Thesis WritingA good thesis is essential to a well written analytical or persuasive essay!

Objectives Students will understand the

basic principles of writing a good THESIS statement.

Students will write a preliminary THESIS statement.

Where are you going????

General – We are headed South.

More Specific – We are going to Florida.

Thesis – We are going to Disney World!

The Blueprint

Define your thesisA thesis statement is an

(somewhere in 1st paragraph) sentence that clearly and specifically identifies the purpose of your paper and identifies the main ideas.

Listen to Mr. Henry…

ActivityOn the scratch paper provided please write down what you think your preliminary thesis statement will be!

4 componentsIt must be clearly defined!

…relatively high on the orders of knowledge!

…adequately focused!…well supported!

Without it you will be…

FOCUS!

Focus cont.

A good thesis narrows your topic to an idea that you can successfully develop within the framework of your essay.

ExamplesTOPIC – Health hazards

THESIS – The average American is exposed to many health hazards.

Problem????

More focused…NEW THESIS – The Constitution of the United States should be amended to prohibit the production and sale of alcohol.

Support…

Support your thesis!!

Everything in the paper should lead back to the thesis.

Use persuasive arguments and writing.

Use FACTS to back up your arguments!

High order of knowledge

Knowledge cont.

Your paper needs to be more than a statement of fact.

Who cares??? Draw

conclusions from your research!

COMFORT

You may feel comfortable setting up your thesis with 3 subtopics so you can relate it to a 5 paragraph essay…

Example

Fidel Castro’s Communist Revolution has decimated the Cuban economy because it has (1)limited imports, (2)curtailed tourism, and (3)placed a heavy emphasis on agricultural production.

GUESS WHAT?

Your THESIS does NOT have to have 3 specific subtopics!

It can have 1 or even 2 subtopics but then your entire paper must be on those 1 or 2 subtopics!

Be Original!

Preliminary Thesis Your preliminary thesis with

rough outline is due on my desk TOMORROW 2/25!

It must be typed! With your name on it!

If it is NOT acceptable it MUST be resubmitted until it is acceptable.

Never say …While your

topic may not change - your perspective may change with research!

OLD “PRELIMINARY” THESIS

Aids in Sub Saharan Africa will continue to devastate the region because of corrupt African governments, a lack of international concern, and insufficient public education.

After further review…

What has changed? Aids in Botswana will be eradicated

within the next 25 years because of strong central planning and a unique partnership between the national government and assistance from international agencies.

Did I “really” change my topic?

Don’t!!

GIT-R-DONE!

Finally

Objectives Students will understand the basic

principles of writing a good THESIS statement.

Students will write a preliminary THESIS statement.