Here is a sample introduction (from Luke Inman). Note the lead, background information and thesis here:
According to Child Soldiers.org, there are 197 countries using child soldiers to fight their wars. Ishmael Beah is one of the hundreds of children captured each year and forced to fight for a militia. A Long Way Gone, the memoir about Ishmael Beah captured by the rebels in Sierra Leone is a compelling tale of survival. His rough road back to normal life forces him to slaughter innocent people and doing hardcore drugs. Even though the rebels are making him do all these terrible things, he manages to break free from it all and survive. Ishmael continually relates to readers throughout this book. His daring, courageous, and humorous attitude makes me empathize with his life.



Download a copy of the essay assignment here:
Before you begin, please download a copy of the graphic organizer:
You may find this site helpful to find characteristics: http://cte.jhu.edu/techacademy/web/2000/kochan/charactertraits.html

Please download an outline form for the essay. You do not need to write right into it, but your paragraphs should have all the components within here:





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