How Do I Begin?

He has half the deed done who has made a beginning.

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Ahhh...the beginning...the achilles heel of all writers. It doesn't matter if you are writing a story, a poem, a business letter, or a research paper, the hardest part always seems to be the how to begin. For me, I am convinced that the first sentence or two needs to be the most fabulous piece of writing I have ever created...and that stress induces the worst kind of writer's block. Part of the problem for me is that when I get ready to begin writing, I have sooooo many ideas in my head that I can't sort out the one that should get that premier spot at the beginning...The other problem, I believe, is the fault of my high school creative writing teacher who constantly extolled the importance of the well-crafted lead. The good news for you is that you are writing a research paper and the lead is, well, just the beginning.

You could start with a little history lesson:

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004 required that all students receiving special education services begin transition services at the age of 16.

From there the writer may discuss how that law impacted the delivery of services in American high schools.

You could start with a need statement:

At some point, every teacher will encounter a student that exhibits a challenging behavior.

or

Teachers everywhere want their students to be independent thinkers, to reflect before they respond, to stick it out through higher-level inquiry problems, to consider options cooperatively, to apply their knowledge, and to take risks with their thoughts.

or

From the time we are born, we depend on others to show us right from wrong, up from down.

From there you could begin discussing strategies that address that need.

You could start with a metaphor or analogy and its explanation:

Motivating students can be easily compared to building a fire. It is not simply the "passing of the torch" of inspiration from one individual to another, but building a construct on which reading growth can be built and sustained.

From here you could begin talking about how teachers go about doing that.

When considering how to begin your paper, think about why you wanted to work with this topic to begin with. For example, are you working with ELLs and want to know strategies that work? Then maybe you could start with a statement about the changing face of the American classroom and how teaching needs to change as well. To begin, think back to your beginning and ask yourself why you chose the topic. This may lead you to a way to begin your paper.

I have known some people that feel more comfortable leaving the beginning for the end. They start their writing with the themes that they have chosen, writing each theme as its own piece. Once they have written their themes, they go back and work on how they want to transition between them, and then finally write the introduction and conclusion. If you have been staring at your computer for hours trying to come up with the perfect beginning, this might be a good strategy for you.

One request...please don't start with a question. That's a strategy we teach students when they are writing narrative prose, but it doesn't really work with research papers.

As Oliver Wendell Holmes said, half of the deed is done once you've gotten the beginning. If you are like me, once you get the first paragraph figured out, the rest comes much more easily. I wish you all a wonderful beginning.

P.S. Thank you to the CADRE group from last year for letting me use their work as examples above.