How to write a thesis and an outline! Thesis and Outline How to write a thesis and an outline!

What is a Thesis An argument The main “point” of your essay The objective of your essay

How to Create a Thesis If your topic is assigned (which yours is), you should try to answer a question I.e, “The changing role and status of women” topic can be turned into, “What are the changing roles and status of women in the 20th century?” Therefore, your thesis statement can begin with, “the changing role and status of women in the 20th century are…”

The Answer The answer to the question is the thesis statement for the essay.

How do you know if your thesis is strong? A strong thesis takes some sort of stance (a position) A strong thesis statement expresses a main idea A strong thesis statement is specific

Examples: Weak: “World hunger has many causes and effects” Strong: “Hunger persists in many African countries because jobs are scarce and farming in the infertile soil is rarely profitable”

Mr. Bults’ examples

Mr. Bults’ examples: Evident in several scholarly journals, it is clear that there were underlying factors in the decision to leave their home country and establish their families and property in a foreign land; and when they arrived, there were several reasons for building a permanent residence that positively and negatively affected the British crown.

Take 5 Take 5 minutes to look over your topic and try to create a thesis statement Remember: It should take a stance It should express a main idea It should be specific

On to the Outline An outline is an abbreviated picture of the parts of your paper or project and the order in which they will come An outline is a “road map”

Why use an Outline? It helps one to stay on course while writing an essay It helps one to figure out the proper order in which your subtopics will appear in the final product It helps one to figure out if you have enough information to support your thesis

Make Sure… In the final product, make sure the outline and the essay “match” This means that the essay should be in the same order as the outline

Take 5 Take 5 minutes to think about how you might want to structure your essay Create a rough outline for your essay

Works Cited

Sources: http://www.crlsresearchguide.org/14_Making_An_Outline.asp http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/thesis_statement.shtml http://www.charleslipson.com/How-to-write-a-thesis.htm