1. Your Thesis Statement: The Only Sentence Worth More Than A Thousand Words

2. Think of your introductory paragraph like a funnel. First, grab you readers attention with a general statement about your topic. End your introduction with a strong statement/claim that tells your reader what you intend to prove to them about your topic. Attention Grabbing Opening Brief Explanation of topic Thesis Then, give your reader a brief explanation (2-5 sentences) of what you will be explaining about your topic.

3. Thesis Statements Are Not As Hard As You May Think… First, let’s look at what a Thesis Statement is NOT!

4. Your topic tells your reader what you are talking about. “I will compare marijuana usage over the last five years.” This is not a thesis; it is only a topic. Your Thesis Statement is NOT Your Topic! Your thesis tells your reader your position on your topic. “Marijuana usage has decreased over the past five years due to the successful war on drugs.” This is a Successful Thesis Statement

5. What a Thesis Statement is… It is the sentence that answers your readers biggest question:

6. Requirements For a Strong Thesis: 1.I t should not be TOO BROAD! 2.I t should not be TOO NARROW! 3.I t should not be TOO VAGUE!

7. A Strong Thesis Should Not Be Too Broad! You may find yourself drowning in information, unable to prove your point!

8. An example of a thesis that is too broad: The death penalty should be banned in the United States. The death penalty has been ineffective in deterring crime and should be replaced with more efforts to reform criminals and not murder them. Improved Thesis

9. A Strong Thesis Should Not Be Too Narrow Either! You may find yourself trying to stretch the small amount of information that you find to fit your essay!

10. In Lord of The Rings, the sword given to Frodo by his uncle represents the passing down of a legacy. In Lord of the Rings, the author carefully chose a weapon for each character that was symbolic and revealed something about that character to the reader. An example of a thesis that is too narrow! Improved Thesis

11. A Strong Thesis Should Not Be Vague! You may find your reader Dazed and Confused!

12. Getting rid of welfare in the United States is a horrible idea. The word HORRIBLE is hard to define! It makes this thesis Too VAGUE! If the United States were to get rid of welfare, it would aggravate an already severe homeless problem, cause a rise in crime, and remove the only safety net that our country has in place. To Fix It Define the term “horrible idea” for your reader. Outlining the major points of your essay would also help.

13. Where To Start Usually, your instructor will provide your topic: –I–It may be a general topic such as family. –O–Or something more specific like The role that biological age played in Romeo and Juliet or Common archetypes exist among stories from around the world. Start Off With Your Topic!

14. Before trying to decide on a final thesis, gather all of the information available on your topic! Why? 1.How can you have an educated opinion about something or explain something that you know little about? 2.It is easier to write a thesis statement that explains what you have found in your research, than to find research that explains what you have written in your thesis! 3.You want the opinion or explanation that your thesis states to be provable by facts that you have gathered. If you gather the facts first, you KNOW that it can be proven!

15. Once you have gathered your information, Ask Yourself a Few Questions: What would my reader want to know about my topic? What is the most important thought that I have about my topic? What will be the point of my paper? What has my research shown me about my topic?

16. So, how do you write a thesis statement? 1.Start off with your TOPIC! 2.Before trying to decide on a final thesis, gather all of the information available on your topic! 3.Once you have gathered your information, ask yourself a few questions: What is the most important thought that I have about my topic? What has my research shown me about my topic? What would my reader want to know about my topic? What will be the POINT of my paper? 4.Make sure it is an adequate Thesis Statement by comparing it to the requirements for a strong thesis statement: Is it too broad? Is it too narrow? Is it too vague?