As you come in….Take out your homeworkTake out a highlighter and your journalHighlight the following items:

• MDG Literary Elements• Cask of Amontillado Literary Elements• Elements of a Short Story Vocab• MDG Plot Diagram• Cask of Amontillado Plot Diagram• Cask of Amontillado Say, Mean, Matter• MDG Study Guide

Effective IntroductionsBegin with a hook (get the readers attention):

• Ask a QUESTION (The thesis should give an initial answer to the question; then the body will explain and defend that answer.)

• Use a QUOTE-this should be at a key moment in the text (Never end an essay with a quote!) Especially for Response to Literature, it is nice to use a quote from the piece that sums up the theme/main idea or the main point of the thesis.

Effective IntroductionsBegin with a hook (get the readers attention):• Use a startling FACT- Present a bold and

challenging statement that shocks the reader into reading your essay. Don’t be gross or inappropriate—but statistics can get a reader’s attention.

• Tell an ANECDOTE (This needs to be a very quick story that sums up the problem or thesis—again, to draw in your audience.)

• TEASER-grabs the reader’s attention and keeps them wondering.

Effective IntroductionsContent:

• IVF statement that identifies the Author, Genre, and Title of the text you are discussing

• Background Information- 2 sentence summary of the story to make sure your readers understand the basic plot

Effective IntroductionsThesis:

• One sentence statement that directly answer’s the prompt.

• A statement that is arguable, supportable, and original.

• Topic + opinion

Thesis Example

In his eerie and thrilling story , Poe masterfully reveals the theme of extreme revenge, and the lengths a man will go to in order to get it, through the use of many literary devices, including irony and symbolism.