1

Writing a Thesis

Raise your hand if…

You still feel like this after I ask you to write a thesis…

or this…

Okay then, let’s review one…more…time…

Get out a piece of paper; you’re about to take some exhilarating, colorful, exciting notes! (notice all of my amazing adjectives?)

7

Thesis defined:The thesis sentence tells the reader what the entire essay is about, a map of your essay.

8

Thesis facts:It is the most important sentence of your entire essay.

In one sentence you must include your position and 3 reasons supporting your position.each reason (which you should color code) will stand for your body paragraphs!

9

Let’s look at a thesis sentence:I strongly believe that smoking should be banned in public places because smoke pollutes the environment, contaminates our lungs, and smells terrible.

Note: Thesis is one sentence composed of two parts.

10

Unscramble the thesis:I need to weigh the pros of moving ,Before my I make the decision to move,And discuss my feelings with my family

members. Weigh the cons of moving,

(Learning the right order of the thesis sentence is important. So try to unscramble this sentence.)

11

Corrected thesis:Before my I make the decision to move, I need to weigh the pros of moving, weigh the cons of moving, and discuss my feelings with my family members.

12

Let’s look at a poor thesis sentences:I believe teenagers should get paid

minimum wage because they do the same amount of work, equal labor rights , and they need the money.

(In this thesis sentence the reasons are not parallel which means that they are not in the same grammatical form. Do your best to improve and then take a look at the improved version on the next slide.)

13

Improved version:

I believe teenagers should get paid minimum wage because teenage workers do the same amount of work, enjoy equal labor rights, and need the money.

14

Rewrite this sentence:I myself say that all citizens at the age of

18 should serve one year in the military because they will learn to work. Also, learn patriotism. Furthermore, they will learn to get along with people.

(One of the things you need to keep in mind is that you need to make the thesis sentence one sentence. Do not break it up in to separate sentences because you will use too many words. In this particular thesis sentence, the second and third “sentences” are not sentences, but fragments.

15

Correction:All citizens of the age of 18 should serve one year in the military because they will learn to work, have patriotism, and get along with people.

16

Complete:I strongly believe that curfew should be banned because____,____, and_____.

17

Complete:

_______________________because handguns are dangerous, cause many unnecessary deaths, and promote violence.

18

Assignment: Write a thesis sentence to the following topic.

Do you think that all high school students should wear uniforms to school on a daily basis?

ExampleACTUAL REALEASED SOL PROMPT:

You have been given the task to choose a guest speaker for your class. Write about whom you would choose and why.

THESIS SENTENCE: I would choose __________________as my class’s guest speaker because _________, _______________, and ________________________.

ExamplePrompt: Through the years new inventions have

changed the way we live. Think about one invention that has had an impact on the way you live. Now write to explain to your teacher how this invention has changed your life.

Thesis statement: ___________have had the biggest impact on the way I live because _________, _______________, and ________________________.

ExamplePrompt: Write an essay explaining how you

changed when you entered middle school.

Thesis Statement: When I entered middle school I was a mere child, but now I am _________, _______________, and ________________________.

ExamplePrompt: Your principal wants to invite a

celebrity speaker to your school. Think about the celebrity you would choose to have speak; then, write a letter to persuade your principal to invite this person. Be sure to include convincing reasons and details to support your choice.

Thesis Statement: I would choose __________________because _________, _______________, and ________________________.