Tricks for teaching students
How to write an introduction

Students need to be taught how to write an introduction paragraph. The trick is to teach them about writing nonfiction introductory paragraphs after you've taught them how to plan their essays.

Because students first learn about writing from reading, students assume they should write the parts of the composition in the same order in which they read them. As a result, they tend to put all their ideas into their opening paragraphs, leaving nothing for the body.

If you want your students to be competent nonfiction writers, you need to teach the writing process in the order in which students will use it.

In other words, teach students how to write an introduction after you have taught them to plan and write the body paragraphs of their essays.

Start small with beginning writers

When you teach your beginning writers, you can teach them to start with three-sentence introductions:

• First sentence identifies the general topic.

• Third sentence presents the thesis statement.

• Second sentence builds a bridge between the first and second sentence ideas.

Of course, that is not what mature writers do, but it is enough to launch your beginning writers into the composition process.

Most of what beginners need to know about how to write a composition they will learn only as they actually write compositions.

You need to give them less instruction in the theoretical how-to and more composition assignments.

Remember writing is a process

Don't fret if beginning writers' introductions are puny or boring as long as students' essays have introductions with at least the requisite three sentences.

Beginning writers need to get a feel for the entire writing process before they can work at developing any single part of it.

Don't waste your time talking about what students can learn only by experience. Prepare them as best you can for that first writing experience and throw them into the essay.

More on teaching introductions

Learn about the features of an introduction paragraph.

Learn about how to slip instruction in writing introductions into reading comprehension activities.