Introductions: ACT
Introductions are as easy as ACT 
A-Attention Grabber (Hook)
C-Context and Connections
T- Thesis Statement
Attention Grabber/Hook:
•Start your essay with a sentence or two that grabs your reader’s
attention.
Introductions: “C”
C=Connect and Context
 TAG: After you hook your reader, you want to
connect the topic to the text specifically.
 Always introduce the Title, Author, and Genre
of the text you are discussing.
 Genre: is your text: a novel, a short story, a
poem, an article, or a memoir.
Introductions: “C”
continued
Context and Connection:
 Provide a brief summary of what the text is about and
connect to how the topic is reflected in the text.
 Remember you don’t want to be too specific yet!!!!
 Get your readers interested in the topic you will be
analyzing
Introductions: “T”
Thesis Statement:
 The bold argument and its justification that you are
making in your paper.
 Remember, you always want your argument to be very
specific.
 Introductions tend to start off general (the hook) and
become very specific (the thesis)
ACT teaches you to create a “funnel” intro
Body Paragraphs
Topic Sentence:
• This sentence sets the stage for the rest of your
paragraph.
•It introduces a point that helps prove the thesis statement.
•The rest of the paragraph should help to show how your
topic sentence is true in the text.
•Topic Sentences are IDEA based NOT plot based!
Body Paragraphs
Textual Evidence:
 Textual evidence helps prove that the point you are
making is true in the text that you are writing about.
 Direct quotations (embedded and cited) or summary of
the plot (be specific but keep focused on summary that
helps prove your point.
Body Paragraphs
 Analysis: Textual evidence alone is not enough to
support your point.
 You need to explain to the reader why your textual
evidence is significant and explain how it helps prove
your thesis.
Body Paragraphs
Wash, Rinse, Repeat:
• One piece of textual evidence per paragraph may not be enough (it can be,
especially if your are examining a particularly meaningful section of the text), so
feel free to provide more textual evidence and analysis to prove the point of the
topic sentence.
•Repeat these steps in each of your body paragraphs.
Conclusion
Restate Thesis: This is tricky, because you don’t want to sound repetitive. Try
putting your thesis into different words.
Show How You Proved Your Thesis: Give a brief recap of the points you made
in your essay. Again, you are summarizing, but try not to be repetitive with your
phrasing.
Broadening Statement: Ending an essay can be hard– think about how the point
you make in your essay can be applied to the world as a whole. Thesis statements
tend to move from the specific (the thesis), to the general (the broadening statement)