Thesis Statement What is a thesis statement? Definition - A statement that effectively identifies and expresses the focus of your writing. Qualities of a TS: The MOST IMPORTANT SENTENCE/S in your paper Lets the reader know the main idea of the paper Answers the question: “What am I trying to prove?” Not a factual statement, but a claim that has to be proven throughout the paper Start Day 3: Once students have narrowed down their focus, we can begin to think about the thesis statement. Take time to discuss student examples of narrowed down topics. You may even want to make some examples up to present to the class on the handouts. (I actually made really big versions of them on poster board for everyone to see.) Many students will need to narrow their topics down even more after they hear your demos. Give some time for editing prior work. This will only help to create a working thesis. Presentation: This is a simple definition of a thesis statement. Take time to discuss each point.

What is the role of the thesis statement? The thesis statement should guide your reader through your argument. The thesis statement is located in the introduction of the paper. Sometimes it is the last sentence, and sometimes it’s in the middle of the paragraph. It’s not usually the first sentence of the introduction. A thesis statement may also be located within the body of the paper or in the conclusion, but restated in different words for emphasis, and depending upon the purpose or argument of the paper, and on the writer’s style. This is a description of the role of a thesis statement, and how and where it is used in a research paper. Take time to discuss each point. The thesis statement shouldn’t be the first sentence of the paragraph because the writer needs to draw the reader in first, then unload their argument.

How do I write a thesis statement? You write an effective sentence with the following formula: Specific Subject (Your topic) + a particular stand, feeling or opinion (your point, aspect or interest) Effective thesis statement (form of a sentence) General Subject: _______________ Specific Subject: ________________________________________ Special focus, interesting aspect, special interest: ________________________________________________________________________________ Now that we know what a thesis statement is, and how it is used, we have to figure out how to write a thesis statement. This is the MLA formula, (as well as a common sense method), of writing a thesis statement. The “Specific Subject” is the student’s assigned religion, the “particular stand” comes from the idea the student narrowed down, both from earlier activities. They need to combine these ideas into the form of a sentence. Students have created a preliminary version in yesterday’s homework assignment. Move to next slide for student handout.

+ particular stand, feeling or opinion Effective Thesis Statement Write a thesis statement for your research paper: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Specific Subject + particular stand, feeling or opinion Effective Thesis Statement Student worksheet – print for student use. Students should utilize the prior worksheet to compose 3 possible versions of their thesis statement. Circulate from group to group. Encourage peer communication. (10-15 minutes)

Thesis Statement Checklist Check your thesis statements with the following checklist. If your thesis does not fulfill all these qualifications, you must add to it, edit or change it completely. Make sure your thesis statement… ___ identifies a limited and specific subject for the paper ___ focuses on a particular feature, feeling or point of view about that subject ___ is stated in a clear, direct sentence (or sentences) ___ can be supported or argued by convincing facts and details ___ identifies a specific timeframe, era or date ___ meets the requirements of your assignment In all likelihood, the first version of a thesis is never the last. Discuss the characteristics of a good thesis statement while reading over this checklist. Ask students for examples and whether or not they believe their first thesis statements fit the bill.

Revise Your Thesis Statement Once you use the check list, edit your thesis and then fill in your new, awesome, edited, specific and unique thesis statement below. _____________________________________ My thesis statement: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ New – print, final revision of thesis statement.

Further Research My thesis statement: (Fill in with your awesome new sentence.) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Make a list of topics you need to further research to prove your TS. ___________________________________________________________ Student worksheet – print for student use. The newly improved thesis statement should be written out in the box. Then, students should list the questions that arise from their thesis. This will lead to further research, and then the outline. The thesis statements must be checked by the teacher for viability before moving on to further research. If students finish in class, check them then. Many may need to take the assignment home. Checking thesis statements may take a few minutes on day 3. If you are meeting in the Library, meet in the back room first. If you are meeting in a Computer Lab, it may make more sense to meet in your room first. It is also important to let students know that after they do more research, they may need to edit their thesis statement because they know more information.