Writing a Thesis Statement A LEARNING COMMONS DIGITAL WORKSHOP

Writing a Thesis Statement: A Learning Commons Digital Workshop Slideshow Instructions: Slideshow Instructions: Speaker IconUpper Left Corner Click the Speaker Icon in the Upper Left Corner for the audio track that accompanies each slide. Arrow Icon Lower Right Corner Click the Arrow Icon in the Lower Right Corner to advance to the next slide. Left Arrow Key – OR – Use the Right Arrow Key to advance and the Left Arrow Key to go back. To control the volume To control the volume, hover your mouse over the playback scroll and click the speaker icon or use your computer’s internal volume controls.

Writing a Thesis Statement: Objectives By completing this lesson, the student will be able to:  Identify the components of a thesis statement  Understand the purpose of a thesis statement  Practice writing and improving thesis statements ◦See handout that will be used throughout this presentation ◦This lesson will take approximately 30 minutes.

Thesis Statements Intent of a thesis statement Intent of a thesis statement ◦states purpose/objective of your essay ◦navigational tool for reader / organization ◦directs the reader towards your evidence that supports your main idea Placement and transition ◦At the end of your introduction paragraph

strong thesis statement? What makes a strong thesis statement? specificity strong word choice concision (1-2 sentences, depending on the length of your essay) supported evidence answers “who, what, where/when, how/why” normally should be the last sentence of your introduction paragraph ◦transition your thesis statement into your intro smoothly and naturally Example: Example: American presidents Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt both faced similar warfare strategies that were based on economic interests and American unity, which ultimately brought the nation together.

thesis statement weak? What makes a thesis statement weak? o lacks clarity/ vague o lacks purpose o reader left unsure of how or why you are writing the essay o it is too long and unnecessarily wordy  Example  Example of a weak thesis statement: “Smoking is bad.” o Why is smoking bad? Bad for whom exactly? What does “bad” even mean? How are you supporting this statement? How are you organizing the main points of the essay?  Example  Example of a weak thesis statement: “Prince William and Prince Harry are different. They have different personalities. They also have different responsibilities. Their relationships with others are also different, too.” ◦This all can be stated into one sentence. Why are you saying “differently” so many times? Will you be comparing and contrasting these two princes?

Revising those weak thesis statements Revision of example #1: Revision of example #1: “Smoking in public spaces should be banned on the grounds that secondhand smoke negatively affects others and cigarettes produce excess waste.” Revision of example #2: Revision of example #2: “By examining the lives of Prince William and Prince Harry, one can determine that they have different personalities, responsibilities, and relationships, despite being raised in similar environments.”

Common types of thesis statements ARGUMENTATIVEARGUMENTATIVE CAUSE-AND-EFFECTCAUSE-AND-EFFECT EXPOSITORYEXPOSITORY ANALYTICALANALYTICAL * Examples of thesis statements for each type can be found one page 2 of the handout

Strong Thesis Statement Cause-and-effect example: Cause-and-effect example: Violence in America is increasing due to the lack of gun control, accessibility of graphic material, and rearing of desensitized children. Answers the following:  Who (subject):  Who (subject): violence  What:  What: is increasing  Where/When:  Where/When: in America  How/Why:  How/Why: lack of gun control; accessibility of graphic material; rearing of desensitized children

Example thesis statements CONTINUING READING ATTACHMENT, PAGE 2  CONTINUING READING ATTACHMENT, PAGE 2  Four common types of thesis statements explained  Examples of thesis statements  Shows components of the thesis statements  STUDENT PRACTICE:  STUDENT PRACTICE: Fill in the who, what, where/when, how/why for the other three thesis statements on page 2

Argumentative Argumentative: Argumentative: “Smoking in public spaces should be banned on the grounds that secondhand smoke negatively affects others and cigarettes produce excess waste.”  Who (subject):  Who (subject): smoking  What:  What: should be banned  Where/When:  Where/When: in public spaces  Why/How:  Why/How: negatively affects health, produces waste  For Page 2 of HandOut

Expository Expository: Expository: “Traditional poetic form is transforming in the digital age through the interface media of film and computer.”  Who:  Who: Traditional poetic form  What:  What: form is transforming  Where/When:  Where/When: digital age  Why/How:  Why/How: film and computer  For Page 2 of Handout

Analytical Analytical: Analytical: “In Shakespeare’s Othello, the Moor of Venice, the handkerchief is a symbol that becomes progressively tarnished throughout the play; what starts as a representation of love transforms into a sign of infidelity.”  Who:  Who: handkerchief  What:  What: becomes progressively tarnished  Where/When:  Where/When: Shakespeare’s Othello  Why/How:  Why/How: changes from love to infidelity  NOTE: Not every thesis statement will have a “Where/When”  For Page 2 of HandOut

Turning a Topic into a Thesis Statement the topic (or topics)  What is the topic (or topics) of your paper going to be? want to say  What do you want to say about the topic? purpose of writing  What is the purpose of writing about this topic? define  Can you define what your topic is? Example Example Topic  Thesis statement Soccer  Soccer is a popular sport. It is important to people. (still too broad) Soccer  Soccer is important because it can represent one’s culture. It’s not just a sport. (no supporting evidence)

Turning a Topic into a Thesis Statement Thesis statement: Thesis statement: In certain parts of the world, soccer is more than just a sport. It represents cultural establishments.  Who:  Who: soccer  What:  What: represents cultural establishments  Where/When:  Where/When: certain parts of the world  How/Why:  How/Why: [MUST FILL IN THIS SUPPORTING EVIDENCE] Example Thesis Statement: the relationships between economic classes, globalized labor markets, and broken geographic barriers. “In certain parts of the world, soccer is more than just a sport. It represents cultural establishments, which is shown through the relationships between economic classes, globalized labor markets, and broken geographic barriers. Note: The bolded parts are the “how/whys” that I filled in as an example.

“TRY IT YOURSELF” ACTIVITIES  SEE HANDOUT ATTACHMENT, PAGE 3-5  Take a topic and transform into your own thesis statement  Revise the weak thesis statements into stronger thesis statements

Additional Comments correspond o Your thesis statement will correspond to the length of your essay. the supporting evidence is just to provide a brief overview of the points your essay will cover. o Beware of turning your thesis statement into a huge list of supporting evidences; the supporting evidence is just to provide a brief overview of the points your essay will cover. your thesis statement needs to convey this purpose/objective to the reader. o Remember that every essay has a purpose/objective; therefore, your thesis statement needs to convey this purpose/objective to the reader.

Questions?  Please feel free to see a facilitator for any questions or for greater clarification Creator: Thao Nguyen, Facilitator for the Learning Commons

ThankYou ….. Thank You ….. further questions If you have any further questions APA Citations and Formatting about APA Citations and Formatting, Learning Commons your campus Learning Commons can help!