'Start Smart' Intro Strategy

Students think introductions are about starting the essay. But what they really need to do is situate it—anchoring the reader in a moment that matters so they're 'hooked' to keep reading.

Most intro strategies fail because they focus on gimmicks: random quotes, dictionary definitions, surprise statistics disconnected from the argument. The result? Openings that feel hollow and formulaic.

The 'Start Smart' Intro Strategy flips that. Instead of writing an introduction, students create a Context Infographic—a visual representation of the forces, conditions, and stakes surrounding their issue. This activity isolates the hardest part of intro writing (establishing context and relevance) and makes it concrete, visual, and impossible to fake.

What students learn:

• How to establish why this topic matters now (not just what the topic is)
• How to move from broad background info to urgent, grounded context
• How to situate their argument in the real world, not in essay-land

What you get:

• Full teaching guide with examples and student-facing templates
• A strategy that builds intro-writing skills without requiring a full draft
• A format that transfers directly to written introductions when they're ready

Strong introductions don't start essays. They orient readers. This strategy teaches students the difference.