for The Wave

What is a thesis? Why do teachers always say it’s so important? A thesis is your ONE-SENTENCE answer to the prompt. It is the MOST IMPORTANT sentence in your paper because without it, NO ONE knows what you will be PROVING. If you don’t have a thesis in your paper, I WILL NOT READ PAST THE FIRST PARAGRAPH AND YOU WILL HAVE TO RE-WRITE YOUR ESSAY.

How to write a thesis A thesis has three parts: Subject (in this case, your subject will be one of the themes) Your opinion of the subject as it related to the prompt The blueprint: the THREE ways you plan on proving your opinion on the subject

Sample thesis Sample Prompt: In the Disney movie, Pocahontas, Pocahontas is treated unfairly because of her race, her beliefs, the way she looks, and simply because she is "different“. Discuss how Pocahontas reacts to the white man’s view of her heritage. How does it make her feel? So, what should I do first here? What’s the FIRST thing I need in my thesis?

Right! I need the SUBJECT. So, what IS the subject here? __________________________________ Brainstorm… Sample Prompt: In the Disney movie, Pocahontas, Pocahontas is treated unfairly because of her race, her beliefs, the way she looks, and simply because she is "different“. Discuss how Pocahontas reacts to the white man’s view of her heritage. How does it make her feel?

Yes, narrow-mindedness, racism, bigotry…all of these will work as a subject here. Okay, now you have your subject. What is your OPINION about this subject as it relates to the prompt? ________________________________________________ Brainstorm Sample Prompt: In the Disney movie, Pocahontas, Pocahontas is treated unfairly because of her race, her beliefs, the way she looks, and simply because she is "different“. Discuss how Pocahontas reacts to the white man’s view of her heritage. How does it make her feel?

Okay, so maybe you said something like: “I think it’s wrong”, or “It’s a hurtful way to treat someone”, or “people who are racist are narrow-minded are not nice” or…? That is fine for now. Now you have to think of and write down three ways that you’re going to PROVE your opinion on the subject. Sample Prompt: In the Disney movie, Pocahontas, she is treated unfairly because of her race, her beliefs, the way she looks, and simply because she is "different“. Discuss how Pocahontas reacts to the white man’s view of her heritage. How does it make her feel?

1) Pocahontas is shocked and hurt by the prejudice she experiences because they are so peaceful 2) She then gets angry that the white men are so narrow-minded and this puts her in danger 3) Then, she tries to teach them her beliefs to show them that they’re all very similar. Now you have to put ALL of that information into ONE sentence. Sample Prompt: In the Disney movie, Pocahontas, Pocahontas is treated unfairly because of her race, her beliefs, the way she looks, and simply because she is "different“. Discuss how Pocahontas reacts to the white man’s view of her heritage. How does it make her feel?

Give it a try… SUBJECT: narrow-mindedness OPINION: It’s a hurtful way to treat someone BLUEPRINT: 1) Pocahontas tribe is peaceful and deserves respect 2) Their narrow-mindedness puts her in danger 3) She is defenseless because she is peaceful, so the only thing she can do is show them that they are just different, not ignorant WRITE A THESIS USING THE INFORMATION ABOVE

Sample Thesis Narrow-mindedness is hurtful to Pocahontas because her tribe has always been peaceful and respectful, and she is now faced with having to put herself in danger in order to fight for her people’s ways, and the only weapon she really has is to try to teach her tribe’s peaceful way of life to the narrow-minded enemy.

Topic Sentences Narrow-mindedness is hurtful to Pocahontas because her tribe has always been peaceful and respectful, and she is now faced with having to put herself in danger in order to fight for her people’s ways, and the only weapon she really has is to try to teach her tribe’s peaceful way of life to the narrow-minded enemy. NOW, I GET MY TOPICS FROM MY THESIS FOR EACH BODY PARAGRAPH.

Topic Sentence #1 her tribe has always been peaceful and respectful Wait, what was the prompt again?  In the Disney movie, Pocahontas, Pocahontas is treated unfairly because of her race, her beliefs, the way she looks, and simply because she is "different“. Discuss how Pocahontas reacts to the white man’s view of her heritage. How does it make her feel? TS #1: Because Pocahontas comes from a community of people who have always live respectfully with one another, she is shocked and hurt at how the white men are treating her.

Topic Sentences #2 and #3 now faced with having to put herself in danger in order to fight for her people’s ways TS #2: Unfairly, Pocahontas finds herself in danger because of the narrow-mindedness of the white men who believe that she is ignorant. the only weapon she really has is to try to teach her tribe’s peaceful way of life to the narrow-minded enemy TS #3: Since Pocahontas only knows how to be peaceful, teaching her values to the white men is her only weapon.