Writing a Thesis Statement 2020 Theme Breaking Barriers

Writing a Thesis Statement

2020 Theme: Breaking Barriers in History

CONNECTING TO THEME: DEFINING“BARRIER” A natural formation or structure that prevents or hinders movement or action. Something material that blocks or is intended to block passage. Something immaterial that impedes or separates.

The Thesis Statement: A Road Map to Your Project

Developing a Strong Thesis Statement An NHD thesis statement should: • Do more than report the facts. • Make an argument. • Back up the argument with facts. • Be the central component that a project rotates around.

Developing a Strong Thesis Statement A good thesis statement should also. . . • Connect to theme. • Make a claim about historical significance. • Present a focused, narrow topic.

Narrowing a Topic

SEARCH • • • S – Spotting the Barrier E – Explore time and place A – Allies? R – Resistance? C – Changes H – Having an Impact/Legacies

NARROWING A TOPIC: Research Plan Develop a research plan: • Know how you want to track research. • Think of some specific questions before you start your research. • Identify resources other than the internet to utilize.

NARROWING A TOPIC: Topic Funnel Theme Your Interests Broad Topic Narrow Topic Thesis

WRITING A THESIS STATEMENT: Components The NHD thesis statement should incorporate three main components: • Address the five W’s. » Who, What, Where, When, Why • Connect to theme » Use theme words in your thesis and connect throughout the project. • Historical Impact (So What? ) » Make a research-based claim about why this topic is important in history.

Thesis Statement Example: Topic Death of over 10, 000 Union POWs at Andersonville Prison • Who: Mary Harris Jones, a. k. a. Mother Jones • What: Took a stand against child labor, parading young, crippled workers through the Northeastern states. • Where: United States • When: 1903 • Why: Politicians ignored child labor and unsafe working conditions. • So what? : Raised public awareness about the horrors of child labor, leading to nationwide reform.

Thesis Statement Example Child labor and unsafe working conditions perpetuated by where corporate greed were rampant during the United States Industrial Revolution. Due to conflicting interests, why who newspapers and politicians largely ignored the issues. Mary Harris Jones, a poor, elderly Irish immigrant, became Mother Jones, an unlikely hero to the working class. In when 1903, she took a stand against child labor, parading young, what crippled workers through the Northeastern states, giving impassioned speeches along the way. Though the odds were stacked against her, Mother Jones successfully broke barriers and raised public awareness about the horrors of child labor, leading to nationwide reform. theme So what?

Incorporating the Thesis

INCORPORATING THESIS: MAINTAINING A CONNECTION Papers • Tie each paragraph to your Websites • Thesis statements should be • • thesis. Edit thesis statements a few times and revisit material that may no longer be relevant. identified on the home page. A lot of information can be included in websites. Stay on topic by including an element of thesis on each page. Exhibits • • It’s tempting to use a lot of images to fill up space. Choose images that help them make your point. Each image should have a reason for being there. Exhibit boards should be organized so thesis is easy to spot, the font is large enough to read, and the argument has a natural flow.

INCORPORATING THESIS: MAINTAINING A CONNECTION Performances • • • Performances should start with a thesis statement created through the same process as any other category. Use your thesis to guide the arc of the performance. The thesis should be stated near the beginning of the performance, and again as part of the conclusion. Documentaries • • Make an effort to separate out your thesis from the rest of the narration. You can do this by incorporating subtitles, shifting the music, or any other way you want. The thesis can be included in the conclusion as well.

Resources Noodle. Tools • noodletools. com/partners/nhd • Complementary subscription for NHD teachers and students • Teacher feedback • Note-taking and outlining • Create accurate annotated bibliography • Source evaluation • Group collaboration Websites & Databases • • • Ohio. Link INFOhio Memory Library of Congress C-SPAN Classroom • National Archives • Ohio History Connection • National History Day student resources

Dr. David Simonelli, Region 4 Coordinator Department of History, De. Bartolo Hall, Room 533 Youngstown State University dsimonelli@ysu. edu 330 -941 -1601 Kayla Metzger, Region 4 Local History Corps Rep Department of History, De. Bartolo Hall, Room 529 Youngstown State University klmetzger. americorps@gmail. com 330 -941 -3459 @History. Day. YSU