A Thesis Statement is… An explanation of the purpose of your paper An identification of the main point An exploration of an idea/an argument

Thesis components: Argument/opinion Your thesis statement must argue a stance that is based on your opinions

Thesis components: Focus Your thesis statement must be focused specifically on one topic More importantly, every portion of your paper will relate to this one statement

Thesis components: Guide Your thesis needs to include a guide or map of where your paper is going to go

The Thesis Statement’s Importance This one sentence is the most important part of your paper Without a solid thesis, your paper is doomed to… Be unfocused Be confusing Be weak in content Make no real point or argument Make Mr. Melvin cry

Exemplar Student Thesis Statements In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, it is only through Scout’s youthful eyes that readers can begin to see the slow growth of the characters from racism to equality.

Activity You are to create two thesis statements about your summer reading text that are modeled around the exemplar I’ve provided for you.

Closing Journal What did you learn that you didn’t know before? What is one thing you want to work on with your writing?