Q: Starting an essay can be one of the most difficult parts of writing an essay. Your students may be tempted to begin with a broad, sweeping introduction, or they start out with something that sounds generic or bland, such as a cliché saying or quote.  Make sure to point to good introduction examples from the model essays you assign so that students will know what you're looking for.  For example, if you read an essay that begins with an interesting anecdote, highlight that in your class discussion of the essay. Ask students how they could integrate something like that into their own essays and have them write an anecdotal intro in class. Or, if you read an essay that starts with a shocking fact or statistic that grabs readers' attention, point this out to your students. Ask them to identify the most shocking fact or statistic related to their essay topic. A thesis statement is the central claim of an essay and it usually appears at the end of the introduction. Make sure to identify the thesis in each of the essays you read with your students so that they will have plenty of models to refer to. Also, make sure to spend time in class going over how to write a thesis statement. For example, you could provide a few model thesis statements that students can use as templates and then ask them to write a thesis for their topic as an in-class activity or have them post it on an online discussion board. Each of the body paragraphs in an expository or argumentative essay should include a claim that is supported by research. This may include things like statistics, results of a study, or quotes by experts. Show your students how to structure their body paragraphs with this information. For example, you could spend a class session going over topic sentences, and then look at how the authors of model essays have used topic sentences to introduce their claims. Then, identify where the author provides support for a claim and how they expand on the source. Students sometimes get in a rush to be done with an essay once they have covered all of their main points, so it is common for conclusions to seem abrupt or awkward. Help students understand the goal of the conclusion by referring to conclusions in the model essays you read with them.  For example, you might direct students to a conclusion in a narrative essay that reflects on the significance of an author's experience. Ask students to write a paragraph where they reflect on the experience they are writing about and turn it in as homework or share it on class discussion board. For an expository or argumentative essay, you might show students conclusions that restate the most important aspect of a topic or that offer solutions for the future. Have students write their own conclusions that restate the most important parts of their subject or that outline some possible solutions to the problem.
A: Provide examples of effective introductions. Explain how to write a strong thesis. Show students how to introduce and support their claims. Give students examples of how to conclude an essay.

Q: Close your eyes to focus on the reporter's voice and inflection. Using their tone, the reporter tells you what is important, what is sad, what is exciting, and what you don't want to miss. It's not so much what they're saying, but how they are saying it.  You might notice that the reporter sounds excited, energized, friendly, or confident. Try writing down some words you would use to describe the reporter's voice. You can use these words for reference when you're practicing. Look at the reporter's body language. Watch how the reporter's face reflects the tone of the story. Look at where the reporter places their hands. Break out the video camera or smart phone and either record video or audio of yourself. Play it back and listen closely. Watch the news and compare your voice to the reporter's. Try not to criticize yourself too harshly. You are comparing yourself to professional newscasters while you are just getting started. Simply compare to see how you can improve. Type up and print a news story that you want to practice reading. Use a font that is 1.5" to 2" tall and in a sans-serif style, such as Arial or Helvetica. This will most accurately reflect the teleprompter type-style. Place the papers on a table across from you and try to read them while moving your eyes as little as possible. You'll often see a reporter with papers in their hand. You practice this way, too. Practice glancing down at your notes and then conveying the story, rather than reading directly from your notes. This is called ad-libbing, and you might see examples of it between two stories or at the end of a story on the news. A reporter might give a brief opinion or make a comment about the story. Come up with a few phrases you can use for a variety of situations so that they sound natural.  For a serious story, you can say something along the lines of, "What a tragic event for the neighborhood," or "Let's hope everyone makes a full recovery." Make it clear that you care about the situation. For a feel good story, you can keep it simple by saying something like, "How fun!" or "That really warms the heart." It's important to stay neutral for political stories. Good examples of comments could include, "This race is really heating up," or "This has been a really exciting story to follow." These comments still give an opinion while remaining neutral.
A:
Watch the news to listen to how reporters sound. Record yourself reading a report to spot your weaknesses. Practice keeping your eyes still while reading from a distance. Be prepared to go off-script from time to time.