High School Instructional Support Materials for Writing:

A Model 4-Week Course

Strategies for Conclusions

A Writer may end with

• an echo from the beginning of the piece-alluding to the introduction of the essay (not a repetition!)

• a quotation-dialogue-using the exact words of an expert or conversation

• an anecdote/scenario- a short description of a situation or story that reiterates or illustrates the point

• an interesting fact-using a piece of factual information

• a prediction-a statement of what may result from the situation discussed in the writing

• a question- asking a question as a means to stimulate further thought for the reader

• a call to action- asking the reader to take an action as a result of the points in the writing

• a generalization from given information- drawing conclusions from points made in the paper that can be generalized to other situations

• a self-reflection- self examination to encourage the reader to connect to the ideas

• a response to a “so what?” question- an explanation of why the points made are important

• a combination of the above list- Many great writers use a combination of strategies to increase impact.