Do Now: What is the definition of a thesis?

Today’s Info  Goal: Write your working thesis!  Why: Writing your thesis will help guide your research  What:  Would you rather?  Do now…share  Instruction: Thesis Generator  Independent work: Thesis Generator  Instruction: Broad Outline  SUM IT UP

Thesis  Definition: (Fix your notes if necessary) The one sentence summary of your paper.  An analytical paper breaks down an issue or an idea into its component parts, evaluates the issue or idea, and presents this breakdown and evaluation to the audience.  An expository (explanatory) paper explains something to the audience.  An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies this claim with specific evidence. The claim could be an opinion, a policy proposal, an evaluation, a cause-and-effect statement, or an interpretation. The goal of the argumentative paper is to convince the audience that the claim is true based on the evidence provided.

What kind of thesis is this and how should the paper answer the thesis?  An analysis of the college admission process reveals one challenge facing counselors: accepting students with high test scores or students with strong extracurricular backgrounds.  Analytical  The paper that follows should:  explain the analysis of the college admission process  explain the challenge facing admissions counselors

What kind of thesis is this and how should the paper answer the thesis?  The life of the typical college student is characterized by time spent studying, attending class, and socializing with peers.  Expository (explaining)  The paper that follows should:  explain how students spend their time studying, attending class, and socializing with peers

What kind of thesis is this and how should the paper answer the thesis?  High school graduates should be required to take a year off to pursue community service projects before entering college in order to increase their maturity and global awareness.  Argumentative  The paper that follows should:  present an argument and give evidence to support the claim that students should pursue community projects before entering college

What kind of thesis will yours be?  Expository (explaining)  Your paper should….  Explain why the person you chose is a hero.

Thesis Generator  1. Identify the subject of your paper  Nelson Mandela  2. Turn your subject into a guiding question  Why is Nelson Mandela a hero?  3. Answer your question with a statement  Nelson Mandela is a hero because he forgave the people who put him in jail unfairly, and when he was later made President, he broke the cycle of oppression  4. Refine this statement into a working thesis  Nelson Mandela is a hero because he broke the cycle of oppression in South Africa by forgiving those who wronged him.