Work through the list without notes. If you cannot do a statement, follow its link, then come back. Guide = study guide; Practice = practice questions.
Understanding
- I can state the three jobs of an introduction: orient, engage and focus. (Guide: “What does an introduction have to do?”; Practice question 1)
- I can list the main opening strategies and say what each does well and what each risks. (Guide: “The strategies available to a writer”; Practice question 2)
- I can explain why an introduction may, but need not, contain the thesis. (Guide: “What does an introduction have to do?”; Practice question 5)
- I can explain why announcing the essay’s plan is weaker than presenting the subject and claim. (Guide: “Weak and strong introductions side by side”; Practice question 4)
Skills
- I can name the strategy in a published introduction and describe its effect on the audience. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice questions 1 and 7)
- I can diagnose a weak introduction against the three jobs. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice question 6)
- I can rewrite an introduction so that it orients, engages and focuses. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice question 8)
- I can write an opening sentence that uses a specific, relevant strategy rather than a generalisation. (Guide: “Weak and strong introductions side by side”; Practice question 3)
Reasoning
- I can choose an opening strategy to suit a stated audience and purpose, and justify it. (Guide: “Choosing by rhetorical situation”; Practice questions 2 and 8)
- I can explain why a decorative quotation or an over-long anecdote weakens an argument. (Guide: “The strategies available to a writer”, “Common misconceptions”; Practice question 4)
- I can write a one-sentence analysis of what an introduction does within the whole argument. (Guide: Worked example 2, Step 4; Practice question 7)
- I can check that my opener leads to my thesis rather than sitting beside it. (Guide: “Where this leads”; Practice question 8)