Three-Prong Thesis Statements

Would you rather? 0 Grab a writing utensil. 0 Quickly answer the question on the slide 0 Write down three primary reasons to support your answer. 0 There are 3 slides total.

1 Would you rather watch 5 hours of music videos or 5 hours of cartoons?

2 Would you rather fight a 1 ton polar bear or a pack of 100 house cats?

3 Would you rather live a year without the internet or a year without your cell phone?

What is a Thesis Statement? 0 It’s the road map for your paper. 0 It presents the paper’s central argument and previews the evidence that will be presented later on within the body paragraphs.

How Does it Look? There are FOUR parts to a thesis statement: 1.) Narrowing statement 2.) Author/title 3.) Argument or stance 4.) Three prongs

Narrowing Statement 0 A limiting or narrowing statement that begins with words like “although,” “despite,” or “even though.” 0 It acknowledges different possibilities that exist, but at the same time, begins to limit the forthcoming argument. Example: Although there are many characters

Author & Title 0 When writing about a work of literature, acknowledge the work and its creator. Example: in J.R.R Tolkien’s novel The Hobbit,

Argument/Stance 0 The heart of the thesis statement! 0 Answers the prompt question directly. 0 Reveals your opinion using third-person POV. “I think” and “I feel” are not acceptable in academic or analytical writing. 0 Is arguable—others might disagree with your argument, but it’s going to be up to you to provide strong evidence and be convincing. Example: the most important character is Bilbo,

Prongs 0 Your three reasons or points that support your argument. 0 These three reasons connect to your topic sentences. 0 The prongs need to be parallel in structure (phrasing and syntax). Example: because he drives the plot, he discovers his potential, and he steals the gem.

Parallel Prongs he drives the plot, he discovers his potential he steals the gem. Subject + verb Present tense

The Finished Product Although there are many characters in J.R.R Tolkien’s novel The Hobbit, the most important character is Bilbo, because he drives the plot, he discovers his potential, and he steals the gem. We must write thesis driven arguments!