1. From Clusters to Paragraphs
Aliyyah Salam
From Clusters to Paragraphs

2. 1. Developing Thesis Statements….

3. A Good Thesis Statement…
Is the big idea which you hope to prove by the end of your paper.
Should not be too big (you won’t be able to sufficiently discuss the matter in the amount of time allotted) Ex. Over the past 500 years music has been used in many spiritual groups as a means of getting closer to God (This is NOT a 5 paragraph paper)
Should not be too small (you won’t be able to write much of a paper) Ex. Students should be allowed to vote at 16 because they will be adults in two years and the president during those two years will greatly affect their young adult lives. (This is more of a claim)

4. A Good Thesis…
Should not be three pronged Ex. Cats are good pets because they are friendly, clean, and small enough for most residences.
Instead they should be general for the topic…
Cats are great pets for a variety of reasons. OR
While Americans often call dogs man’s best friend, cats are really a much more versatile pet that fit the needs of a larger variety of people.

5. More to consider with thesis statements…
They should come at the very end of your introduction
Your claims should each serve as an explanation or reason for your thesis.
They require you to think about what you want to write about from the outset
They can change as you start writing
They are the most important statements in your paper

6. Example:
Thesis: While Americans often call dogs man’s best friend, cats are really a much more versatile pet that fit the needs of a larger variety of people.
Claim 1: Cats are one of the most domesticated animals in the world, as evidenced by their historical use as pets.
Claim 2: Feline creatures are super clean and require little upkeep and care.
Claim 3: Cats’ small size makes them the perfect pet for most residences.

7. Who is Chris McCandless?
In many respects Chris McCandless was a true American who embodied the spirit of the founders of this country.
Chris McCandless represents the true freedom of America.
Chris McCandless is a narcissist whose death represents all that is wrong with American youth today.

8. Go to http://padlet.com/wall/mssalam
Post your thesis statement
Be sure to add your name.

9. Question: Is man inherently evil?
Thesis: While greater attention is often paid to the evil in society, the overall goodness of man is greater. OR
Man’s inherent greatness is apparent in the varied acts of kindness that are performed daily around the world by everyday people.
The everyday sacrifices of ordinary citizens proves that mankind is inherently good.

10. What is American Individualism?
American individualism has many elaborate pros and cons
Everyone in the United States thinks they are different from everybody else in the rest of world. But being an individual isn’t a good thing.
American individualism is the right to make our own decisions and do what we want without influences of society
American individualism is the right to do as one wishes and be who one strives to be without outside influences

11. 1. Developing Writing in Three Steps…

12. CEI
C = Claim- make a claim about your topic. It should be based upon something you can back up
E = Evidence- Find a quote or paraphrase, or even an example to back you up.
I = Interpretation- Evidence for your evidence. It should prove that your evidence supports your claim.

13. Interpretation Alert
Don’t use the words I!!!
“I think”

14. Example: Claim= Dogs are great pets that are very loyal
Evidence= “Dogs have been used since the dawn of time as companions to men due to their ability to commit to humans in a way that develops lifelong friendships” (Marks).
Interpretation= This is possibly one of the reasons that dogs are known as “man’s best friends”. Dogs have an uncanny way of being able to understand humans that allows them to connect like no other animal can.

15. Good Claims Should: An opinion that expresses a clear answer
Should clearly answer the thesis of the paper with a specific reason.
Should not be a restatement of the thesis
Should be able to be supported with several pieces of evidence
Should be something that is small enough to prove with a couple of pieces of evidence

16. Types of Claims
Claims of fact or definition: These claims argue about what the definition of something is or whether something is a settled fact.
Claims of cause and effect: These claims argue that one person, thing, or event caused another thing or event to occur.
Claims about value: These are claims made about what something is worth, whether we value it or not, how we would rate or categorize something.
Claims about solutions or policies: These are claims that argue for or against a certain solution or policy approach to a problem.

17. Thesis: Sacrificing for others is part of our nature.
Practice
Thesis: Sacrificing for others is part of our nature.
Using this thesis statement, create two claims that answer and support your thesis. They should give specific reasons why your thesis statement is true and meet each of the requirements of a solid claim that we discussed.

18. Good Evidence Should: Connect to the claim directly; be clear
Not be too broad
Support the argument without restating the claim
Should have appropriate lead-ins

19. Types of Evidence: Quotes/ Paraphrases Personal Experience
Facts and Statistics
Examples
**Get examples of each type of evidence here:

20. Who is Chris McCandless
Thesis: In many respects Chris McCandless was a true American who embodied the spirit of the founders of this country.
Claim: Americans love freedom
Evidence: Thoreau said, “No man ever followed his genius till it misled him” (Krakauer 47).
BAD!!

21. Who is Chris McCandless?
Thesis: In many respects Chris McCandless was a true American who embodied the spirit of the founders of this country.
Claim: Chris loved freedom like the first Americans
Evidence: In the story it states, “From Orick, McCandless continued north up the coast. He passed through Pistol River, Coos Bay, Seal Rock, Manzanita, Astoria…”(Krakauer 31).
Better

22. Who is Chris McCandless
Thesis: In many respects Chris McCandless was a true American who embodied the spirit of the founders of this country.
Claim: Like the Pilgrims that crossed the ocean, Chris sought freedom to live his life as he wished
Evidence: As Chris writes in a letter to Wayne Westerburg, “ As for me, I’ve decided that I’m going to live this life for some time to come. The Freedom and simple beauty of it is just too good to pass up” (Krakauer 33).
BEST

23. Thesis: Sacrificing for others is part of our nature.
Practice
Thesis: Sacrificing for others is part of our nature.
Using the claim written before write a piece of evidence. Your evidence should give specific reasons why your claim is true and meet each of the requirements of solid evidence that we discussed.

24. Good Interpretation Should:
Explain how your evidence proves your claim
Elaborate your viewpoint and/or argument
Provide closure by relating back to your claim without restating the claim
Have some type of organic structure

25. Let’s Practice:

26. Aliyyah Salam Aliyyah.salam@cobbk12.org
Thank You!
Aliyyah Salam