Mrs. Macemore

Thesis Statements

Most essays you will write for me (at least in the beginning) will follow the format of the traditional 5-paragraph essay. Who can tell

me more about this?

Essay Composition

Introduction (Overview of entire essay)*contains your thesis statement

Body Paragraph (One area of focus)

Body Paragraph (One area of focus)

Body Paragraph (One area of focus)

Conclusion (Wrap it up for the reader)

5-Paragraph Essay

A thesis statement is a statement of the purpose, intent, or main idea of an essay.

You usually combine your thesis statements with your topic sentences to make one long sentence in your introduction paragraph.

What is a Thesis Statement?

Topic sentences are found at (or near) the beginning of the three body paragraphs and

they state the focus or topic of that paragraph.

They will usually address questions such as: why, how, when, etc.

What is a Topic Sentence?

Sample Prompt: What movie is the best movie of all time?

Thesis Statement: The movie The Lion King is the best movie of all time.

This thesis statement addresses the prompt. It gives an answer to the question.

What Do I Do?

A weak thesis statement makes for a weak paper.

Tips:- Your thesis must be debatable. Think, could

someone argue against this?- Your thesis must not have language like

‘might,’ or ‘could be.’ Your thesis must show that you have developed a clear opinion on

the matter.- Your thesis must be supportable. You have to

be able to give reasons for why you think what you think.

What Makes a Strong Thesis?

Is this a strong thesis?

The best movie of all time is The Lion King.

Is it arguable?Does it have strong, definitive language?

Can I support this thesis?

Let’s Check….

Now, I need to find my topic sentences. These will go in each of the three body paragraphs , and each of the topic sentences will provide support to my thesis, “The Lion King is the

best movie ever.”

So, we ask ourselves, “Why is The Lion King the best movie ever?” We need to find three

reasons, because we have three topic sentences to write.

Topic Sentences

What makes The Lion King the best movie ever? (Pretend you agree with me…)

Remember…we need 3 reasons.

1. It has talking animals.2. It has lots of singing.3. It has lots of action.

How should we order these statements? Do you want your strongest argument to come

first or last?

What Do You Think?

Now, we need to combine the thesis with your topic sentences to go near the end of your

introductory paragraph.

Thesis: The Lion King is the best movie ever.Topic Statement 1: It has talking animals.Topic Statement 2: It has lots of action.Topic Statement 3: It has lots of singing.

How Do We Combine Them?

Take 2 minutes and write this out the way you think it should appear. Then, we will do mix-

pair-share !

Thesis: The Lion King is the best movie ever.Topic Statement 1: It has talking animals.Topic Statement 2: It has lots of action.Topic Statement 3: It has lots of singing.

Mix-Pair-Share!

???????????????

What Did You Decide?

“The Lion King is the best movie ever because it has talking animals, lots of action, and lots

of singing.”

End Result….

Using the prompt below, create your own thesis statement and topic sentences. Then,

combine them.

Prompt:

What animal is the coolest animal?

Your Turn!