AP Essay Introductions and Conclusions

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AP Essay Introductions and Conclusions

• L.J. Perales

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INTRODUCTIONS

• The Ultimate How-To

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The Importance of an Introduction

• The introduction is the first impression your
  reader gets of your writing quality.
• You want your readers to know the direction
  youre going and follow easily.
• A captivating, well-planned introduction will
  give your reader a sense of confidence for the
  essay and better receive what you have to say.

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Essentials of the Introduction

• Make Readers Interested
• Use SOAPT
• Introduce Argument or Topic
• Write Your Thesis Statement
• Introduce Essays Organizational Structure

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Make Readers Interested

• Begin by incorporating a relevant/essential
  quotation from primary or secondary texts.
• Provide pertinent background information in
  well-constructed prose.
• Present a controversial issue up front, before
  introducing a topic.

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Identify SOAPT

• Breakdown
• Subject
• Occasion
• Audience
• Purpose
• Tone
• Avoid using the aforementioned terms directly.

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Introduce the Argument or Topic

• Provide necessary definitions or explanations of
  argument or topic.
• Add relevant background information that is
  necessary for your reader.
• Consider incorporating a quotation from a primary
  or secondary text which lends to an understanding
  of your essay.

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Write Your Thesis Statement

• This is one to two sentences that state the
  purpose of your essay
• States the topic
• States the point you are going to make
• Your thesis does NOT include personal statements.
• Your thesis is direct, concise, and clear.

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Introduce Essays Organizational Pattern

• Briefly introduce the points that will be
  explored.
• Introduce the points in the order in which they
  will be discussed.
• This gives a direction or blueprint for your
  paper.

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CONCLUSIONS

• The Ultimate How-To

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Importance of a Conclusion

• This is the last impression of your writing that
  a reader is left with.
• A good conclusion will address all concepts
  explored in an essay, giving the reader a sense
  of completion.
• You only have one chance to leave off on a solid
  note this is where you hit it home!

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Writing Different Types of Conclusion

• Your conclusion will vary given the purpose of
  your essay. For AP Prompts, you will encounter
  three types
• The Synthesis Essay
• The Argument/Persuasive Essay
• The Analytical Essay
• Conclusions for personal narratives vary
  drastically from formal essay writing for our
  purposes, we will explore the three essential AP
  prompts.

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The Synthesis Essay Conclusion

• Restate topic and its importance.
• Restate your thesis in varying words.
• Briefly summarize each of your essays points (no
  more than a sentence for each).
• Consider incorporating a key quotation from one
  of the primary texts which cements your
  standpoint.
• When necessary, call for action or research
  possibilities.

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The Argument/Persuasive Essay Conclusion

• Restate topic and its importance.
• Briefly address opposing viewpoints
• Restate your thesis in varying words.
• Remind readers of your essays points.
• Use language that urges the reader to agree with
  your position.
• When necessary, call for action or research
  possibilities.

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The Analytical Essay Conclusion

• Comment on the big picture of the essay you are
  analyzing bring it back into context.
• Briefly summarize the techniques employed by the
  author that you explored in your paper, but do
  not give specifics.
• Write a conclusive statement that reflects on the
  piece as youve perceived it.

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AP Essay Introductions and Conclusions

• Student Writing Samples

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The Synthesis Essay Prompt
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Synthesis Essay Introduction

• Can a mind learn under bounds? With such
  strict rules in schools today, children are
  facing bounds which strip them of their
  individuality. Therefore, which is more
  important conformity or individuality? To
  succeed, we need freedom we need to be able to
  exercise and stretch to our reach. Rules that
  constrict us into tight spots are killing
  childrens desires to learn. Uniforms, tight
  schedules, mandatory classes, and dress codes are
  all taking away a childs right to learn freely.
  Individuality is more important than conformity
  and this individuality needs to be recognized by
  school systems.

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Synthesis Essay Conclusion

• When bound, how can one move or do anything?
  They cannot. This is what schools are doing
  they are binding childrens minds by not allowing
  them to think on their own. School systems need
  to let the children go, set them free. No more
  dress codes or mandatory classes. Students must
  be allowed to study what they want as they choose
  and dress as they prefer. It is time to free the
  students to think to their full limits.

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The Argument/Persuasion Essay Prompt
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Argument/Persuasion Essay Introduction

• When the last time that anyone claimed that
  television was represents real life? When has
  television, in general, ever been touted as a way
  to become more familiar with ones own position
  in the rat race of life? If this were the true
  purpose of media, SpongeBob would spend his days
  fighting insurance lawsuits, Dr. Phil would
  interview normal, middle-aged couch-potatoes, and
  Indiana Jones would spend his days cataloguing
  pottery fragments. Ehrenreich is right to call
  the world inside the black box eerie and
  unnatural it was never intended to be anything
  else.

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Argument/Persuasion Essay Conclusion

• Television, as well as most things, is best
  taken in moderation. Too much of it may turn an
  intelligent individual into a slovenly
  couch-potato. Despite this, television has
  certainly done more good than bad, while
  recognizing that it does have the potential for
  both. In the end, the effect that television has
  on society is determined by the viewer. I choose
  what I expose myself to, what I watch, what I
  think, what I believe thus, I, not anyone else,
  choose whether television is something eerie and
  unnatural or a harmless diversion. Why do we
  keep on watching? Because it is our choice to
  make, and our decision whether or not to be
  influenced by what we see.

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The Analytical Essay Prompt
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Analytical Introduction

• In The Indispensable Opposition, Walter
  Lippmann asserts that the freedoms we have fought
  to give ourselves, those of opinion and speech,
  exist only because the existence of many views
  allows your own to evolve. Lippmann takes a
  disparaging attitude towards those who champion
  these rights on the basis that all deserve them,
  and instead points out to the reader how they,
  along with everyone else, could be lacking if
  those rights were not freely distributed.
  Persuasive speech, choice diction, appeals to
  tradition and logic all contribute to Lippmanns
  ability to fully develop his argument.

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Analytical Conclusion

• Through an assertive voice, Lippmann
  continually supports his premise that liberty
  comes through toleration. Lippmanns awareness
  of argumentative techniques is evidenced by his
  persuasive language, specific word choice, and
  his rhetorical appeals. By stating the opposing
  viewpoint from the very beginning, that freedom
  is a noble gift rather than a need, Lippmann
  allows himself to launch a trade against this
  view that lasts the entirety of his piece.

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AP Essay Introductions and Conclusions

• L.J. Perales