THESIS STATEMENTS

HOW-TO, THEN DO

WHAT IS A “THESIS STATEMENT”?A PERSUASIVE ESSAY “MAKES A CLAIM ABOUT A TOPIC AND JUSTIFIES THIS CLAIM WITH SPECIFIC EVIDENCE. THE CLAIM COULD BE AN OPINION, A POLICY PROPOSAL, AN EVALUATION, A CAUSE-AND-EFFECT STATEMENT, OR AN INTERPRETATION. THE GOAL OF THE [PERSUASIVE] PAPER IS TO CONVINCE THE AUDIENCE THAT THE CLAIM IS TRUE BASED ON THE EVIDENCE PROVIDED” (PURDUE OWL).

THESIS STATEMENT: EXAMPLEEXAMPLE OF AN ARGUMENTATIVE THESIS STATEMENT:

• HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO TAKE A YEAR OFF TO PURSUE COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS BEFORE ENTERING COLLEGE IN ORDER TO INCREASE THEIR MATURITY AND GLOBAL AWARENESS.

THE PAPER THAT FOLLOWS SHOULD:

• PRESENT AN ARGUMENT AND GIVE EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE CLAIM THAT STUDENTS SHOULD PURSUE COMMUNITY PROJECTS BEFORE ENTERING COLLEGE.

THESIS STATEMENT: DO THIS STUFF•BE SPECIFIC.

•AT THE END OF THE FIRST PARAGRAPH (MOST OF THE TIME)

•REVISE AFTER WRITING ESSAY

WRITE YOUR THESIS

__________ SHOULD/SHOULD NOT ___________ BECAUSE ______________.

WRITE ½ PAGE

•WRITE AT LEAST HALF A PAGE ABOUT YOUR TOPIC, USING YOUR THESIS AS A GUIDE.

•BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR MAIN CLAIMS (SUPPORTS) IN THIS PARAGRAPH.

WRITE ONE PARAGRAPH

WRITE AT LEAST ONE PARAGRAPH DESCRIBING YOUR OPPOSITION’S POINT OF VIEW

TURN IT IN

UPLOAD TO GOOGLE CLASSROOM ON A SINGLE DOCUMENT:

• THESIS STATEMENT

• HALF A PAGE ABOUT YOUR TOPIC

• PARAGRAPH ABOUT OPPOSITION

SUPPORT YOUR THESIS

ORGANIZATION, CLAIMS, AND RHETORICAL DEVICES

ORGANIZATION

• “ORGANIZATION” MEANS THE ORDER IN WHICH YOU PRESENT INFORMATION IN YOUR ESSAY.

•THERE ARE SEVEN BASIC WAYS TO ORGANIZE THE INFORMATION IN YOUR ESSAY.

ORGANIZATION: CHRONOLOGICAL

THE ORDER IN WHICH THINGS OCCURRED, FROM FIRST TO LAST.

WORKS WELL FOR ESSAYS THAT TRACE HOW SOMETHING DEVELOPED OVER TIME OR DISCUSSING TRENDS IN RESEARCH OR SOCIAL CONVENTIONS.

ORGANIZATION: CAUSE AND EFFECT•THE CAUSE (REASON) IS DISCUSSED FIRST.

•THIS LEADS TO A DISCUSSION OF THE EFFECT (RESULT).

•WORKS WELL FOR ESSAYS ABOUT HOW EVENTS OR SPECIFIC CAUSES LED TO STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT OR CHANGES IN SOCIAL THINKING.

ORGANIZATION: PROBLEM/SOLUTION

• PRESENTS A PROBLEM FIRST: DETAILS ABOUT PROBLEM, INCLUDING ITS CAUSE

• SUGGESTS A SOLUTION: DETAILS THAT SUPPORT THE SOLUTION.

•WORKS WELL FOR ESSAYS ABOUT SOCIAL ISSUES AND PROBLEMS THAT HAVE POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS.

ORGANIZATION: CLIMACTIC ORDER•MOST IMPORTANT IDEA FIRST.

•LEAST IMPORTANT IDEA LAST.

•WORKS WELL FOR ESSAYS THAT ARE DISCUSSING VARIOUS ASPECTS OF A TOPIC, SOME OF WHICH SUPPORT THE THESIS MORE STRONGLY THAN OTHERS.

ORGANIZATION: PROCESS ORDER

•DESCRIBES A SEQUENCE OF ACTIONS.

•BASICALLY “HOW-TO” DO SOMETHING; A SET OF DIRECTIONS.

•WORKS WELL FOR ESSAYS TELLING READERS HOW TO COMPLETE A PROJECT OR HOW TO DO SOMETHING.

ORGANIZATION: CLASSIFICATION

•BREAKS TOPIC INTO SMALLER PARTS (CLASSIFICATIONS).

•DISCUSSES EACH CLASSIFICATION IN DETAIL.

•WORKS WELL FOR ESSAYS THAT LIST A NUMBER OF FACTS OR IDEAS ABOUT A TOPIC.

ORGANIZATION: COMPARE/CONTRAST• DISCUSSES SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TWO IDEAS.

• BLOCK FORM: ONE SIDE IS DISCUSSED IN DETAIL, THEN THE SECOND SIDE IS DISCUSSED.

• POINT-BY-POINT FORM: EACH PART OF THE ISSUE IS COMPARED/CONTRASTED SIDE BY SIDE.

•WORKS WELL FOR ESSAYS THAT ARE SHOWING DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TWO IDEAS.

SUPPORT THE THESIS

•THESIS GUIDES ESSAY

•CHOOSE THREE CLAIMS TO SUPPORT THESIS

SUPPORT: 4 TYPES OF CLAIMS

CLAIMS OF FACT OR DEFINITION: THIS KIND OF CLAIM PERSUADES THE READER TO AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH THE DEFINITION OF SOMETHING OR WITH AN ESTABLISHED FACT ABOUT SOMETHING.

EXAMPLE: STANDARDIZED TESTING IS SUPPOSED TO MEASURE STUDENT KNOWLEDGE, BUT WHAT IT REALLY MEASURES IS HOW GOOD STUDENTS ARE AT TAKING TESTS.

SUPPORT: FOUR TYPES OF CLAIMSCLAIMS OF CAUSE AND EFFECT: THIS KIND OF CLAIM PERSUADES THE READER THAT ONE THING, EVENT, OR PERSON CAUSED ANOTHER THING OR EVENT TO OCCUR.

EXAMPLE: RATES OF HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION INCREASED WHEN HIGH-STAKES TESTING STARTED.

SUPPORT: 4 TYPES OF CLAIMS

CLAIMS ABOUT VALUE: THIS KIND OF CLAIM PERSUADES THE READER OF SOMETHING’S WORTH, WHETHER IT IS VALUABLE OR NOT, AND/OR HOW WE WOULD RATE OR CLASSIFY SOMETHING.

EXAMPLE: STANDARDIZED TESTING IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEMS TODAY.

SUPPORT: 4 TYPES OF CLAIMSCLAIMS ABOUT SOLUTIONS OR POLICIES: THESE ARE CLAIMS THAT ARGUE FOR OR AGAINST A CERTAIN SOLUTION OR POLICY APPROACH TO A PROBLEM.

EXAMPLE: INSTEAD OF DRILLING FOR OIL IN ALASKA WE SHOULD BE FOCUSING ON WAYS TO REDUCE OIL CONSUMPTION, SUCH AS RESEARCHING RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES.

RHETORICAL DEVICES: ETHOS

• APPEAL TO CREDIBILITY

•WRITER ESTABLISHES KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE ABOUT A SUBJECT.

•WORKS WELL WITH RESEARCH OR WHEN YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH A SUBJECT.

RHETORICAL DEVICES: PATHOS•APPEAL TO EMOTION

•CREATES EMPATHY OR SYMPATHY IN THE READER; USES EMOTIONAL APPEALS TO PERSUADE

•WORKS WELL FOR TOPICS THAT ARE EMOTIONAL IN NATURE.

RHETORICAL DEVICES: LOGOS•APPEAL TO LOGIC

•USES LOGIC, FACTS, AND THINGS THAT “MAKE SENSE” TO CONVINCE READER

•WORKS WELL FOR ISSUES THAT RELY ON FACTS AND APPEAL TO COMMON SENSE TO PERSUADE.

RHETORICAL DEVICES: KAIROS

•APPEAL TO TIMELINESS

•PERTAINS TO “RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME” INFORMATION.

•WORKS WELL FOR ESSAYS THAT ARE CONVINCING PEOPLE TO TAKE ACTION ABOUT AN ISSUE.

WORDS OF ADVICE

•USE ONE METHOD OF ORGANIZATION.

•USE SEVERAL CLAIMS TO SUPPORT YOUR THESIS.

•USE SEVERAL RHETORICAL DEVICES TO CONVINCE YOUR READER.

CREATE AN OUTLINE

• CHOOSE A METHOD OF ORGANIZATION.

• CHOOSE THREE CLAIMS.

• CHOOSE THE BEST RHETORICAL DEVICES TO SUPPORT THOSE CLAIMS.

•WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU WILL PRESENT IN THE ORDER IT WILL APPEAR IN YOUR ESSAY.