THESIS STATEMENTS How to turn a bad essay into a stellar essay…

What is a thesis statement? A thesis statement is a roadmap for your essay. It tells your reader what your topic is, what your focus is, and what your supporting details are.

How do I make a thesis statement?  STEP 1: Create a thesis Chart  Step 2: Decide on the main idea of your essay  Step 3: Write your main idea

STEP 1: Write a Thesis Statement TOPICFOCUSSUPPORTING DETAILS

Let’s Practice STEP 1…  PROMPT: Describe Mr. Blume’s personality. TOPICFOCUSSUPPORTING DETAILS Mr. BlumePersonality-cruel -selfish -conceited

Let’s Practice STEP 2… TOPICFOCUSSUPPORTING DETAILS Mr. BlumePersonality-cruel -selfish -conceited Now that we have made a thesis chart, we need to decide on a main idea… What is the main idea of this essay?

DO NOT WRITE THIS SLIDE DOWN… Which statement covers each supporting detail from the thesis chart? MMr. Blume is a round character. MMr. Blume is selfish. MMr. Blume has a personality. MMr. Blume has a complex personality. RRoom 323 is an English class and Mr. Blume is the teacher.

Explanations of Examples…  Mr. Blume is a round character. This is a good thesis statement because a round character has many traits and Mr. Blume is cruel, selfish and conceited.

Explanations of Examples…  Mr. Blume is selfish. This is not a good thesis statement because it does not cover the other supporting details that we mentioned in the thesis chart.

Explanations of Examples…  Mr. Blume has a personality. This is not a good thesis statement because it is not specific enough. We need to hint at what Mr. Blume’s personality is so that we are actually making an argument.

Explanations of Examples…  Mr. Blume has a complex personality. This is a great thesis statement because it shows the main idea of our essay; Mr. Blume has many personality traits.

Explanations of Examples…  Room 323 is an English class and Mr. Blume is the teacher. This is not a good example of a thesis statement because it does not say the focus of the essay.

Now it’s your turn…  Draw another thesis chart.

Now it’s your turn…  Write a topic and a focus for the following idea. Jem and Scout’s relationship

Now it’s your turn…  NOW…  Write three supporting details that support your topic and your focus.

Now it’s your turn…  Now… Now write a thesis statement using the topic, focus, and supporting details you just created.

Now it’s your turn…  It could read something like this: Throughout the novel Jem and Scout proved to have a multifarious relationship. Or Because of Scout’s stubbornness, Jem’s mood changes, and their age difference Scout and Jem proved to have a complex relationship.

 I will accept a thesis statement with or without the supporting details.