Introductions and Conclusions (Erica Larsen)

Opening (5 min): Welcome and Prayer

Rush-Write (10 min): Choose a partner who knows nothing about your topic, and describe your argument. For the rush write, what did they need to know (what sort of background information) in order to understand your argument?

Discussion (20 min): 

    • How many of you have “standby” introductions that you use?
    • Okay, our goal today is to look at why introductions work. Your standby might not inherently be a “bad” way of introducing your topic, but if you use it for everything, it might not always be the best or most fitting way to introduce your topic 
    • We are going to look at an excellent example of an introduction. I want you to make notes on what rhetorical moves you notice. How does the writer set-up his subject in an interesting and informed way?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhinPd5RRJw (YouTube of opening to Hamilton with lyrics so students can analyze- you don’t have to finish either song- just go far enough that they can get the idea.)
      • Talk to a partner about it
      • WHY did Lin Manuel Miranda choose to use this introduction? What if he went off of the wikipedia page?
        • Note that he gives you the background info
          • The thesis should be on the second page
      • What sorts of things did he tell you in his introduction?
    • Now, let’s take a look at the conclusion. How does Lin Manuel Miranda create a conclusion that brings in the points from the rest of the “essay” and moves them forward?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gnypiKNaJE (YouTube of conclusion to Hamilton with lyrics)

Rewrite (5 min): Come up with one specific thing you can change in your essay to reflect what we’ve talked about with introductions and conclusions.