The Thesis Statement

What is a thesis statement?

Click on all teacher sound icons. Teacher: The thesis statement is the point you want to make, to prove, or to argue in your essay.

Can you give me an example of a thesis statement?

Teacher: Traffic in LA is deadly. People who eat red meat are prone to heart attacks. In college, students have less guidance than they do in high school. These are examples of thesis statements, points that the writer will argue in his or her essay.

How do I come up with a thesis statement?

Teacher: Coming up with a thesis requires a number of steps. First, before you come up with a thesis statement, you need a topic. The topic is what your essay is going to be about. And the thesis is the point you want to make about your topic. TOPIC = WHAT THE ESSAY IS GOING TO BE ABOUT. THESIS = IS THE POINT YOU WANT TO MAKE ABOUT THE TOPIC

Can you give an example of a topic and a thesis statement?

Teacher: Traffic can be your topic Teacher: Traffic can be your topic. And your thesis statement could be: Traffic is deadly in Los Angeles. TOPIC – Traffic THESIS – Traffic is deadly in Los Angeles

Assignment 1 Write the answers to the following questions: What is the difference between a topic and a thesis statement? Which comes first?

How do I come up with a topic?

Teacher: Remember, coming up with a topic is the step you take before coming up with your thesis statement. The best way to come up with a topic is to brainstorm. When you brainstorm, you write out all the ideas, uncensored, that come into your head. You storm your brain. BRAINSTORM TOPIC

Listing Diagramming Freewriting Teacher: There are three popular ways to brainstorm: Listing Diagramming Freewriting

LISTING Teacher: With listing, you list every idea that comes into your head. Again, try not to censor your thoughts. Let your topics flow freely. Tuition Favorite Sports Movies My hometown Cooking Music Friends Money

FREEWRITING Teacher: When you freewrite you write down whatever is on your mind. You don’t worry about spelling, grammar or even making sense. You just write out whatever comes into your head. I love going to the movies. It is expensive. I have trouble parking. Concession prices are too high. My friends talk too much. My car insurance is too high. Tuition is too high. High school did cost very much. The point of freewriting is to get your thoughts on paper and then from those thoughts you could find a topic.

CLUSTERING Teacher: Clustering is when you put a general topic in a middle circle and draw lines and other circles that radiate from it with possible topics. dancing vacations High school and college Topic My city Cost of both Benefits of living in my city Negatives of my city

Assignment 2 Use one of the brainstorming techniques just discussed and come up with five possible topics for your thesis statement.

Teacher: Here are five topics we brainstormed in this presentation Teacher: Here are five topics we brainstormed in this presentation. Let’s select one of the topics. TOPICS 1 Sports 2 Movies 3 High school vs. college 4 Vacations Los Angeles

Let’s write about Los Angeles.

Assignment 3 From the topics you brainstormed in Assignment 2, decide on one topic for your thesis statement.

Teacher: Before we start developing our topic let’s keep the following in mind about what a thesis should contain and what it should not contain.

Teacher: Before we start developing our topic let’s keep the following in mind about what a thesis should contain and what it should not contain. A thesis statement is often presented near the beginning of the essay. Classically, the thesis statement is the last sentence of the first paragraph, especially with the five-paragraph essay. The five-paragraph essay will be discussed later in this presentation.

Teacher: Before we start developing our topic let’s keep the following in mind about what a thesis should contain and what it should not contain. A thesis statement declares the main point of your essay. It tells the reader what clearly defined opinion you hold. Example: College is more difficult than high school. FACT VS. OPINION Keep in mind the difference between fact and opinion. Your thesis is an opinion. That opinion is supported with facts throughout your essay. An opinion is a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on knowledge or fact. A fact is something that can be proven. It is indisputable evidence.

Teacher: Before we start developing our topic let’s keep the following in mind about what a thesis should contain and what it should not contain. A thesis statement asserts one main idea stated in clear, specific terms. Examples: By living in an apartment, a first-year student can learn a valuable lesson in financial planning. My pet boa constrictor was a much better bodyguard than my dog.

Teacher: Before we start developing our topic let’s keep the following in mind about what a thesis should contain and what it should not contain. A thesis must be written as one complete sentence. A complete sentence is defined as having a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought. Complete sentence: Horse racing should be abolished in California. Incomplete sentence: When I sing. The above has a subject, I, and a verb, sing, but it does not express a complete thought.

Teacher: Before we start developing our topic let’s keep the following in mind about what a thesis should contain and what it should not contain. A thesis should not be written as a question. The answer to the question could often be the thesis statement. Example stated as a question: Are child-abuse laws in this state too lenient? Child-abuse laws in this state are too lenient. The above has turned the question into a thesis statement.

Teacher: Before we start developing our topic let’s keep the following in mind about what a thesis should contain and what it should not contain. A thesis should not be too broad. A too broad thesis includes too much. Example: Registration is a big hassle. Too broad. Registration’s alphabetical fee-paying system is inefficient. The above is better. It is specific and not too broad.

Teacher: Before we start developing our topic let’s keep the following in mind about what a thesis should contain and what it should not contain. Do not include the following in your thesis statement: “in my opinion,” “I believe,” “in this essay I am going to argue.” Those unnecessary phrases weaken the thesis statement because they make the writer seem timid and uncertain.

Review of what a thesis should and should not contain. A good thesis statement is often presented near the beginning of the essay. A thesis statement declares the main point of your essay. It tells the reader what clearly defined opinion you hold. A thesis statement asserts one main idea stated in clear, specific terms. A thesis must be written as one complete sentence with a subject, verb and complete thought A thesis should not be worded as a question. The answer to your question could often be your thesis statement. A thesis should not be too broad. A thesis statement should not include phrases like “I think” or “In my opinion.”

assignment 4 1. In which paragraph should a thesis statement be written? 2. Is a thesis statement a fact or an opinion? What is the difference between the two? Give an example of an opinion and a fact? 3. Is the thesis statement the main point of your essay? 4. How many main ideas should a thesis contain? 5. Write a complete sentence. Identify the subject and the verb. 6. Is this a thesis statement: Should the legal age for buying alcohol change from 21 to 18? If not, how could this sentence be changed to thesis statement 7. What is wrong with this sentence. Attending college is hard. 8. How should the following be rewritten: In my opinion the state government should devote more money to education.

INTRODUCTION TO THE FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY Body Paragraph 1 Body Paragraph2 Body Paragraph 3 Conclusion

THE FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY Introduction Teacher: For the sake of this assignment, and for the development of a thesis, let’s say the essay you will be writing for this presentation will be a five-paragraph essay. Keep in mind, the structure for the five-paragraph essay can be used for any length essay, even if the essay is 10-pages long. It can also be helpful in writing essay exams. Body Paragraph 1 Body Paragraph2 Body Paragraph 3 Conclusion

THE FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY Introduction Body Paragraph 1 Teacher: The five-paragraph essay has an introduction, three body paragraphs and a conclusion. Body Paragraph2 Body Paragraph 3 Conclusion

Three points about the topic. THE FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY Thesis statement: Three points about the topic. Introduction Teacher: In the five-paragraph essay, a writer make three points about his or her topic in the introduction and develops those points in the supporting paragraphs. The three points the writer makes about his or her topic is the thesis statement . It is usually the last sentence in the first paragraph. There are other ways to develop a thesis, but the five-paragraph essay is a practical way for students to learn how to do it. Body Paragraph 1 Body Paragraph2 Body Paragraph 3 Conclusion

Los Angles is a great city because of ______, ______ and _____. Teacher: Now let’s brainstorm again to come up with a thesis. Remember our topic is Los Angeles. First we need to take a position about Los Angeles. For example: Los Angles is a great city to live in. Then you need to make three points to support why the city is great. Let’s brainstorm to come up with the three points you want to make. . Los Angles is a great city because of ______, ______ and _____.

Close to the ocean. Entertainment. Museums. Close to the mountains. Environment.

….the entertainment, the museums and the environment. Teacher: Let’s decide on these three points: the entertainment, the museums and the environment. ….the entertainment, the museums and the environment.

Teacher: Now, this would be our thesis statement; Los Angeles is a great city to live in because of the entertainment, the museums, and the environment. Thesis Statement: Los Angeles is a great city to live in because of the entertainment, the museums, and the environment.

Assignment 5 Take a position on the topic you selected in Assignment 4. Then make three points about the topic. That will be your thesis statement.

Review Let’s review what we covered in this presentation. Brainstorming – Listing, Diagramming, Freewriting Brainstorming to come up with a topic. What a thesis should and should not include. The five-paragraph essay: Introduction, Three Body Paragraphs, and a Conclusion. Brainstorming again to develop a thesis statement using the three points you want to make about your topic.

Now your are ready to write your thesis-based, five-paragraph essay.