The effect of music on people with autism

Unit 12, Assembling the Draft

Paragraphs Assembling the final paper should proceed outward from where you left off in the previous assignment. You should have between five and ten paragraphs ready to go, even if some of them still reside in your imagination. Work towards the introduction and conclusion. As you move from one paragraph to the next, remember to revisit your transitions between paragraphs, to make the reading smoother and more engaging. Conclusion Read this excerpt from Purdue University’s OWL site about writing a good conclusion: It is important to have a strong conclusion, since this is the last chance you have to make an impression on your reader. The goal of your conclusion isn’t to introduce any new ideas, but to sum up everything you’ve written. Specifically, your conclusion should accomplish three major goals:

• Restate the main idea of your essay, or your thesis statement • Summarize the . . . sub-points of your essay • Leave the reader with an interesting final impression

The paragraph below is an example conclusion. As you read, think about what each sentence accomplishes within the paragraph. What sentence(s) restates the essay’s thesis statement? What sentence(s) summarizes the essay’s three sub-points? What sentence(s) leaves the reader with an interesting final impression? Getting a better job is a goal that I would really like to accomplish in the next few years. Finishing school will take me a long way to meeting this goal. To meet my goal, I will also prepare my résumé and search for jobs. My goal may not be an easy one to achieve, but things that are worth doing are often not easy. Notice that the first sentence restates the thesis. The second and third sentences summarize the essay’s sub-points. Finally, the fourth sentence leaves the reader with an interesting final impression. Introduction Finally, compose your introduction. Think about an introduction that involves the reader – t hat makes them want to continue to the next paragraph. This is the ‘hook’ so common to pop songs. In professional songwriting, we have about 30 seconds to ‘set’ that hook. Try to do it even more quickly in an essay. Read here, from the University of Maryland: http://www.umuc.edu/current-students/learning-resources/writing-center/writing-resources/parts-of- an-essay/introductions.cfm?noprint=true Don’t sweat the fine writing in your intro. Instead, let your writing appeal to the human brain’s desire to know what happens next. Use your imagination now to its fullest extent. Make us want to turn the page. The introduction is usually the hardest part to write, unless your previous assignments have given you a clue to how the intro must work. It may take you several different starts to find the right ‘tone’ your introduction needs. Good luck! I will review your draft and post some criticism for the second attempt.