Writing an Effective Thesis Statement A thesis statement

Writing an Effective Thesis Statement

§ A thesis statement, or controlling idea, is the main point that a writer attempts to support in a piece of writing § It introduces the essay’s topic and provides a summary of its main points § A thesis statement gives direction to an essay § An essay without a thesis statement is like a car without a driver

§ IDENTIFICATION – what is the topic you are talking about? § CLAIM – what do you believe about the topic? § DIRECTION – what are the 3 main reasons you can use to support your claim? (these 3 reasons will become the body paragraphs of your essay)

§ Thesis statement: High school sports unquestionably have a positive influence on high school students because they teach social skills, reinforce time -management skills, and provide exercise to students. § IDENTIFICATION – What is the topic? § High school sports § CLAIM – What does the person believe about the topic? § They have a positive influence § DIRECTION – What are three reasons the person gives to support the claim? § Teach social skills § Reinforce time-management skills § Provide exercise to students

§A factual statement §A topic sentence §Ex: Burma is a country in Southeast Asia.

§ A thesis statement… § addresses the prompt clearly § makes a claim or presents an argument § is arguable (an opinion) § is in the first & last paragraphs of essay § does not use first person (NO “I” “me” “my”)

§ Are vague – raise an interesting topic or question but do not specify an argument § Offer a plot summary or obvious truths instead of an argument § Offer an opinion rather than an argument (opinions cannot be proven with text evidence) § Are too broad or too complex for the length of the paper

§ High school is better than middle school. § Explanation: This thesis statement is vague and is also an opinion. Why is high school better? How can it be proven that high school is better than middle school? § There are too many chemicals in the world that are causing damage. § Explanation: This is a broad thesis statement. It fails to explain what kind of chemicals, where in the world it is referring to, and the damage being caused. § Hemmingway’s war stories are very good. § Explanation: This is a weak thesis statement because it is a very brief summary and only states the author’s opinion.

§ Answer a specific question § Take a distinct position on the topic § Are debatable § Allow the reader to anticipate the organization of the essay

§ Because high school offers a more dynamic class choice, increased personal freedoms, and additional extracurricular activities, it is a better educational institution than middle school. § Explanation: This is a strong thesis because it lists specific factual reasons why high school is better than middle school and these reasons can be developed with examples throughout the essay.

§ A thesis statement… § addresses the prompt clearly § makes a claim or presents an argument § is arguable (an opinion) § is in the first & last paragraphs of essay § does not use first person (NO “I” “me” “my”)

Weak thesis statements… Strong thesis statements… § Are vague – raise an interesting topic § Answer a specific question or question but do not specify an argument § Offer a plot summary or obvious truths instead of an argument § Offer an opinion rather than an argument (opinions cannot be proven with text evidence) § Are too broad or too complex for the length of the paper § Take a distinct position on the topic § Are debatable § Allow the reader to anticipate the organization of the essay