Rating Introductions (view)

Summary

This is a collaborative activity where students will rate the strengths and weaknesses of five sample essays based on the conventions of writing effective academic essay as presented in the course text and class lectures. Previous training should consider the various type of introductions present in the discipline such as inverted triangle, paradox, narrative, minding the gap, and interrogative/asking a question. Students read each introduction individually in their groups and then have a discussion on the merits of each based on previously established criteria, rating each essay from a one to a five with one represent the highest quality. Afterwards, the class can collectively discuss the results.