W RITING A T HESIS S TATEMENT IN 3 E ASY S TEPS

M OST IMPORTANTLY … Keep it simple!!!!!!!

S TEP 1: Decide what question is being asked and write down your answer USING THE QUESTION IN YOUR ANSWER.

E XAMPLE : Prompt: Some young people view celebrities — including professional athletes, actors, and musicians — as role models. Do you think that celebrities are good role models? Explain why or why not. Answer: Celebrities are not good role models.

S TEP 2: Add the word “because” to the end of your answer Example: Celebrities are not good role models because

S TEP 3: Add three reasons to support your answer (these three reasons will be the three main reasons you talk about in your paper) Example: Celebrities are not good role models because they tend to make bad decisions, they make ordinary life seem mundane, and they have no true sense of reality for the majority of ordinary citizens.

R EMEMBER … DO NOT TRY TO BE FANCY! On the SOL test, they want to see that you can organize your thoughts. You can’t go wrong with the thesis statement if you follow this formula!

N OW YOU TRY … Using the 5 prompts given to you, write a thesis statement for each one that you would use to write your essay. You should have 5 separate thesis statements!

N OW TRADE ! With the person to your LEFT, trade papers and edit each other’s thesis statements! If there are problems, give them tips as to how to fix them!