1. Hooks, Map, & Thesis Statements

2. Got your attention?
 Monsters University Trailer

3. Equation for an Intro
 Hook + Map + Thesis = Introduction
+ +
=

4. What is a Hook?
 A hook is something that grabs a reader’s attention
and entices him or her to keep reading.
 Ways to “hook” the readers attention:
 Begin with an interesting story.
 Present a quote on the topic.
 Start with important background information.
 Give interesting or surprising facts.
 Provide and explain important concepts.
 Explain why this is such an important issue today.

5. Go fishing for readers…
 Increasing the number of snow days schools are allowed
to have in Michigan.
 Dangers of texting while driving.
 The importance of continuing arts education in the
schools.
 Impact of violent video games on adolescents.
 Increasing the availability of technology for student use
in the classroom at Greenville High School.

6. Map
 The map of an essay gives the reader the background
of the issue or topic that is being discussed.

7. Drawing the map…
 Increasing the number of snow days schools are allowed
to have in Michigan.
 Dangers of texting while driving.
 The importance of continuing arts education in the
schools.
 Impact of violent video games on adolescents.
 Increasing the availability of technology for student use
in the classroom at Greenville High School.

8. Thesis
 The thesis is a statement that takes a stand on an issue
that will be discussed or proven within the paper.
 The thesis statement is the most important part of the
introduction (if not the entire paper) because it drives
where the rest of the paper is going.
 A thesis statement should be a sentence that clearly
states your opinion on the prompt question and what
your paper will prove.

9. Thesis Checklist
 Make sure your thesis statement focuses on a
single, limited subject.
 Make sure your thesis statement is stated in a clear, direct
sentence (or sentences).
 Make sure your thesis statement conveys your point of
view or attitude towards the topic.
 Make sure you have access to enough good information to
support your thesis statement.
 Make sure your thesis statement directs you to write a
paper that meets all the requirements of the assignment.

10. Thesis Examples
 “The programs to reintroduce the gray wolf into the
lower 48 states are not achieving all the desired
results” (Kemper, Meyer, and Sebrank 287).
 O’Keeffe changed the way art was presented and
viewed because she painted a man’s world with a
woman’s “sensitive emotion.

11. Declaring the destination…
 Increasing the number of snow days schools are allowed to
have in Michigan.
 Dangers of texting while driving.
 The importance of continuing arts education in the schools.
 Impact of violent video games on
adolescents.
 Increasing the availability of technology
for student use in the classroom at
Greenville High School.

12. Putting It All Together:
Introduction Example
“You say a woman did these—She’s an unusual woman—
She’s broad minded, she’s bigger than most women, but she’s got
the sensitive emotion” (qtd. in Crunden 274). Considered by
Stieglitz to be “the first woman modernist” Georgia O’Keeffe had
a powerful impact on American modernism (275). As a woman,
O’Keeffe challenged traditional thought and painting because
she chose male subject matter, such as the sky, city, and
southwest, and painted them from a female perspective. As
Stieglitz noticed, the factor that set her apart from other artists
was her passion. She didn’t just see the material she was
painting; she felt it. She changed the way art was presented and
viewed because she painted a man’s world with a woman’s
“sensitive emotion.”

13. Now Playing:
Your Introduction!