Comprised of a hook and a thesis, the INTRO paragraph introduces your argument.  It is the most important part of your essay.  Treat it like the only paragraph that the grader will read for sure.

HOOK

A hook grabs the grader's attention with a controversial statement, a quote, or a specific fact (like a historical date or figure).

THESIS

This is a one-sentence outline of your argument.  It should be CLEARLY STATED AT THE END OF YOUR INTRO PARAGRAPH.

Your thesis states whether you agree or disagree with the prompt, and identifies three examples that justify your choice.  After reading this sentence once, the grader should know your stance on the prompt and your examples that support it.