Writing ______
Name: ______
Period: ______
Date: ______
Example Essay Introductions
All introductions must contain the following elements:1. an IVF (in which you introduce the title, author, and genre of a work)
2. Backstory
3. a Thesis Statement
I. Examine all of the introductions below. All of the following introductions are GOOD examples of an introduction, so all of the examples will contain all three elements. Annotate all of the introductions below by using the following annotation marks:
a. place boxes around the five (or eight parts) of an IVF (e.g., if an introduction is about one text, the IVF will contain five parts [author, title, genre, verb, and a finished thought], but if an introduction introduces two texts the IVF will contain eight parts [two authors, two titles, two genres, a verb, and a finished thought])
b. underline the Backstory in a straight line
c. underline the thesis statement in a squiggly line
1. Prompt: What character trait helped Erik Weihenmayer reach his goals?
“Seeing Things His Own Way,” a biography by Marty Kaminsky, details how Erik Weihenmayer, though blind, accomplished great things. Erik Weihenmayer was diagnosed with retinoschisis when he was only three months old. Despite the challenges that his disease entailed, Erik climbed several of the highest mountains in the world, including Mt. McKinley in Alaska and Mt. Everest in Nepal. Erik Weihenmayer’s determination allowed him to reach his goals.
2. Prompt: How are volcanoes on Mars similar to volcanoes on Earth?
Two nonfiction articles, “Volcanoes” and “Volcanoes from Outer Space” by Seymour Simon and Diane August, respectively, delineate information about volcanoes. “Volcanoes” specifically describes how the volcanoes on Mars are similar to the volcanoes on Earth, but also how they are much larger than the volcanoes on Earth. “Volcanoes from Outer Space” discusses the four types of volcanoes, how they are formed, and how volcanoes have helped shaped the Earth’s surface. Volcanoes on Mars are similar to the volcanoes found on Earth in regards to type and purpose.
3. Prompt: How would the information presented in the story “Voice from Vesuvius” have helped Tito from “The Dog of Pompeii”?
Both Louis Untermeyer, the author of the short story “The Dog of Pompeii,” and Isabel Kamsly, the author of the short story “Voice from Vesuvius,” narrate stories about people affected by volcanic eruptions. “The Dog of Pompeii” chronicles Tito and his dog Bimbo, who live in Pompeii when Mt. Vesuvius erupts. Bimbo leads his blind owner, Tito, to safety, but he tragically dies when he returns to the city to find Tito food. “Voice from Vesuvius” chronicles Tammi and Brain, who are visiting the ruins of Herculaneum when they hear a mysterious voice from the past. Tito would have survived the eruption of Pompeii had he known that people could die from being covered by the ash of the eruption.
II. Examine the introduction below. This introduction DOES NOT contain all of the elements that an introduction needs and there are some other errors. Annotate the introduction below by using the annotation marks so that you can find the errors. Circle the errors that you find and explain the errors in the margins.
Prompt: Explain the ways in which a glacier might interact with snow to create an avalanche?
“Icebergs and Glaciers” by Seymour Simon and “Avalanches!” by Isabel Kamsly detail acts of nature. “Avalanches!” explains how avalanches are created and how destructive they can be. The article also details the catastrophe of the avalanche on Mount Sanford. “Icebergs and Glaciers” discusses how icebergs and glaciers are formed, how they move, and how they change the surface of the Earth. The article also describes the disaster that occurred when the Titanic, a huge ship, hit an iceberg. Glaciers and icebergs have many things in common with avalanches, such as how they affect the surface of the Earth.