Prentice, Dan (English: Writing 6)

4/22 through 4/26

This week we are writing introductory paragraphs for the Invention Convention papers. The kids will work on these in my class. No homework. If you would like to help your child catch up at home, then here’s a recap of where they should be. At this point, each kid should have a paper with a heading and three body paragraphs. The body paragraphs don’t have titles, and they should be in the order of history, science, and then math. We are just now writing the introductory paragraph that will go before the history paragraph. Each paragraph has had comments made for revision from each teacher. All revisions for body paragraphs should be made by the end of this week, but if the paper needs more work, the kids are welcome to keep putting in effort. Each body paragraph should have had at least one works cited entry after them. These works cited entries can be pushed to the bottom of the document.

Introductory paragraphs will be completed in class Tuesday and Wednesday. Please don’t do this at home because your child will have nothing to do for an entire hour and forty minute block in my class. I am providing fill in the blank models for thesis statements and tons of notes and examples. If they are not done by Tuesday and Wednesday, I can work with children after school Thursday and in Study Hall to complete the intro.

Notes on Introductory Paragraphs for Invention Convention Papers 

Hook: The Archimedes screw is a beautifully simple water lifter that has been used for over two millennia (Shappy). 

Bridge: The invention of the Archimedes screw, or screw pump, is credited with Archimedes, a Greek inventor from the city of Syracuse (“Archimedes Screw”). The screw pump uses many complex formulas to make the most efficient screw (Shappy). The screw pump also has many scientific relatives, such as screws and worm gears. 

Thesis: The Archimedes screw is an incredible invention which has loads of historical significance, useful scientific ties, and complex mathematical elements. 

We want to connect the hook to the thesis with our bridge.  

 Putting the whole introduction together:  

     The Archimedes screw is a beautifully simple water lifter that has been used for over two millennia (Shappy). The invention of the Archimedes screw, or screw pump, is credited with Archimedes, a Greek inventor from the city of Syracuse (“Archimedes Screw”). The screw pump uses many complex formulas to make the most efficient screw (Shappy). The screw pump also has many scientific relatives, such as screws and worm gears. The Archimedes screw is an incredible invention which has loads of historical significance, complex mathematical elements, and useful scientific ties. 

     The earliest bikes lacked pedals and brakes, but they have evolved to be able to glide across land at speeds sometimes above 100 Mph (“Cycling Performance Simplified”). There was a large gap between the time when the bicycle was first drawn, and when it was put into a tangible form. Past skilled and famous inventors have struggled to master the complex systems of the bicycle and most advancements came in small increments. Math and science have been employed to turn the bicycle into the modern, enhanced version people see today. Through its history, math, and science, the bicycle has proven to be one of the most revolutionary inventions in the field of transportation. 

     It might not sound like much, but a steamboat carrying passengers of the 19th century at a speed of five miles per hour was considered fast. In 1807, Robert Fulton made the first successful steamboat. Even after that, people wanted to improve it through math and science to make it safe and more efficient, such as moving materials into different spaces in the 20-foot-long boilers. The steamboat was a invention that advanced the field of transportation as shown by its history and how it relates to math and science (“steamboat”). 

 Let’s begin with our hooks.  

 The hook needs to grab the reader’s attention by mentioning an interesting fact or presenting an interesting idea related to your topic.   

Hook: The earliest bikes lacked pedals and brakes, but they have evolved to be able to glide across land at speeds sometimes above 100 Mph (“Cycling Performance Simplified”). 

Hook: The Archimedes screw is a beautifully simple water lifter that has been used for over two millennia (Shappy). 

Hook: It might not sound like much, but a steamboat carrying passengers of the 19th century at a speed of five miles per hour was considered fast. 

You actually wrote a hook already for Acker’s paragraph. Look at them now. Share for tickets.  

What’s another interesting fact or idea about your invention?   

 Bridges:  

Since we discuss the history, science, and math related to the invention in the thesis, this is what we are “bridging” to.  

These basic facts should lead us to the thesis from our hooks.    

Bridge: The invention of the Archimedes screw, or screw pump, is credited with Archimedes, a Greek inventor from the city of Syracuse (“Archimedes Screw”). The screw pump also has many scientific relatives, such as screws and worm gears. The screw pump uses many complex formulas to make the most efficient screw (Shappy).  

Bridge: There was a large gap between the time when the bicycle was first drawn, and when it was put into a tangible form. Past skilled and famous inventors have struggled to master the complex systems of the bicycle and most advancements came in small increments. Math and science have been employed to turn the bicycle into the modern, enhanced version people see today. 

Bridge: In 1807, Robert Fulton made the first successful steamboat. Even after that, people wanted to improve it through math and science to make it safe and more efficient, such as moving materials into different spaces in the 20-foot-long boilers. 

So, mention some basic facts about your invention that may relate to history, science, and math (history should be covered easily by mentioning the invention date etc.). Many of you will simply mention a historical fact about the invention, and then mention how science and math have been used to improve the invention. Give the reader the basic information they need to understand your invention. Pretend they are clueless about this topic and you have to explain things in simple terms. 

Thesis Statements 

Our thesis statements will be something like this: “By looking at the history, science, and math involved in a _______, one can see that this is an invention that changed the world.” 

The thesis needs to mention history, math, and then science in that order since this is the order of the body paragraphs in your paper. It also needs to mention that your invention had an impact on something. Examples would include saying that bicycles impacted transportation, chips impacted the way people snack, and vacuums influenced the way people clean.  

Examples from previous papers:  

Thesis: Through its history, science, and math, the bicycle has proven to be one of the most revolutionary inventions in the field of transportation. 

Thesis: The steamboat was an invention that advanced the field of transportation as shown by its history and how it relates to science and math (“Steamboat”). 

Thesis: The Archimedes screw is an incredible invention which has loads of historical significance, useful scientific ties, and complex mathematical elements. 

 Now, write your own thesis by using one of the examples. Bolded words can be changed to words of your choice.  

Examples with blanks to fill in your inventions and create your own thesis statements: 

Thesis: Through its history, science, and math, the ________ has proven to be one of the most revolutionary inventions in the field of _____________. 

Thesis: The _____________ was an invention that advanced the field of ____________ as shown by its history and how it relates to science and math. 

Thesis: The _______________ is a ___________ invention which has loads of historical significance, useful scientific ties, and complex mathematical elements. 

Ten-minute timer.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a link to the book we put together to showcase the 2019 Short Story Finalists.

http://online.fliphtml5.com/jpuvj/uevn/?1554841864592