Unit 4 Lesson 3: Introductions

Question 1

What is an explanatory

Answer 1

Nonfiction writing that provides readers with information, ideas, and facts about a topic is referred to as an explanatory text

Question 2

What do most explanatory texts begin with

Answer 2

an introduction

Question 3

What is in the introduction of an explanatroy text

Answer 3

thesis statement

Question 3

What is a thesis statement

Answer 3

The thesis statement is a concise summary of the central idea of a text.

Question 4

What do writers use a thesis statemernt for

Answer 4

Writers use a thesis statement to clearly and explicitly tell the reader their purpose or what they plan to accomplish in the text.

Question 5

What does a thesis statement in an explanatory text express

Answer 5

The thesis statement in an explanatory text does not express a writer’s opinion; it introduces the information and ideas that the writer will cover in the text.

Question 6

How long is a typically thesis statement and where do they appear

Answer 6

Thesis statements are usually one or two sentences, and they usually appear as the first or last sentence or sentences of the introduction.

Question 7

Read the following two thesis statements:
* Learning about the tiger’s habits can teach us a great deal about the natural world.
* Many animal species have been driven to extinction because of human actions, and the tiger is at risk of befalling the same fate.

Answer 7

The first thesis statement emphasizes the ways of tigers. This text will likely focus on topics such as food, shelter, and the rearing of tiger cubs. The second thesis statement explains that the text will focus on the fact that tigers are endangered.

Question 8

• Learning about the tiger’s habits can teach us a great deal about the natural world.
• Many animal species have been driven to extinction because of human actions, and the tiger is at risk of befalling the same fate.
  Read the two thesis statements about tigers again. How are they alike? How are they different?

Answer 8

They are alike because both thesis statements discuss tigers. They are different in that they focus on different topics about tigers. One focuses on the animal’s habits, and the other focuses on the danger of extinction.

Question 9

What questions might you ask yourself to identify the thesis statement in a text?

Answer 9

Which statement tells me what the writer’s purpose is in writing the text? What statement expresses the main point of what the text will be about?

Question 10

There are many ways to write an introduction, but all good introductions usually include these three elements:

Answer 10

• Attention-getter or hook
• Background information
• Thesis statement

Question 11

Why are Attention-getter or hook included and provide some examples

Answer 11

Why it is included
* To engage the reader
* To make the reader want to continue reading
Examples
Direct address (“you”)
* A rhetorical question
* A short anecdote

Question 12

Why is Background information included and provide some examples

Answer 12

Why it is included
* To orient the reader
* To suggest why the topic is relevant or important
Examples
* Related facts or events from history
* The definition of an important term

Question 13

Why is Thesis statement included and provide some examples

Answer 13

Why it is included
* To focus the topic
* To state the main idea
Examples
* Topic: pets
* Thesis statement: In care homes, visiting pets provide important companionship to lonely seniors.

Question 14

techniques

Answer 14

methods or devices writers use to create certain effects

Question 15

How can comparing introductions help you strengthen your own writing?

Answer 15

Comparing introductions helps you understand what makes an introduction effective, and it helps you see the options writers have in both selecting elements to include and arranging those elements. It can also provide you with techniques and strategies that will make your writing stronger.