8th Grade Research Project Help Page
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Research
  • Starting Your Paper
    • Writing Thesis Statement
    • Subtopic Help!
    • Outline
    • Writing an Introduction
    • Writing a Conclusion
  • Finishing Your Paper
    • Editing
    • Parenthetical Documentation
    • Works Cited Page >
      • Sample Works Cited Page
  • Research (Speech)
    • Using Your Fact Cards
    • Outline
    • Finding a Good Visual Aid
    • Formatting Your Paper!
    • Writing Your Speech >
      • Writing a Thesis Statement
      • Writing an Introduction
      • Writing a Conclusion
    • Formatting Written Speech
    • Speech and Debate Documents
    • Documents

Writing Your Introduction

3 Items Needed in an Introductory Paragraph

1.  Attention Grabber (Hook the Reader - Make them interested)
  • A clever question
  • A story about your topic
  • A description of what conditions were like
  • fact, quote, or background information

2.  Transition Statement - A sentence that transitions from your attention grabber to your thesis statement.

3.  Thesis Statement - the central idea of your paper



Introductory Paragraph Example:


RED = Attention Getter
     BLUE = Transition Statement    GREEN = Thesis


Drugs!  They are wonderful!  They kill pain, fight disease, and save lives.  Drugs are horrible!  They ruin lives, maim the body, and kill their victims.
  Drugs are everywhere, and whether or not these drugs become pain relievers or painful addictions, disease fighters or disease promoters, life savers or sure killers, is up to the choice of the user.  Undeniably, drugs used in a restrained, controlled manner can create a wide world of medical wonders for almost every kind of ailment imaginable, but drugs used in a haphazardly, non-medical, abusive fashion can create a horrid hell for those who fall prey.
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