Writing Academic Paragraphs

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Writing Academic Paragraphs

• Writing an Introduction

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Organizing the Essay
What is the format for an academic essay
An essay is a group of paragraphs about one topic
and also has three main parts
1) The introduction
2) The body
What are these three components?
3) The conclusion

Introduction _____________
Conclusion _____________
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Organizing the Essay
What s an introduction and what is it for
What does it have to do with the topic?
It introduces the topic of the essay and arouses
the readers interest (IAW p. 118).

What geometric shape best identifies with an
introduction?
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The Introduction

• The Introduction

The Body
The Conclusion
What does an introductory paragraph consist of
An introductory paragraph is the first paragraph
in an essay. It contains two parts.

• 1) The Introduction
• a) General statements
• b) Thesis statement
• 2) General statements give the reader background
  information about the topic of the essay. (p.
  119) .

General statements
Thesis statement
General statements act as a funnel, drawing the
reader ever closer (like the lens of a camera)
to the thesis statement.
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The Introduction

• The Introduction

The Body
The Conclusion

• Introduction To Academic Writing (p. 119)
• The thesis statement
• a). states the specific topic of the
  essay.
• b). may list the subtopics of the main
  topic
• (The thesis should not just give
  readers a general
• idea of the topic of an essay but
  should present specific
• statements of each of the main
  ideas developed in
• the essay.)
• May mention the method of organization.
• is (often) the last sentence of the introduction.
  

Example of a thesis sentence Hurricanes,
earthquakes, and tornadoes have proved to be the
most disastrous.
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The Introduction

• The Introduction

The Body
The Conclusion
See if you can find the General statements
Thesis statement?
General Statements
Metropolitan City is full of charm and scenic
beauty, so visitors from around the world come to
enjoy its famous theaters,museums, countless
ethnic restaurants, and scenic wonders.
Although Metropolitan City seems like a paradise,
it isnt. The city has several serious problems
poor public transportation, congested streets,
and expensive housing (Hogue, A. Oshima, A.,
1991, p. 92).
Thesis Statement
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An Introduction
General Information and Focus
Can you find the general and thesis statements in
the paragraph below?
General statements provide background informati
on on the focus of health care for homeless
people with HIV.
There are a number of frightening disease
epidemics occurring in the United States today,
but one of the most frightening is the epidemic
spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Among
the most serious of these sexually transmitted
diseases is HIV which leads to AIDS, a fatal
disease. HIV is especially problematic
among homeless people. This particular
population is difficult to treat due to a number
of barriers such as, limited access to health
care, mistrust of health care professionals, and
a lack of awareness of the disease, itself.
Specific focus of essay and thesis statement.
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Example 2
A Closer Look
Look at the example below to see how the
sentences in the introduction become more and
more specific leading to the thesis statement.
General Statements
Overpopulation and finding ways to reduce it
are big concerns of many developing nations
today. One nation that is concerned about this
issue is India.
One of the biggest causes of overpopulation in
India is the high infant mortality
rate.
More Specific
Parents often have more children because they are
fearful that if some children die, there wont
be enough children to take care of them in
their old age.
India is taking some important steps in
dealing with this problem. Some of the
steps the Indian government is
taking are providing birth control for women,
improving pre-natal care, and
educating women on the benefits
of having fewer children.
Very Specific Thesis Statement
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Personal Story or Example
Example 2
An example of a story in the third person.
Johns parents divorced when he was in
elementary school. After the divorce, his mother
had to go to work to support him and his three
sisters. This disrupted Johns home life in
serious ways. Without the constant supervision
of his mother and the lack of a father for a
role-model, John began skipping school and
socializing with the wrong group of people. He
eventually turned to taking drugs and was later
arrested for being a drug dealer and sent
to prison. John is not unlike other prisoners.
In many prisons today, over half of all inmates
come from divorced families. Divorce can be the
catalyst that unleashes emotional problems in
children and can affect children psychologically,
mentally, and socially.
Thesis Statement