Research Paper Hooks

Research Paper Hooks

• 1.
  Introduction to a ResearchPaper Start off with a hook! (However, you can’t use the exact same types of hooks that you might use in a narrative essay). Include any key information you think your reader will need to know in order to understand your topic. Finish with your thesis statement and a “road map” of what your body paragraphs will be about.
• 2.
  Hooks for NarrativeEssay: Start in the middle of the action Start with something shocking Start with something misleading Withhold information to create mystery Introduce a problem Use vivid imagery and description Start with something funny
• 3.
  Hooks for NarrativeEssay: Start in the middle of the action Start with something shocking Start with something misleading Withhold information to create mystery Introduce a problem Use vivid imagery and description Start with something funny These are NOT going to work for a research paper!
• 4.
  Hooks for ResearchPaper: Start with something shocking (possibly startling statistics) Introduce a problem (possibly a thought- provoking question) Use vivid imagery and description Start with interesting background information
• 5.
  Example Hooks Paper Topic:underfunded public schools in the United States. Let’s look at some example hooks for this topic!
• 6.
  “Something Shocking” Paper Topic:underfunded public schools in the United States. “If you are born and raised in the urban areas of Detroit, Michigan, you can expect to attend a public high school that employs armed hall monitors and that requires you to walk through a metal detector at every entrance. You can also expect to see over 30% of the student population not graduating each year.”
• 7.
  “Introduce a Problem” PaperTopic: underfunded public schools in the United States. “Throughout its history, the United States has been depicted as a “land of opportunity” and a land of social mobility where, no matter how poor you are born, you can work hard and become successful. However, if you happen to grow up in a community with poor, underachieving public schools, do you really have this opportunity?”
• 8.
  “Use Vivid Imagery” PaperTopic: underfunded public schools in the United States. “The school bell rings, and the sound of a gunshot, echoing from far down the block, is heard at nearly the same time. Students shove and push their own paths towards the building’s exit, preparing to avoid the roughest streets as they walk home from school. They have homework. They have reading to do and projects to complete. They don’t worry about those things, though, because they have much larger problem to worry about today.”
• 9.
  “Use Background Info” PaperTopic: underfunded public schools in the United States. “In the United States, public schools are largely funded by local property taxes - taxes people pay on their houses. Thus, when schools are located near wealthy communities with big, expensive homes, those schools are well-funded because the property taxes being collected are high. When schools are located in poor communities, there is little income collected from property taxes, and the schools suffer greatly.”
• 10.
  Thesis Remember: your thesisis your main claim + a “road map” of what your body paragraphs will be about. Example thesis for this topic: “The United States government should find a more equitable way to fund public schools because property tax funding causes inconsistency, underfunded schools create inequality of opportunity, and these issues result in the perpetuation of racial class divisions.” CLAIM “ROADMAP”
• 11.
  Thesis Remember: you canmake your thesis two sentences if there is too much information to fit into one sentence. Example thesis for this topic: “The United States government should find a more equitable way to fund public schools. This is justified because property tax funding causes inconsistency, underfunded schools create inequality of opportunity, and these issues result in the perpetuation of racial class divisions.” CLAIM “ROADMAP”