2.  Today, I will develop skills of argument by composing a thesis statement for my persuasive paper.

3.  A thesis statement expresses your opinion about a topic. It is the basis of the introductory paragraph of your essay.  It should be a single complete sentence.  You must be sure you can support the opinion in your thesis.

4.  A thesis statement should:  Never be an open-ended question  Be limited to mentioning only those points you plan to discuss in your essay  Never be so broad that it’s difficult to discuss all relevant information  Only present one specific idea; not multiple ideas

5.  To create a thesis statement simply follow this formula: TOPIC + OPINION = THESIS STATEMENT

6.  Identify the utopia generalization of your artifact and paper

7.  Look at your draft of your artifact  Select three main points that illustrate your generalization  Write those three ideas in your notes

8.  Write the rough draft of your thesis using your three ideas:  Sentence Stem-  _______________________(generalization) is illustrated/shown/etc…in (title of artifact) through ______________, _________, ______________________.