Thesis Writing A good thesis is essential to a well written analytical or persuasive essay!

Objectives  Students will understand the basic principles of writing a good THESIS statement.  Students will write a preliminary THESIS statement.

Where are you going????  General – We are headed South.  More Specific – We are going to Florida.  Thesis – We are going to Disney World!

The Blueprint

Define your thesis  A thesis statement is an (somewhere in 1 st paragraph) sentence that clearly and specifically identifies the purpose of your paper and identifies the main ideas.

Listen to Mr. Henry…

Activity  On the scratch paper provided please write down what you think your preliminary thesis statement will be!

4 components  It must be clearly defined!  …relatively high on the orders of knowledge!  …adequately focused!  …well supported!

Without it you will be…

FOCUS!

Focus cont.  A good thesis narrows your topic to an idea that you can successfully develop within the framework of your essay.

Examples  TOPIC – Health hazards  THESIS – The average American is exposed to many health hazards.  Problem????

More focused…  NEW THESIS – The Constitution of the United States should be amended to prohibit the production and sale of alcohol.

Support…

Support your thesis!!  Everything in the paper should lead back to the thesis.  Use persuasive arguments and writing.  Use FACTS to back up your arguments!

High order of knowledge

Knowledge cont.  Your paper needs to be more than a statement of fact.  Who cares???  Draw conclusions from your research!

COMFORT  You may feel comfortable setting up your thesis with 3 subtopics so you can relate it to a 5 paragraph essay…

Example  Fidel Castro’s Communist Revolution has decimated the Cuban economy because it has (1)limited imports, (2)curtailed tourism, and (3)placed a heavy emphasis on agricultural production.

GUESS WHAT?  Your THESIS does NOT have to have 3 specific subtopics!  It can have 1 or even 2 subtopics but then your entire paper must be on those 1 or 2 subtopics!

Be Original!

Preliminary Thesis  Your preliminary thesis with rough outline is due on my desk TOMORROW 2/25!  It must be typed! With your name on it!  If it is NOT acceptable it MUST be resubmitted until it is acceptable.

Never say …  While your topic may not change - your perspective may change with research!

OLD “PRELIMINARY” THESIS  Aids in Sub Saharan Africa will continue to devastate the region because of corrupt African governments, a lack of international concern, and insufficient public education.

After further review…  What has changed?  Aids in Botswana will be eradicated within the next 25 years because of strong central planning and a unique partnership between the national government and assistance from international agencies.  Did I “really” change my topic?

Don’t!!

GIT-R-DONE!

Finally

Objectives  Students will understand the basic principles of writing a good THESIS statement.  Students will write a preliminary THESIS statement.