celebrated examples of American literature from the past century.

There are multiple reasons for its success, but perhaps the most important is that it is a story well told. The plot grabs hold of the reader, and doesn’t let them go.

To Kill a Mockingbird

is one of the most compelling and important novels of the last century.

It has relatable and likeable characters, the plot is engrossing, and it is beautifully written.

Hook

Background

Thesis

and Reasons of supportSlide12

ConclusionsSlide13

Conclusions are

A tidy wrap up to the whole paper

They leave your reader feeling something

They can either feel like they learned something, or that they should do something in the future, or have something to think about for the next few days

Conclusions need to have sticking powerSlide14

Elements of a conclusion

The conclusion allows you to:

have the final say on the issues you have raised in your paper,

summarize your thoughts ,

demonstrate the importance of your ideas, and

propel your reader to a new view of the subject.

You should revisit your ideas from the introduction, BUT DO NOT SIMPLY RESTATE

Instead rephrase or put a new spin on itSlide15

Synthesize your points

Remember this is your chance to leave your reader with something to think about. The most important thing in your paper are the main points you are discussing. So tell us them again!

So this

To Kill a Mockingbird

is one of the most compelling novels of the last century. It has relatable and likeable characters, the plot is engrossing, and it is beautifully written.

Becomes this!

The characters in

To Kill a Mockingbird

feel real to the reader, the plot those characters take part in is remarkable, and Lee’s prose has a beautiful simplicity to it. It is certainly a treasure of literature. Slide16

Leaving your reader with something to think about

You can do this in several ways. You can

Challenge the reader

Look to the future

Pose questionsSlide17

Challenge the reader

Pick a fight! (More like a friendly spar. No actual fists!)

Challenge a preconceived notion, or challenge them to do something

For example:

One would be hard pressed to find a book more ingrained into Twentieth Century American culture than

To Kill a Mockingbird

.

This is a challenge to the reader, even one they might even meet and write their own paper about. Just maybe...Slide18

Look to the future

Ask the reader to think about their future dealings with what you talked about in your paper. Looking to the future can emphasize why what they are reading now is so important.

For example

The next time you sift through some dusty old books, stop. Look. Read. You just might find a classic you had no idea you were missing.Slide19

Pose a question

This gives your reader something to think about. They may even think back to what you wrote about as they try to answer this question.

To Kill a Mockingbird

has been a part of the American literary tradition for decades. It has to make you wonder, why is a story about a small southern town so important and long lasting?Slide20

All together now!

Introduction

To Kill a Mockingbird

has sold over 40 million copies nationally, and is one of the most celebrated examples of American literature from the past century.

There are multiple reasons for its success, but perhaps the most important is that it is a story well told. The plot grabs hold of the reader, and doesn’t let them go.

To Kill a Mockingbird

is one of the most compelling and important novels of the last century.

It has relatable and likeable characters, the plot is engrossing, and it is beautifully written.

Conclusion

Harper Lee was just a young woman from a small town in the south who wrote one of the

most influential novels of the past century.

The characters feel real to the reader, the plot those characters take part is remarkable, and Lee’s prose has a beautiful simplicity to it.

It is certainly a treasure of literature.

Indeed, one would be hard pressed to find a book more ingrained into Twentieth Century American culture than

To Kill a Mockingbird

.

Hook/

Background/

Thesis /

Reasons of support/

Closing challenge to the reader