The Introduction is a very important part of the essay. This is where you introduce the topic to the reader and solidify your argument. Introductions, like Conclusions, are basically a formula. Once you get that formula down then writing an introduction to an essay is easy. There are three essentials to an introduction paragraph and I will detail each one of them below. It is essential to have the structure of an essay spelled out in the introduction.
Background
The writer should always write as if the reader knows nothing about the topic. That way you are covering you bases and verifying to the teacher that you know the material. Many students jump past this step and start with a thesis. Let's try that: "The War of Jenkins' Ear was unjustified". Right away the reader is thinking, "who is this Jenkins guy, what about his ear, when did this happen, etc". The background should be 3-6 sentences and include answers to at least four of the following questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How. So, instead of blurting out the thesis as the first sentence, the background should inform the reader on the topic. For example:
"Robert Jenkins was a British smuggler who made a living off of robbing Spanish ships along the coast of North America. When the Spanish caught up with Jenkins in 1742 they boarded his ship, robbed his cargo hold and cut his ear off, which was eventually displayed a the British Parliament as evidence. This eventually led to an open conflict between Spain and Britain for trading rights in the Americas. The War of Jenkins' Ear was unjustified."
With this background I have covered the answer to Who, What, When, Where, and Why. Now my reader has a little information to reference as I then dive into the primary focus on proving my thesis.
Thesis Development
The thesis is the backbone of your entire essay. Your goal is to prove to the reader that your thesis is true. Some students lead themselves astray by making their goal to create five paragraphs and get the essay over with. This goal can still be accomplished if students divert their attention to proving the thesis, plus the essay and following grade would be much better. Below I am going to explain how to approach developing a thesis. I also have a tutorial video breaking it down. There is a third option of arranging a time to meet with me and we can go through all of these steps together.
The word "Thesis" is just a fancy word for "Opinion", and we are all filled with opinions. In fact, you probably have already created a couple dozen theses statements today. You can check to see if your thesis is an opinion by asking yourself if it can be argued against. Also, avoid arguing for a thesis that is obvious or that not many people would actually argue against. For example,
"The Holocaust was bad" or "Global Warming is real". It would take a special kind of person to argue against these kinds of theses statements. Stick with more debatable thesis statements.
Most thesis statements revolve around one word. For example, "Watching clouds float by for long periods of time is good for you". This thesis hinges on the word "good". Often times the thesis is actually in the DBQ essay question, you just have to choose. For example, "Were the Mongols a blessing or a curse to humanity"? Here are a list of words that you can probably select thesis statements from for the rest of your school career, all of them have an opposite.
Justified/Unjustified, Right/Wrong, Good/Bad, Blessing/Curse, Avoidable/Unavoidable, Best/Worst, Fair/Unfair, Worthwhile/Not Worth It, Preventable/Unpreventable, Most Valuable/Least Valuable, Agree/Disagree, Effective/Ineffective
Support Points
The term"Support Points" is just another way of describing the reasons for your opinion. So, if I say "Sushi on the first date is a great idea", the support points would be the reasons why you think that: it is adventurous, you can tell a lot about a person based on how they respond, and usually pretty affordable. From there, each body paragraph is devoted to arguing how one of the support points proves or supports your thesis statement. Three is the standard number of support points in a five paragraph essay. Below I am going to explain how to approach developing your support points. I also have a tutorial video breaking it down. There is a third option of arranging a time to meet with me and we can go through all of these steps together.
Some students make the mistake of thinking their support points are actually three mini thesis statements. Every essay must have support points and a thesis. For example, I have had students write that the Equal Rights Amendment did not pass because of the aggressive tactics used, lack of votes, and resistance from women's groups. These are three support points, with the total absence of a single, central thesis. I would add a broader statement to focus the essay on, such as "The ERA did not pass because people were not ready for change". Then follow that up with your support points.
Student Sample
The background sentences are in RED. The Thesis statement is in ORANGE. The Support Points are in BLUE.
During the 1930's millions of plains settlers left their farms due to the Dust Bowl. The first problem in the 1930's was the Great Depression, the unemployment in the East made it harder to sell wheat. This was the first blow to the farmers. The overall problem which caused most people to leave were wind driven dusters that darkened the midday sky and carried off tons of precious topsoil as far as Washington DC and NYC. More than 300 of these dust storms would visit the Southern Plains during the 1930's. The Dust Bowl was a natural disaster, but the actions of men are to blame as well. This is because the farmers in the 1920's destroyed the grass that was needed to keep the soil down. The land was over farmed. Also, a major drought contributed to the conditions.
