Hello, and welcome to the lesson.

Thank you for joining me.

I'm Mrs. Butterworth, and I'll be guiding you through the learning today, and we will be focusing on how to write introductions and conclusions in essays, because we want the starts and the ends of our responses to be just as impactful as the rest.

So, let's get started.

So, by the end of the lesson, you will be able to use a three-part structure to create an effective introduction and conclusion.

So, before we begin the lesson, there are a few key words that we need to look at just to help with our understanding.

These are "timeless," "overarching," "thesis," and "complicit." Read the definitions.

You may want to pause the video to give yourself time to do this.

I'm sure you will spot these throughout our lesson.

So, the outline of our lesson looks like this, so it's called, "Introductions and conclusions," so we'll start with introductions, and we'll finish with conclusions.

So, let's begin very logically with introductions.

So, the best introductions follow a three-part structure and move from the general to specific ideas.

The best way to think about this is like a triangle.

So, we have our big ideas at the top, and then you can see how it narrows down to the specific.

So, there are three sections that you should aim to include in your introductions, and they are as follows.

So, your first sentence should be a sentence about the whole text, so something general about, "Animal Farm." The next sentence should start to narrow the focus, and this should be focused on the theme or character that's referenced in the question, and then, finally, our specific part, we're thinking about a thesis statement.

So, look at our triangle.

"Can you identify the sections of our three part structure?" Excellent.

Some of you were so quick at identifying those.

So, let's just go through the answers.

So, our first point is our sentence about the whole text, our general, then a sentence narrowing that focus down to the character or theme from the question, and then our thesis statement.

Well done, everyone.

Okay, so now what we're gonna do is we're gonna look at an example of a three-part introduction using this structure.

So, let's see how that looks.

So, our first general comment about the text as a whole goes like this.

"The novella 'Animal Farm' is a profound critique "of totalitarian regimes." Now, with these general sentences, you might find that you can adapt and use these for a number of responses.

You don't always have to think of something new and original for every essay.

So, beginning your introduction with, "The novella 'Animal Farm.

'" allows you to have something to start those essays with.

Then, we've got our sentence focusing on a theme or character, so, in this case, it's Squealer.

"Through Squealer's persuasive rhetoric and propaganda, "he is able to manipulate and exploit the other animals," and then we have our thesis statement.

Now, our thesis statement is all about that overarching argument, so you'll see here how I link that to Orwell's purpose.

So, "Orwell, through Squealer's speeches, "aims to explore the power of language "and its role in maintaining power and hierarchies." So, you can see how that thesis statement really effectively sets up my argument in that introduction.

We are now going to look at another model introduction.

However, this time, we're just going to focus on those first two sections and how we can write those effectively.

So, here is the question we're going to use to practise.

"How does Orwell use Snowball to explore the ideas "of leadership in 'Animal Farm'?" So, now, we have that question in our minds.

Let's just read through the introduction together.

"Orwell's allegorical novella explores "the nuances of leadership and power dynamics.

"Through Snowball's intellect and decisive actions, "he becomes a powerful figure on the farm, "however, his idealism could be considered problematic.

"Through the character of Snowball, "Orwell delves into the complexities and challenges "inherent in leadership, prompting readers "to question the nature of power." So, as we know, our first sentence should say something general about the text as a whole, so this could be linked to a theme or just generally introduce the novella.

So, you will see here that I've used this other phrase, "Orwell's allegorical novella explores," and like I said earlier, you can almost replicate the same phrase in your introductions throughout different essays.

So, here's some other example sentence starters, so you could say something like, "Orwell's 1945 satirical novella, 'Animal Farm,' "is essentially about.

." "Orwell's allegorical novel explores.

." "The novella, 'Animal Farm,' is fundamentally about," so you could always pick your favourite sentence starter, and use this to start your introductions across multiple essays.

So, we know that that this second section should start to narrow our focus, and we know that the question is on Snowball and leadership.

So, we can see these characters, this character being referenced here.

We've got Snowball, and then we've got this idea about his vision of leadership, so it has to be relevant to the question, and it has to start narrowing that focus.

Okay, "Which one of the following is not true "when writing effective introductions?" Well done, everyone that noticed it was B.

Yes, absolutely.

"The second sentence should include a thesis statement." This is not true.

Our introduction should include the thesis statement, but that second sentence is all about narrowing that focus and focusing on the character or theme from the question.

We are now going to use that model introduction to look at the thesis statement, so that final part of the introduction.

Before we do that, let's just remind ourselves of the question.

So, the question is, "How does Orwell use Snowball "to explore ideas of leadership in, 'Animal Farm'?" It's really important to keep the question in the back of your mind, because it will really help steer your essay, and help you to focus all of your essay on the key parts of that question.

So, let's look at this thesis statement.

So, it says here, "Through the character of Snowball, "Orwell delves into the complexities and challenges "inherent in leadership, prompting readers to question "the nature of power." So, your thesis should present your overarching argument, so the key idea you want to explore in your essay.

So, here we know that the question is all about Snowball and leadership, but we're drilling down into that a bit more, because we want to look at how Orwell explores complexities and how he uses leadership to explore ideas of power.

So, this thesis statement is allowing us to then develop it further and further through the essay.

Also, in your thesis statement, you should reference the writer's purpose.

So, you will see here I reference Orwell by name.

So, what is he trying to do through that character? If you are struggling to come up with a thesis statement, I always think it's a good idea to break down the big question into some smaller ones.

So, in this sentence, with Snowball and leadership, I'm thinking, "Why does Orwell present Snowball "as intelligent and dedicated, "and what issues does Orwell hint at?" So, you can see here, Orwell presents snowball to delve into the complexities and challenges of leadership, so he shows the different styles, and he hints at this idealism and this inherent power that all leaders have.

So, just breaking that question down into smaller ones can really help that.

Now, another thing that can be done when writing thesis statements is to use a complex sentence with a fronted subordinate clause.

Now, this sounds very complex, but I will show you how, an easy way to do that in your work.

So, it's just by this phrase, "Through the," so you can say "Through the presentation of.

." "Orwell warns his audience that.

." "Through Snowball, Orwell asks the crucial question.

." "Through this theme, Orwell illustrates that.

." So, using that phrase at the start, our fronted subordinate clause, just allows you to make some interesting comments in your thesis statement, and, again, learning some of these phrases is a really good idea to help you when you are writing future responses, True or false time.

"Using a complex sentence with a fronted subordinate clause "is a good way to start your thesis statement." Well done to everyone that said true.

Some of you were very quick there.

Now, let's justify your answer.

Well done, everyone that noticed it was B.

That's a bit of a tricky one, actually, because the example previously was, "Through the presentation of.

." However, here, we've used, "In the presentation of.

." Both are absolutely fine in formulating those fronted subordinate clauses.

Well done to everyone that noticed that.

So, now it's over to you.

So, you are going to write your own introduction based on the following question, "How does Orwell use Napoleon to explore ideas "around the corruption of power?" Make sure you're using that three-part structure that we have looked at, and think back to all those interesting phrases and ideas that we've explored so far in the lesson.

I will put some sentence starters on the board to help you.

So, these are your sentence starters.

Pause the video, so you have plenty of time to write this introduction, and I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Off you go.

Well done, everyone.

That was really great.

I heard lots of you really grappling with that idea of a thesis statement, so that is fantastic.

Now, just remember, the more you practise these, the easier it will become.

You will just be able to write a three-part introduction without giving it too much thought.

So, just check your own work.

"Have you included a sentence about the whole text "that references a keyword in the question?" So, in this case, you might be linking to corruption or power.

"A sentence focusing on the theme or the character," so somewhere in that second sentence, we should see the name, "Napoleon," pop up, and then your thesis statement, "Have you come up with an overarching argument "that links to Orwell's purpose?" So, for example, for this question, you might say, "Orwell explores ideas around power, "and how it is gained and maintained "through corruption and exploitation." So, a lot of different ways that you could reference that question.

So, we have reached the second part of our lesson.

Well done.

So, as I said at the start, we're moving very logically through the lesson.

So, we've started with introductions, which means we will end with conclusions.

So, now, we are going to look at conclusions.

So, a conclusion is actually the opposite to an introduction, so a conclusion moves from the specific to the general.

So, again, it's a triangle, but it's upside down compared to the introduction one.

So, what this means is that first sentence is really specific to your response.

So, you will give a sentence to summarise what you have said, a sentence to summarise your arguments from the essay.

Then, you will offer an evaluative comment about Orwell's writing or Orwell's purpose, before, finally, you will give a sentence about what the text teaches us or gets us to think about.

So, again, linking to those big ideas in the text and Orwell's purpose.

So, a much bigger, less specific idea.

Okay, over to you.

So, we have our triangle here.

"Can you identify the sections of the three-part structure?" Well done, everyone.

Let's just go through those answers.

So, first part, our specific part of the triangle.

is a sentence to summarise what you have said, so it focuses on your response.

Then, we're going to offer an evaluative comment based on Orwell's writing or themes, and then we're going to move on to a sentence about what the text teaches us or gets us to think about.

Well done, everyone.

We're doing really well.

So, now we're gonna use that triangle just to look at an example of a conclusion.

So, our sentence to summarise what we have said, "Ultimately, Squealer serves as a representation "of how powerful propaganda can be "in the manipulation of societies." So, by looking at this first sentence of the conclusion, I can pretty much guess that the whole essay is about Squealer, propaganda, and manipulation, without even reading it, because this conclusion uses that summary sentence to really summarise those main ideas in the essay.

Then, we have an an evaluative comment, "Orwell effectively employs Squealer "to reveal the methods of control "that totalitarian regimes use to gain power," so you can see that evaluative comment there, "effectively employs," and, again, a comment on what Orwell is doing with that character, so "Orwell's purpose," and then, finally, the last sentence, which is always my favourite, so, "Therefore, Orwell offers a timeless message "about the dangers of unchecked power and control," so that last sentence should be something general about the text.

It should be really impactful, and using phrases like, "timeless," or, "universal," can really help that.

Okay, so, now, it's time for a quick check for understanding.

"Can you identify and label "the three parts of this conclusion?" Well done, everyone.

There were some really speedy responses there, which is incredible.

So, let's just check through those answers.

So, A is our sentence to summarise what you have said.

So, we have that, "consequently," there, that conclusive discourse marker to introduce our summary sentence and our whole conclusion.

Then, our next part of the conclusion is an evaluative comment, because we have that phrase there, "Orwell cleverly uses Boxer," so that evaluative word cleverly there, and then, finally, my favourite sentence in the conclusion, a sentence about what the text teaches us or gets us to think about, that last impactful sentence.

So, here, we've got, "In conclusion, Orwell offers a timeless "and universal message about the importance "of equality in society." So, we can see how that final sentence really leaves a lasting impression with our reader.

Well done, everyone.

Let's keep going.

We're now going to look at a model conclusion, and just really think about how we can go about writing each of those sections.

So, let's just read it together first.

"Ultimately, Old Major highlights "the injustice faced by the working class.

"Undoubtedly, Old Major is used by Orwell "to force the reader to consider their position in society "and how they treat others.

"Therefore, he makes his audience consider "the universal importance of equality and social, "equality and equal treatment, "regardless of social or economic status, "positing that everyone deserves "basic human rights and respect." Now, that first sentence, a good way to start this is to try using some conclusive discourse markers.

So, here, I've used, "ultimately," but you could use, "consequently," "in conclusion," or, "fundamentally," and using this discourse marker is a really nice way to signal to your reader that this is the last paragraph of your essay, and that second sentence is all about evaluation.

So, we're really thinking about Orwell's use of language, his themes, so using those phrases like, "effectively," "successfully," or, "undoubtedly," is a really good way to show that you are evaluating.

So, here, we've used, "Undoubtedly, Old Major "is used by Orwell." So, you can see I've linked it to Orwell's purpose, as well as being evaluative, and then, that final sentence, which I always enjoy writing, because this should be really impactful and comment on Orwell's overarching themes and purpose.

So, again, those words like, "timeless," and, "universal," can really help support this comment.

So, here, we've got, "Therefore, he makes the audience consider "the universal importance of equality and equal treatment, "regardless of social or economic status." So, we can see this kind of general sentence about the whole text, and how it, like, leaves the reader with something to think about.

Okay, question time.

"Which one of these is not," so we're looking for the one that is not, "a conclusive discourse marker." Well done, everyone that said it was B, "initially." Now, "initially," is a discourse marker, but it isn't a conclusive discourse marker, so the key word here is, "conclusive." "Initially," would happen at the start of your essay or to start a point, so it isn't suitable for our conclusions.

Well done to everyone that noticed that.

Okay, so we have reached our second and final practise task.

Now, similar to what we have done, but this time we are going to focus on conclusions.

So, you are going to write a conclusion, and we're going to use the same question as before.

So, a reminder of that question, "How does Orwell use Napoleon "to explore ideas around the corruption of power?" So, remember to use that three-part structure and I will put some sentence starters to help you.

You may also wish to look back at your introduction from task A, so looking back at your introduction will just help you to imagine what your essay will be, and what that conclusion will look like.

So, I'm looking forward to reading these conclusions.

Okay, so, I'm gonna put your sentence starters here, pause the video, so you have plenty of time to write that beautiful conclusion.

Well done, everyone.

I have some lovely, impactful sentences there.

I really love that use of, "timeless," or, "universal," to really deliver that final sentence.

So, let's just check through your own answers.

So, "Have you included a lovely summary sentence "that summarises your main ideas "and uses conclusive discourse markers?" "Does your second sentence in your conclusion "make an evaluative comment?" So, look for those phrases like, "undoubtedly," "effectively," and, "successfully," and then, finally, "Does it include an impactful "closing sentence that focuses on the text as a whole?" So, you're really thinking about those overarching themes and purpose.

We have reached the end of the lesson.

Thank you so much for your hard work today.

Keep practising these introductions and conclusions.

They will really elevate your essays, because it's just such a lovely way to engage our reader at the start, and really leave them with something to think about.

So, really, really good work.

Okay, so, let's just remind ourselves of everything we have learned this lesson.

So, an introduction and conclusion should follow a three part structure.

An excellent introduction to start should start with a general statement about the text.

An introduction should then have a more specific statement about the focus of the question, followed by a thesis, and a thesis statement should include a clear, overarching argument, referring to the writer's purpose, and then, finally, our conclusions, they should summarise, evaluate, and consider the timeless nature of the text.

Again, excellent work, everyone.

Really appreciate it, and I hope to see you in another lesson very soon.

So, until then, goodbye.