Writing An Essay: History 10
1.
Thesis Statements: The heart of your essay
You must make a THESIS statement. What is a thesis statement?
Thesis: a stated opinion, especially one to be discussed and proven.
For example, a simple thesis statement would be: Babe Ruth was the best baseball player of all time.
A thesis statement is not a fact.
Mexico is a country in North America. This is not a thesis statement! It is an undisputable fact, not an
opinion.
A more complex thesis statement might be: The French Revolution was caused by high taxes, famine
and poor rulers.
Having a thesis with 3 core topics is the type of essay you should be aiming for at this level.
2.
Format of Your Essay: Outline
Every essay should be roughed out as an outline, a lot like you wouldn’t take a trip in a car without
directions as to where you are going. The following is an example of a good outline (map) for our thesis
statement about the French Revolution
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Paragraph 1: Thesis statement
Paragraph 2: Topic 1 from thesis (high taxes)
Paragraph 3: Topic 2 from thesis (famine)
Paragraph 4: Topic 3 from thesis (poor rulers)
Paragraph 5: Conclusion (rework or rewrite your thesis)
Each paragraph corresponds to a specific topic in the essay. And everything relates back to the thesis.
If you understand this format you can make your essays more and more complicated. For example:
1. Paragraph 1: Thesis statement
2. Paragraph 2: Topic 1 from thesis (high taxes)
a. 1st and 2nd estate
b. 3rd estate
3. Paragraph 3: Topic 2 from thesis (famine)
a. Poor weather
i. Cold winters
ii. Flooding
4. Paragraph 4: Topic 3 from thesis (poor rulers)
a. Louis XIV
i. Sun King
ii. Mercantilism
iii. Army
iv. Centralization
b. Louis XV
i. Mistresses
c. Louis XVI
i. Marie Antoinette
ii. Estates General
5. Paragraph 5: Conclusion (rework or rewrite your thesis)
There is no limit to the size of essay you can write about once you master the 3 topic 5 paragraph essay!
Activity:
Please draw a meatball sandwich outlining a 5 paragraph essay: