Thesis Statements Develop an effective controlling idea Warm

Thesis Statements Develop an effective controlling idea.

Warm Up Consider the essential question of the unit : What were the political, economic, and social motivations that contributed to the extreme actions taken by the United States, Germany, and Japan during WWII? Then read the short article in your academic notebook and answer the question that follows.

Defining a Thesis A thesis is a specific statement that establishes the main topic for the essay and lists the ideas, points, and details that are discussed throughout the rest of the essay. You can also think of a thesis as a statement that is making a claim about something. Another way of thinking of a thesis is as the “controlling idea. ” These ideas, points, and details can also be called subtopics. It is a topic sentence that comes at the end of the first paragraph of an essay. Historical essays actually can have thesis as the first sentence. Now let’s look at some examples!

Example #1 Robin Williams once said, “Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!'” Depending on the region of the country the four seasons can bring about a variety of reactions. The spring season creates positive reactions because the flowers are blooming, the weather is warmer, and there are more hours of daylight.

Example #2 Isn’t it ironic that the firehouse burned down and the police station was robbed? Our lives are full of paradoxes just like these. The examples of situational irony found within the short story “The Ransom of Red Chief” are the hostage enjoys being kidnapped, the hostage mistreats the kidnappers, and the kidnappers pay the parents a ransom to take the hostage back.

Example #3 Global warming is leading to widespread extinction of species and massive crop failures. It’s up to humans to make the necessary changes to protect the earth. Some causes of global warming are the burning of fossil fuels, methane emissions, and deforestation.

Example #4 Manifest Destiny is defined as the 19 th century belief that expanding the United States was inevitable and justified. The people of the newly created United States believed that the land was theirs for the taking. People’s belief in Manifest Destiny was demonstrated by the acquisition of Oregon, the Gold Rush of 1849, and the Mexican-American War.

Purpose of a Thesis Statement A thesis statement informs the reader of the points discussed in the essay and aligns the rest of the paragraphs in the essay. A controlling idea presents a clear purpose that is maintained throughout the response. The next set of slides will show us how ideas are put together to form a thesis statement.

Example #1 Sample Thesis: Some household pets in America are dogs, cats, and ferrets. Topic: Household Pets in America Subtopics: dogs, cats, gerbils, ferrets, hamsters

Example #2 Sample Thesis: The United States offers many great resources such as health care, high quality education, and well-organized cities. Topic: the United States offers many great resources Subtopics: health care, high quality education, and wellorganized cities

Example #3 Sample Thesis: Cigarette smoking harms the body by constricting the blood vessels, accelerating the heartbeat, and activating excess gastric secretions in the stomach. Topic: Subtopics:

Example #4 Sample Thesis: Studying the American Revolution allows one to understand why people rebelled against England, how the United States government was formed, and how citizens are still impacted today. Topic: Subtopics:

Independent Practice Complete Part V, Independent Practice, in your academic notebook. This activity will provide you with practice thinking through the process of creating a thesis statement.

Apply What You’ve Learned Consider all the texts you have read throughout this unit, refer to your notes, and prepare a THESIS to answer the question: After reading primary and secondary sources on the political, economic, and social motivations contributing to WWII write an informational/explanatory essay in which you compare and contrast the political, economic and social motivations that led to the extreme actions of the United States, Germany, and Japan during WWII. Support your discussion with evidence from the text/s.