Crafting Thesis
Statements and Utilizing
Topic Sentences
UWC Writing Workshop
Fall 2013
Thesis Statements
O What do you already know about thesis
statements?
Introduction to Thesis
Statements
O A thesis statement:
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Tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the
subject matter under discussion.
Is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what
to expect from the rest of the paper.
Directly answers the questions asked of you. A thesis is an
interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The
subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or Moby Dick; a
thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel.
Makes a claim that others might dispute
Is usually a single sentence (or possibly more than one)
somewhere in your first paragraph that presents your argument to
the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers
and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic
of your interpretation.
How do I get a thesis?
O Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do
after reading an essay assignment. Before you
develop an argument on any topic, you have to
collect and organize evidence, look for possible
relationships between known facts, and think
about the significance of these relationships.
How can it be done?—
Brainstorming!!!
(http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/brainstorming)
Strong Thesis Statements?
O Once you’ve brainstormed and obtained a “working
thesis,” you will then need to see if the thesis is strong!
O Ask yourself the following questions when seeing if your
thesis is strong…
O Do I answer the question?
O Have I taken a position that others might challenge or
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oppose?
Is my thesis statement specific enough?
Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test?
Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without
wandering?
Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test?
http://www.westga.edu/~mmcfar/Thesis%20Construction%20Re
vised.htm
How to Construct a Thesis: An
Example
Thesis Statements: Make Sure
to Remember…
O Your thesis should be both clear and
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specific.
Your thesis should be relevant.
Your thesis should be debatable.
Your thesis should be original.
You should be able to state your thesis as a
complete sentence.
Your thesis should be appropriate to the
assignment.
Next…Topic Sentences!
O What do you already know about topic
sentences?
Topic Sentences: The Basics
O A topic sentence serves to organize an
entire paragraph, and you need to make
sure to include one in most of your major
paragraphs.
O Two directions:
O Relates the paragraph to the essay’s thesis &
acts as a signpost/marker for the argument
of the paper
O Defines the scope of the paragraph itself
Good Topic Sentences…
O Good topic sentences can improve an essay’s readability
and organization, and they meet the following criteria:
O A topic sentence is usually the first sentence of the
paragraph, not the last sentence of the previous
paragraph.
O Topic sentences use keywords or phrases from the
thesis to indicate which part of the thesis will be
discussed.
O Topic sentences tell the reader what concept will be
discussed and provide an introduction to the
paragraph.
O Topic sentences should point back to the subject/main
idea presented within the thesis statement.
Good Topic Sentences
(cont’d)…
O Good topic sentences also include:
O Topic sentences may also signal to the reader
where the essay has been and where it is headed
through the use of certain words such as “first,”
“second,” or “finally.”
O Topic sentences may act as a mini thesis
statement, essentially saying that “This is my
claim, or point I will prove in the following
paragraph. All the sentences that follow this topic
sentence must relate to it in some way.”
O Topic sentences should make a point and give
reasons or examples to support it.
Topic Sentences: Not Always
Needed?
O Although most paragraphs should have a topic
sentence, there are a few situations in which a
paragraph might not need a topic sentence.
These situations may include:
O Having a paragraph that narrates a series of
events
O Having a paragraph that develops an idea you
introduced (with a topic sentence) in the previous
paragraph
O Having a paragraph where ALL the sentences in
the paragraph clearly refer to a main point
Let’s Practice Together! 
O Let’s develop a topic sentence based on the
following paragraph:
O During the 1990s, I really enjoyed watching
Friends on television every Thursday night. I really
wanted Rachel’s haircut—I think every girl wanted
Rachel’s haircut back then! Rachel’s haircut went
really well with the Guess Jeans that were so
popular in the 1990s. I remember all the
advertisements for Guess and Calvin Klein Jeans
that were in each month’s Sassy magazine. I
don’t think Sassy magazine exists anymore, but it
was one of the most popular magazines for young
women in the 1990s.
What did you come up with?
O Thinking about the 1990s brings back a lot of
memories for me about fashion and popular culture.
During the 1990s, I really enjoyed watching Friends
on television every Thursday night. I really wanted
Rachel’s haircut—I think every girl wanted Rachel’s
haircut back then! Rachel’s haircut went really well
with the Guess Jeans that were so popular in the
1990s. I remember all the advertisements for Guess
and Calvin Klein Jeans that were in each month’s
Sassy magazine. I don’t think Sassy magazine exists
anymore, but it was one of the most popular
magazines for young women in the 1990s.
Something to take with you…
O “Nothing so facilitates good writing as
actually having something to say.” ~T.S. Eliot
Questions??
O Remember that the UWC is always here to
help you!
O 678-839-6513
O writing@westga.edu
O TLC 1201 (First floor, past the snacks)
O www.westga.edu/writing
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Center (UWG)