1. Thesis Statement Boot Camp! Objective: To successfully identify what the heck your motive, opinion, and reasons are for your meager existence on this earth are (said in the voice of Ronald Lee Ermey).

2. The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital! Three parts of a thesis statement are: TOPIC OPINION THREE REASONS Example: –PROMPT: Can fast food be healthy? T: O: R1: R2: R3:

3. Are social networking sites good for our society? Do violent video games contribute to youth violence? Should adults have the right to carry a concealed handgun? Should gay marriage be legal? Two-minute Topics

4. Are social networking sites good for our society? –Social networking sites are bad for our society because they make face-to-face contact obsolete, which is socially unhealthy. Do violent video games contribute to youth violence? –When young men and women spend hours playing violent video games their minds begin to accept the brutality as acceptable which, in effect, causes them to develop violent tendencies. Two-minute Topic Responses

5. “Dissecting” the prompt S ubject – what is the point of this essay? A udience – who is my audience? P urpose – what am I trying to prove? F ormat – what type of essay am I writing?

6. Importance of AUDIENCE For AIMS, SAT / ACT, and for your classes in general, who is your audience? Therefore, basic wording will bore your reader. Entice them. Use your vocab. Use your thesaurus (appropriately).

7. Write an essay explaining the importance of being able to see a situation from another person's point of view. In some countries every young person must serve two years of military service. Should we have a similar policy in the United States? Write an essay stating your position on this issue and supporting it with convincing reasons. Be sure to explain your reasons in detail. SAPF

8. SAPF Responses Write an essay explaining the importance of being able to see a situation from another person's point of view. –S–S=Importance of seeing other POV’s –A–A=A teacher with a college education –P–P=The goal of this paper is to explain why seeing an opposing viewpoint is important –F–F=This is an expository essay Viewing a situation from another person’s point of view is important because it shows character, it provides deeper insight, and it allows individuals to make more educated decisions.

9. Exit Bell Work: How comfortable are you in designing and executing an effective thesis statement? –1-5 scale (5 being a stud) –Write one sentence to support your comfort level