The Thesis Statement

A Thesis Statement… Makes a claim that someone else might dispute (it is arguable) Usually single sentence in the first paragraph Is a plan for your whole research Is dynamic (you can make slight changes)

A Thesis Statement… Avoids vague or general language Avoids the first person “I believe”, “I think”, “In my opinion”

3 Types Explanatory Analytical Argumentative Explains something to the reader Analytical Breaks down an issue or idea into smaller parts then evaluates the issue or idea Argumentative Makes a claim about a specific topic and justifies this claim with specific evidence

Explanatory Thesis Statements The music that students listen to is directly related to where they live. Rap music is derogatory to females.

Analytical Thesis Statements An analysis of computer use shows that high school students spend more time on social websites than doing research for a project. An analysis of first person documents shows that foot soldiers are more confident when they know an air strike is planned.

Argumentative Thesis Statements The Pearl Harbor attack would not have occurred if the U.S. had not docked so many ships in one place, making them an easy target. High school students should complete one year of military service immediately after graduation in order to become more mature and more disciplined.

Is It a Thesis? Television is too violent for children Violence on television leads to aggressive behavior in preschool children Explanatory Thesis Argumentative Thesis

Developing a Thesis - 1 Topic: Video games Topic II: Video games and education Interesting Question: Are video games educational or just for fun? Working Thesis: Video games are beneficial to increasing student understanding of school topics Final Thesis: War based video games are good for students to understand specific wars and wartime strategies.

Developing a Thesis - 2 Some questions that might guide your research What types of war video games are there? How well were those games reviewed? Are those games realistic? Are there people I could interview? Is there any research in this area already?

Civil War Thesis Development The North and South fought the Civil War for different reasons. The different reasons that the North and the South fought the Civil War can be explained as moral versus self-governing. The Civil War developed because of the Northerners’ belief in the moral issues of ending slavery versus the Southerners’ belief in the importance of the right to self-government.