What is a Thesis Statement?

http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/thesis_statement.shtml

What is a Thesis Statement?

• Almost all of us, even if we don’t do it consciously, look early in a paper, project, exhibit, documentary, or web-site for a one-or two-sentence condensation (meaning to compress or concentrate) of the argument or analysis of the topic.

• We refer to that condensation as a thesis statement.

Why Should Your Project Contain a Thesis Statement?

• to test your ideas by distilling (reducing) them into a sentence or two

• to better organize and develop your argument

• to provide your “reader” with a guide to your argument

Your thesis statement will accomplish these goals if you think of the thesis as the answer to the questions your project explores.

Four attributes of a good thesis statement

• takes on a subject that reasonable people could disagree with

• deals with a subject that can be sufficiently treated given the nature of the assignment

• expresses one main idea • declares your conclusions

about the subject

It is the GLUE!

• A thesis statement is a central thought that holds your entire National History day (NHD) project together. In the beginning, we like to call this a working thesis, because as you gather your research, this thought can evolve. By the time you present your NHD project, however, you should have a concrete thesis that is supported by evidence.

Thesis = Topic + Theme + Impact.

Your thesis does not just introduce your topic. You are creating an argument that expresses your topic’s significance and demonstrates how the theme plays a central part in your topic’s impact.

A thesis paragraph BUILDS on

topic + theme + impact = thesis paraperson/ + actions/ + legacy/ = thesis parasetting motivation/ so what factor?/

personality traits your conclusions

Develop a Thesis Statement

• Develop your own argument of the historical impact of the person, event, pattern or idea you are studying.

• A thesis statement is not the same as a topic.

• Explains what you believe to be the impact and significance of your topic in history.

Develop Thesis Statement

• Topic: Battle of Gettysburg Thesis Statement: The battle of Gettysburg was a major turning point of the Civil War. It turned the tide of the war from the South to the North, pushing back Lee's army that would never fight again on Northern soil and bringing confidence to the Union army.

Asking the right question!All assignments can be reduce to a simple question. The first step is to

reduce the theme to that simple question..

Innovation in History: Impact & Change

What about the topic is new and different, and is also the result of human ideas or actions?

http://www.chrisledoux.com/bio3.htm

Getting Started

Your first two sentences should give . . .

• the occasion – your individual– the time and/or place your

individual lived in

• your position – The actions your individual

did that lead to their legacy– Your individual’s legacy

George Washington played an important part in the Revolutionary War by organizing and gathering military and civilian intelligence thus allowing America to win the war.

The Occasion

• George Washington-Revolutionary War spymaster

• Anne Frank-immortalizes the Holocaust experience

• Chris Ledoux–a modern day American hero–a life well lived

• Theodore Geisel-20th century American artist

• Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda-global terrorism to go

• Who am I writing about? • What is their time and/or

place in history?

The Position• What

actions/personality traits/motivations lead to your individual’s legacy?

• The “So What Factor”? So why is this person important? These are your conclusions about this person’s impact.

Sample Thesis StatementsDo’s Don’ts

Martin Luther disagreed with aspects of Roman Catholic religious practices, especially the sale of indulgences, religious corruption, and the emphasis on salvation through good works. He took action by posting and distributing his 95 theses and left a lasting legacy by sparking a religious movement, creating a new sect of faith, and later bringing reform to the Roman Catholic Church.

Martin Luther was born in 1483. He started the Reformation.

Oskar Schindler disagreed with the persecution of the Jews and took action against the Nazi party by hiding 1,300 people in his munitions factory, risking his own life and spending his fortune in the effort, while sparing his workers from certain death.

I am going to tell you about Oskar Schindler.

In protest over political and social discrimination, thousands of American Indians refused to compromise with government officials and reclaimed Alcatraz Island in 1969 as Indian land. Though many of the group’s aims were not met, their actions succeeded in spreading awareness and sparking the modern American Indian Movement, a legacy that inspires pride and action still today.

Indians fought over Alcatraz Island. Why do you think they would do that?

Sample Thesis StatementsDo’s Don’ts

Susan B. Anthony fought for women’s right to vote. Through social action and her writings, Anthony inspired thousands of women to fight for suffrage, which eventually resulted in the passage of the 19th amendment in 1917 which gave women the right to vote.

I think Susan B. Anthony did good things.

Jackie Robinson played baseball at a time when teams were segregated, black from white. With the assistance of team manager Branch Rickey, Robinson took action, desegregating Major League Baseball as the first black ball player with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He left a legacy opening professional sports to African American athletes.

Jackie Robinson was a really important black baseball

player.

Following the “Great War,” Adolph Hitler blamed Germany’s economic and militaristic downfalls on the Jewish people. Through the use of established anti-Semitism, Hitler orchestrated the mass extermination of Jews and other “non-desirables,” killing more than twelve million people and reshaping the social and cultural landscape of many European nations.

Adolph Hitler killed a lot of Jews.

Brainstorming the TopicCreate a web, bullet list, or outline with the following . . .

• Innovation• Setting – When/Where/Why (only those that lead to the innovation)

• How did it change peoples’ ideas, scientific knowledge, everyday behavior, political process, etc. (only those that lead to the innovation)

• What was the long term change caused by this innovation?

• In what ways is the innovation new?• Legacy – What difference in history came about

because of this innovation?• Personal conclusions- Why is this a significant

innovation?

Subdivide topics by a system of numbers and letters, followed by a period.Example:I.    A.    B.        1.        2.            a.            b.II.    A.    B.

• Create a new word file for your thesis paragraph and brainstorm/ web/ outline/ flowchart

• Put a header with your name, period, NHD thesis paragraph and web on this document

• Save file under your name, NHD thesis paragraph-web in both your folder and my in-box

• Write a one or two sentence thesis statement• Evaluate you thesis statement against the

following checklist—is it strong or weak?

Getting Ready to Edit

Weak or Strong?1. A strong thesis statement takes some sort of stand. What is your thesis

statement’s stand? 2. A strong thesis statement justifies—gives good reason for—discussion. Will

others want to discuss what you’ve said?3. A strong thesis statement expresses one main idea. Do you only have one

main idea? 4. A strong thesis statement is specific—detailed with examples, quotes, and

details. Do you have evidence to support your stand that is clear and detailed?

Strong Weak

Because Banana Herb Tea Supplement promotes rapid weight loss that results in the loss of muscle and lean body mass, it poses a potential danger to customers

There are some negative and positive aspects to the Banana Herb Tea Supplement.

While most American families would view marriage of those related by blood as a threat to the nuclear family structure, many Iranian families, like my own, believe that these marriages help reinforce kinship ties in an extended family.

My family is an extended family.

Because the Internet is filled with tremendous marketing potential, companies should exploit this potential by using Web pages that offer both advertising and customer support.

Companies need to exploit the marketing potential of the Internet, and Web pages can provide both advertising and customer support.

Hunger persists in Glandelinia because jobs are scarce and farming in the infertile soil is rarely

World hunger has many causes and effects

So how do I write my thesis paragraph?

You may want to follow this formula for writing your thesis paragraph . . .

1. 2 sentences are your Thesis statement. Remember topic + theme + impact = thesis statement

2. 4 sentences that include how people react initially (within a few years), and over the long term (in later years), to the new idea, arrangement, organization or technology

3. 1 sentence that explains how it changed people’s ideas, scientific knowledge, everyday behavior, etc.

4. 1 sentence that has your conclusion—why you think the event/topic is important.