0Writing Seminar: How to Write an Introductory

Paragraph

Essay writing is an essential part of the historical process. As you know, argument and

debate are at the heart of history. While it is possible to do this orally, there isn't a lot of

opportunity for that. More often, historians articulate their arguments through writing.

Over the course of the year, you will learn how to write like an historian piece by piece.

Today we will begin at the beginning: the introductory paragraph.

"Why do I need an introduction?" you might be asking. "Isn't the argument the most

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"Why do I need an introduction?" you might be asking. "Isn't the argument the most

important thing?"

The answer is, yes, the argument, or the thesis as it is called in the world of writing, is the

central part of your writing, but it can not stand alone. It needs context, and this is what

the introductory paragraph provides.

The reader is not in your head. They need to understand what you know and how you are

approaching the question.

REVIEW: What makes for a good historical argument?

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0How to Write an Intro Paragraph

More often than not, when people write intro paragraphs, they write fluff. This is because

they don't really understand their purpose and really just see them as filler until they get to

their thesis.

However, there is a method to the intro paragraph madness.

We are going to use a practice question to help us with this:

Compare the culture and economy of southern colonies and New England colonies.

Your intro paragraph should do FOUR things:

set the time period

provide historical context

define key terms

articulate the thesis

Let's take these one at a time:

1. Set the time period.

This may seem quite simple, but look at our sample question. The British colonial era in the

colonies goes from 1607 until 1776 and the economies of each region shifted during that

time. So when are we talking about?

Because the question does not give you any specific information, it is up to you as the

writer to make this choice.

You could choose to look at the entire colonial period, thinking about change over time as

well as comparing and contrasting, or you could select a time frame that you think is

representative of the whole.

Either way, you need to explain your choice in your intro so that your reader knows what

you are doing.

Help

Your Turn: Pick a time period for this question and write it below. Write one sentence

explaining why you chose the time period you chose.

Provide historical context.This is a very important step. This is where you create a framework for the argument you

are going to make. Think of it as painting a picture. The historical context is the landscape.

You should include:

a description of the era

key events or trends that are relevant to your argument

anything the reader should know to understand where you are going

This does not need to be extremely long--maybe 2-4 sentences depending, but it probably

will be the longest part of your introduction.

So in our example, you would want to give brief description of the colonies as a whole,

explain the regional differences, perhaps mention briefly differences in who moved into

each area.

Write three sentences of historical context for the example question. What do you

think would be important to include?

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Define key terms.This step demonstrates your understanding and interpretation of the question. Key wordsare going to be words in the question that are important to the historical argument and

have multiple interpretations.

Think back to the lesson on comparing colonization styles. The historical question you were

grappling with was: Which country colonized the most effectively? "Effectively" is the key

word in that question. It is at the center of your argument, but it could be defined

differently by different people. This is why it is important to let your reader know yourinterpretation.

What are the key words in the example question? How would you define them in

order to answer the question?

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0Writing Your Thesis

This is where most people stumble. The idea of a thesis can be so overwhelming andintimidating people get stuck. Really, a thesis is pretty simple. It is just your historicalargument put into writing.

Here are a few guidelines:

A Thesis Statement:

• is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from therest of the paper

• directly answers the question asked of you

• makes an argument--can be disputed by others

• shows the reader what you think the significance of the issue is

• is usually a single sentence at the end of your first paragraph. The rest of the paper,the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader ofthe logic of your interpretation.

Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment.

First, collect and organize evidence and think about how that evidence responds to thequestion. Usually you are looking at relationships between evidence (compare andcontrast, cause and effect); think about the significance of these relationships. Onceyou do this thinking, you will have the beginning of your thesis.

Follow this mantra: EVIDENCE FIRST!

Help

List at least four pieces of evidence that would help you answer this question.

Now write a thesis based on what your evidence shows you. (Don't be scared anddon't overthink it. Just write your argument.)

How do I know if my thesis is good?

Use the checklist below to help you ensure your thesis is clear and strong.

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Use the checklist below to help you ensure your thesis is clear and strong.

• Do I answer the question?

Re-read the question prompt after constructing a working thesis to make sure it addressesthe focus of the question.

• Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose?

Check for wishy-washy wording, overly broad arguments and just plain statements of fact.

• Does my thesis pass the 'So What?' test?

Make sure your thesis is clear and connects to a larger issue or theme—it needs to behistorically relevant!

• Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering?

This comes after you finish your outline or essay. If your thesis and the body of your essaydo not seem to go together, one of them has to change.

• Does my thesis pass the how or why test?

Make sure your thesis is a complete thought and is not too open-ended. See what you canadd to give the reader a better take on your position right from the beginning.

How does your thesis stack up? For each checklist item, explain why your thesis doesor does not meet the criterion.

Delete

0

0Summary and Practice

We can sum all of this about intro paragraphs into a handy image:

TEACHER'S NOTE

This diagram can be a convenient short-hand when grading essays. If an introparagraph wanders or does not lead into the thesis, you can just draw an upside downtriangle next to it, and the students will understand the meaning.

There is an upside-down triangle because your intro paragraph should become morespecific as you go, starting off quite broad with just the time period and then narrowingthrough historical context, ending in a very specific thesis.

Now it's time to put it all together. Below, write an intro paragraph in response to theexample question:

Help

Compare the culture and economy of southern colonies and New England colonies.(intro paragraph only)

TEACHER'S NOTE

The question above addresses all of the standards for this lesson.

HINT: If you are having trouble getting started, it often helps to start with one of these"-isms". All of US history can fit into one of these:

republicanismexpansionismindustrialismnationalismsectionalism

TEACHER'S NOTE

It is good to take the time to go over these five "-isms" with your students. They are agreat tool for providing students with an analytical framework for US history.

While we will deal with supporting paragraphs later, it is important to note that eachparagraph should have a minimum of 3 pieces of specific, historical evidence. Thatmeans at least 9 (let's say 10) in an essay.

List at least 7 pieces of supporting evidence.

0

0

0How to Write an Intro Paragraph

More often than not, when people write intro paragraphs, they write fluff. This is becausethey don't really understand their purpose and really just see them as filler until they get totheir thesis.

However, there is a method to the intro paragraph madness.

We are going to use a practice question to help us with this:

Compare the culture and economy of southern colonies and New England colonies.

Your intro paragraph should do FOUR things:

set the time periodprovide historical contextdefine key termsarticulate the thesis

Let's take these one at a time:

1. Set the time period.This may seem quite simple, but look at our sample question. The British colonial era in thecolonies goes from 1607 until 1776 and the economies of each region shifted during thattime. So when are we talking about?

Because the question does not give you any specific information, it is up to you as thewriter to make this choice.

You could choose to look at the entire colonial period, thinking about change over time aswell as comparing and contrasting, or you could select a time frame that you think isrepresentative of the whole.

Either way, you need to explain your choice in your intro so that your reader knows whatyou are doing.

Help

Your Turn: Pick a time period for this question and write it below. Write one sentenceexplaining why you chose the time period you chose.

Provide historical context.This is a very important step. This is where you create a framework for the argument youare going to make. Think of it as painting a picture. The historical context is the landscape.You should include:

a description of the erakey events or trends that are relevant to your argumentanything the reader should know to understand where you are going

This does not need to be extremely long--maybe 2-4 sentences depending, but it probablywill be the longest part of your introduction.

So in our example, you would want to give brief description of the colonies as a whole,explain the regional differences, perhaps mention briefly differences in who moved intoeach area.

Write three sentences of historical context for the example question. What do youthink would be important to include?

0

0

Define key terms.This step demonstrates your understanding and interpretation of the question. Key wordsare going to be words in the question that are important to the historical argument andhave multiple interpretations.

Think back to the lesson on comparing colonization styles. The historical question you weregrappling with was: Which country colonized the most effectively? "Effectively" is the keyword in that question. It is at the center of your argument, but it could be defineddifferently by different people. This is why it is important to let your reader know yourinterpretation.

What are the key words in the example question? How would you define them inorder to answer the question?

Delete

0

0Writing Your Thesis

This is where most people stumble. The idea of a thesis can be so overwhelming andintimidating people get stuck. Really, a thesis is pretty simple. It is just your historicalargument put into writing.

Here are a few guidelines:

A Thesis Statement:

• is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from therest of the paper

• directly answers the question asked of you

• makes an argument--can be disputed by others

• shows the reader what you think the significance of the issue is

• is usually a single sentence at the end of your first paragraph. The rest of the paper,the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader ofthe logic of your interpretation.

Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment.

First, collect and organize evidence and think about how that evidence responds to thequestion. Usually you are looking at relationships between evidence (compare andcontrast, cause and effect); think about the significance of these relationships. Onceyou do this thinking, you will have the beginning of your thesis.

Follow this mantra: EVIDENCE FIRST!

Help

List at least four pieces of evidence that would help you answer this question.

Now write a thesis based on what your evidence shows you. (Don't be scared anddon't overthink it. Just write your argument.)

How do I know if my thesis is good?

Use the checklist below to help you ensure your thesis is clear and strong.

0

0

Use the checklist below to help you ensure your thesis is clear and strong.

• Do I answer the question?

Re-read the question prompt after constructing a working thesis to make sure it addressesthe focus of the question.

• Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose?

Check for wishy-washy wording, overly broad arguments and just plain statements of fact.

• Does my thesis pass the 'So What?' test?

Make sure your thesis is clear and connects to a larger issue or theme—it needs to behistorically relevant!

• Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering?

This comes after you finish your outline or essay. If your thesis and the body of your essaydo not seem to go together, one of them has to change.

• Does my thesis pass the how or why test?

Make sure your thesis is a complete thought and is not too open-ended. See what you canadd to give the reader a better take on your position right from the beginning.

How does your thesis stack up? For each checklist item, explain why your thesis doesor does not meet the criterion.

Delete

0

0Summary and Practice

We can sum all of this about intro paragraphs into a handy image:

TEACHER'S NOTE

This diagram can be a convenient short-hand when grading essays. If an introparagraph wanders or does not lead into the thesis, you can just draw an upside downtriangle next to it, and the students will understand the meaning.

There is an upside-down triangle because your intro paragraph should become morespecific as you go, starting off quite broad with just the time period and then narrowingthrough historical context, ending in a very specific thesis.

Now it's time to put it all together. Below, write an intro paragraph in response to theexample question:

Help

Compare the culture and economy of southern colonies and New England colonies.(intro paragraph only)

TEACHER'S NOTE

The question above addresses all of the standards for this lesson.

HINT: If you are having trouble getting started, it often helps to start with one of these"-isms". All of US history can fit into one of these:

republicanismexpansionismindustrialismnationalismsectionalism

TEACHER'S NOTE

It is good to take the time to go over these five "-isms" with your students. They are agreat tool for providing students with an analytical framework for US history.

While we will deal with supporting paragraphs later, it is important to note that eachparagraph should have a minimum of 3 pieces of specific, historical evidence. Thatmeans at least 9 (let's say 10) in an essay.

List at least 7 pieces of supporting evidence.

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0

Delete

0Resources

These resources will help you find more evidence so that you can construct your thesis andintroductory paragraph.

Help

Delete