English I C.P.

Think of yourself as a member of a jury, listening to a lawyer who is presenting an opening argument. You'll want to know very soon whether the lawyer believes the accused to be guilty or not guilty, and how the lawyer plans to convince you. Readers of academic essays are like jury members: before they have read too far, they want to know what the essay argues as well as how the writer plans to make the argument.

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After reading a claim, a reader should have a thought along the lines of…

"This essay is going to try to convince me of something. I'm not convinced yet, but I'm interested to see how I

might be!"

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What you plan to argue

Preview how you plan to argue.

What a Claim is NOT…

•A claim is never a question•A claim should never be vague, combative or confrontational.

•An effective claim has a definable, arguable statement.•A claim should be as clear and specific as possible.

What a Claim is…

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Your claim must have the following:1.Title and author of novel/text2.Arguable statement; take a stance!3.Three different (cannot repeat) reasons/prongs supporting your stance

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Where does a Claim go? A claim is the last sentence of your

introduction paragraph

A claim needs to be arguable. Someone should be able to go against what you are claiming!

A claim has three prongs or reasons supporting the statement

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“The twin towers collapsed in NYC because of America’s stupidity

and lack of preparedness.”

•A thesis should never be vague, combative or confrontational.

A claim should never be vague, combative, and does not provide three reasons/prongs.

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•An effective thesis has a definable, arguable claim.

An effective claim has a definable, arguable claim with three prongs/reasons.

"While many forces contributed to the collapse of

the twin towers in NYC, our lack of airport security, non existent

homeland security, and emergency non-preparedness played the key roles in the loss

of thousands of lives."

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In the short story “Black Boy” Richard Wright is an

amazing character."

A claim should be as clear and specific as possible with the author listed and three

reasons/prongs provided.

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In the short story “Thank You, Ma’m,” the older woman is nice because she helps the

boy.”

A claim should be as clear and specific as possible with the author listed and three

reasons/prongs provided.

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•An effective thesis has a definable, arguable claim.

An effective claim has the title/author listed, an arguable statement, and three

reasons/prongs.

“In the short story, “Black Boy” by Richard Wright, Richard

learns the value of defending himself when he bravely walks to the grocery store, stands his

ground while the bullies threaten him and eventually beats up the group of boys

that stole his money.”

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Create Your Own Claim

In the novel Of Beetles and Angels by Mawi Asgedom, was it a good idea for Mawi and his family to immigrate to America?

Checklist: Title/Author Listed Arguable Statement Three Prongs/Reasons

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