Today's topic will be
Do you agree or
disagree with the following statement? 'Only people who earn a lot of
money are successful.'
1) Use this
'Graphic
Organizer' to make a
mind-map, or
use your own way
to make a writing plan.
2) Many students have noticed that Criterion tells them there is no
'introductory material'. This time, let's try to make an 'introduction'
before the topic sentence.
What is an
introduction?
An introduction is at the beginning.
It gives the reader an idea of what the essay is about.
It leads into the thesis
(topic sentence).
How do I write an introduction?
Introductions can be written in many different ways. Here are some
ideas you can use to write a good introduction:
* General background(自分の意見を支える一般常識)
* Narrative(エピソード)
* Quotation (引用)
* Dramatic statistics/facts(驚きの数字、事実)
* Shocking statement(ショッキングな意見)
* Questions that lead to the
thesis(自分の意見へ繋がるような読者への問いかけ)
Note: I
don't think you can write an introduction until you have a plan. If you
are 'loop writing' to find a thesis, maybe the introduction will be the
last thing you write. ??
Note 2: You really need at least to have a thesis at the
beginning for your 'Sogo' research projects. Also writing the
introduction last is something almost all academic writers do. However
an academic introduction is more like a summary.
Examples
of introductions into the thesis:
My Future Dream
General background:
Since the beginning of time, there have been teachers. The "classroom"
teacher has many important tasks to do. Not only does a teacher have to
teach information, but the teacher has to keep things interesting. She
also has to sometimes be a referee, a coach, and a secretary. Not only
that, but sometimes a teacher has to be a nurse or just a good
listener.
This career demands a lot,
but it is the career I most want to have.
Narrative:
My fourth grade teacher, Miss Ryan, was not a big woman. She was about
five feet tall and had gray hair. Even though she did not look very
strong, she never had trouble controlling all her students. She could
quiet us down with just a stare. We always wanted to make her happy
because we knew how much Miss Ryan cared about us. She expected us to
do the best we could, and we all tried our best.
Miss Ryan was the kind of teacher who made
me know that I wanted to be a teacher.
Quotation:
"Teaching is better than tossing a pebble into a pond of water and
watching those ripples move out from the middle. With teaching, you
never know where those ripples will end." I remember those words of my
fourth grade teacher. Miss Ryan once told me that years after they left
her class, her students would come back to tell how much she helped
them. Miss Ryan's students said that it was because of her that they
learned to work hard and to feel proud of what they did.
I would like to teach because I would like
to make that kind of difference.
Dramatic statistics/facts:
Three out of four people we talked to in town said that it didn't
matter how many kids were taught in one class. However, our class
researched this and found the opposite is true. Studies done at the
university show that having small class sizes makes a big difference in
how much students learn.
Before our
town votes about the school budget next week, we need to think more
carefully about how important smaller class size is.
Shocking statement:
Music and art are a waste of time and shouldn't be taught in our
schools. Anyone can learn about these subjects on his own if he wants
to. Although not many people would openly say this, this is the message
we get when we read the letters to the editor. The letters they write
to the newspaper are against setting aside money for music and art
classes.
However, most people believe
music and art are important subjects. Therefore, we need to write to
our school board and tell them that the school budget must include
these classes.
Questions that lead to the thesis:
It might be fun to use computers to learn some things, but what if that
was the only way we were taught? After a while, who would answer the
questions we have? What if no one wanted to work with students in the
classroom?
Teaching is such an
important job that I plan to make teaching my career.