1. Thesis Statements Guided Notes

2. What is a thesis statement?  Author’s central idea and thesis statement are closely related, if not totally synonymous.  The term thesis is derived from the Latin/Greek term tithenai, which means to put or to lay down.  A thesis statement puts forth or lays down your position and reasoning about a particular topic.  A thesis statement is typically one strongly worded sentence.

3. What is a thesis statement?  All thesis statements follow the same basic formula: TOPIC + OPINION + REASONING = THESIS STATEMENT

4. Why are thesis statements important?  A thesis statement serves as the guiding force of analytical, persuasive, and expository essays.  The body paragraphs of an essay and the evidence incorporated within the body paragraphs of an essay must develop aspects of the thesis.  No information should be included in an essay that does not relate to the thesis.

5. Where can I find an author’s thesis statement?  In academic writing (writing for school), the thesis statement is included as the last sentence of the introduction paragraph.  In newspaper, magazine, academic journal, and other nonfiction writing, the thesis is usually located in the beginning 1/3 of the text, though sometimes for effect, the thesis might be located toward the end of the text or in the conclusion.

6. Where can I find an author’s thesis statement?  In academic writing, the thesis will always be explicit, which means the author specifically states his position about a specific topic.  In other types of writing, the thesis is sometimes implicit, which means the author merely implies, or suggests, his or her position through the use of examples and supporting points. When a thesis statement is implicit, it’s up to the reader to decide the author’s position on the topic—it will not be stated within the text.

7. Blueprint Thesis Statements  A blueprint thesis statement lays out the content that will be discussed throughout the essay in the order that it will be discussed.  Diem Brown is a role model because of her relentless ambition in the face of adversity and her fight to help individuals undergoing serious medical treatment through her company MedGift.  Label the topic, the opinion, and the reasoning.  What will the first body paragraph be about?  What will the second body paragraph be about?

8. Practice  Underline and label the topic, opinion and reasoning for each of the listed blueprint thesis statements.  Then, note how many body paragraphs there will be and the order/focus of each body paragraph.

9. Can you show me a few examples of thesis statements?  The death penalty should be abolished because it is fundamentally immoral, it ineffective in preventing crime, and it is sometimes mistakenly enforced on innocent people.

10. Can you show me a few examples of thesis statements?  Hillary Rodham Clinton is an Image Maker because she serves as a positive role model for girls and she is a champion of women’s rights.

11. Can you show me a few examples of thesis statements?  Craig Kielburger is remarkable because he began an organization that helps the less fortunate, he inspires many people through We Day, and he proves that anyone can make a difference in the world.

12. Food for Thought  What observations can you make about the above thesis statements? Do you notice any patterns? Do you notice anything about the voice of the verbs (active or passive)?

13. How to: Thesis Statements  Jot down THREE IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS FROM THE CLIP.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCzuAMVmI Z8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCzuAMVmI Z8