good lead-ins from essays, magazine articles, or newspaper feature stories

Introduction/Thesis Textbook Activities To Complete

Please read chapter 4 (Beginnings and Endings) in your Steps to Writing Well textbook.  Located on pages 225-239 in your course packet.  (CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PDF COPY OF CHAPTER)

Please also read Chapter 1 (Thesis Statements) in your Steps to Writing Well textbook. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PDF COPY OF CHAPTER. 

ASSIGNMENT:

Now it’s time to practice what you learned.  On a single document, please complete the following activities and upload them here by the date listed below:

• Complete Assignment A from the Beginning and Endings Chapter (on page 86 of the PDF document–or page 230 in our course packet)). Assignment A asks you to locate three good lead-ins from essays, magazine articles, or newspaper feature stories. Identify the kinds of lead-ins you found, and tell why you think each effectively catches the reader’s attention and sets up the thesis.
• Complete Activities A & B from the Thesis Statement Chapter’s “Practicing What You’ve Learned” Activities on pages 39-40 of the PDF.  Activity A asks you to identify whether 10 thesis statements are adequate/inadequate. Activity B asks you to rewrite 10 sample thesis statements to make them more clear and to explain why you changed the sentences as you did.