Hello everyone, it is Ms. Kepley here and today we're going to be looking at lesson three in our argumentative writing series, which is all about introduction paragraphs. So let's get started. What is an introduction paragraph? You probably already know, but here's our fancy language arts definition.
It's the opening paragraph of your argumentative paper that presents the issue at hand, gives background information, and puts forth the main argument. also known as your thesis statement, which we learned in the last lesson. So here are the parts of an introduction. Part number one is the hook. This is like one to two sentences that will grab your reader's attention.
You can use a strong statement, a fact, a statistic, quote, or an interesting question to get it started. After your hook, you're going to give your readers some background information about the topic. So this is where... This is the part where you will include information your reader needs to understand the topic.
Maybe there's some definitions your reader needs to know, or maybe they need to understand why there is an issue here. And then step three, like we talked about in lesson two, you're going to do your thesis statement. And this is where you state your claim and your key arguments.
And as a reminder, it will be the roadmap for your essay. So what's the purpose? Why do we start with the introduction paragraph? Can't we just start talking about why we back a claim? Well, the introduction paragraph is like a movie trailer.
They familiarize the reader with topic, they establish the focus of the essay, and it tells your reader what the writer's position will be. It sets the reader up for reading your essay. Instead of like jumping into a cold pool, it's kind of like you ease your way into it with your introduction so it doesn't shock your reader. They know what's coming. Some important notes about the introduction.
If you use a quote, statistic, fact, or story in your hook, make sure it's related to the topic. Don't put a knock-knock dad joke in there just because you think it's funny if it's not related to the topic. It always has to be related.
Everything you share is related. The introduction is just like the highlight reel of what's to come. You don't want to develop or explain your main points in this introduction. That comes later in the body paragraphs.
And each sentence should have a job. It's either part of the hook, it's background information, or the thesis. If it does not serve that purpose, then you need to eliminate it.
Get rid of it because you're just adding too much into your introduction. Three tips for writing a hook, because that's really important. It's going to grab your reader from the beginning. You can use a common misconception, something people think is true, but is really false.
You can use a statistic. This will introduce the reader to facts and information they did not know existed. Or you can ask a critical thinking question. Then questions that go beyond yes or no responses will draw the reader into your topic. So something like, have you ever thought about where all of those plastic water bottles end up after you're done with them?
That's a great way to introduce into talking about why tap water is better than bottled water. So I have an introduction here. And what we're going to do is we're going to dissect it.
We're going to break it apart and we're going to look for the hook. the background information, and then the thesis statement. So let's read it. A third of the population, about 2.5 billion people, play video games. With that many people playing, it's no surprise that video game competitions, known as electronic sports or esports, have become increasingly popular.
Just this year, 46 million viewers watched the Esports World Championship, which broke an all-time record. As the field of esports grows, So has a raging debate about whether or not gaming is, in fact, a sport. Esports have a strong competitive format, requires a specific set of skills, and intense training. So it should be considered a sport.
So I want you to pause it. I want you to find the hook, background information, and the thesis statement. So we are back.
Let's check this out. So our hook right here. a third of the population, about 2.5 billion people, play video games.
That is starting with a fact. In fact, maybe shocks the reader. Like, I didn't know that many people play video games. That's a lot of people, a billion people. That's a lot.
So then we talk about video game competitions. It's known as eSports. So that's like background information, giving definitions.
It's become popular. Again, more background information. This right here, background information, letting our reader know that eSports is a growing field.
So as it grows, the raging debate about whether or not gaming is in fact a sport. This is all background information. It lets our reader know why we're writing a paper about this.
Why are we debating this topic? Then this is the thesis statement. We're going to underline it. Esports have a strong competitive format, require a specific set of skills, and intense training. So those are the key points.
Here's the claim. So it should be considered a sport. That, my friends, is the thesis statement.
That's what's going to drive the rest of the paper. So the reader knows that there's going to be a paragraph about how esports have a strong competitive format, how it requires a specific set of skills, and intense training. And I also know that the author thinks esports should be considered a sport. That is it. That is how you do an introduction paragraph well.
If you want some more practice with this, check out the links below. I have the unit linked up so you can see the mentor tags, the practice activities, the guided notes that go along with this lesson. So until lesson four, bye.