Essay Introductions + Vocabulary Triangle

Teach your class how to make the introduction to the essay look like an authentic photograph of the moment, culminating in a roadmap that sets up the entire essay. The topic here explored is Charlemagne, but it could be any person, place, thing, or idea that you want the class to tackle. Again, it becomes a template that is flexible and whose design inspires specific details to support the presentation. A recipe for confidence and success.

The "Vocabulary Triangle" is not so much a writing trick as a means to show your students the importance of reading. In my classes, I would have them walk up to the board and write a word that they would never say, hear others saying, or include in their writing, but would recognize and understand it if they saw it in a piece of worthwhile writing. Nothing fancy or obscure, but a word that one day they will be able to drop into a conversation without hesitation. It is so much fun to actually see if they can achieve that before the end of the school year. Try it.