Thesis Statements
What’s a thesis?
 Your thesis is more than a general statement about
your main idea.
 It should be your main claim, usually expressed in a
single sentence.
 It needs to establish a clear argument that you will
support with evidence or proof.
 Remember, your thesis should answer the WHAT
and WHY of the prompt.
What to include in a thesis?
 When writing about literature, your thesis should
include the title (correctly punctuated) and
author.
 Ex. In A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens displays
the importance of living a charitable life in order to
achieve true happiness.
What should I avoid?
 A thesis is not a one-word statement of
theme:

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In Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, war is a
prevalent topic.
In The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien asserts that the
overpowering nature of war destroys all innocence and purity.
 A thesis is not an announcement of the
subject:


My subject is that homework is a poor use of time – SHOW
don’t TELL!
Homework is an ineffective learning tool because students
should be able to receive all the information they need in the
seven hours they spend at school each day.
 A thesis is not a statement of absolute fact:

William Shakespeare is the author of Macbeth.
 In the play Macbeth, William Shakespeare uses the
title character to demonstrate that a guilty
conscience is inescapable and can have tragic
consequences.
Quick Checklist
 _____ The thesis/claim follows the guidelines
outlined.
 _____ The thesis/claim matches the requirements
and goals of the assignment (answers the prompt)
 _____ The thesis/claim is clear and recognizable.
_____ The thesis/claim creates a
position/argument that can be supported by textual
evidence.
Let’s practice!
 Is the Internet a valuable tool for research?
 Does holding a part-time job benefit high school
students?
A few more!
 What is the importance of good v. evil in epic poems
such as Beowulf?
 What does Sir Gawain and the Green Knight teach
us about the attributes of being a “good” person?
Introduction
What is the purpose of the introduction?
 The introduction of an essay is designed to grab the
reader’s attention and spark interest in the essay,
giving the reader an idea of the essay’s focus.
Begin with an attention grabber or hook

Interesting information
 This information must be true and verifiable, and it
doesn't need to be totally new to your readers. It could
be a related fact that illustrates the point you wish to
make. This fact should be followed by a sentence or
two of elaboration.

Anecdote
An anecdote is a story that illustrates a point. Be sure
your anecdote is short, to the point, and relevant to your
topic. This can be a very effective opener for your essay,
but use it carefully!
What else can I use?

Quotation
An appropriate quotation does not have to identify the
speaker, but the reader must understand the point you
are trying to convey.


The quotation must be introduced or surrounded by your words
(not just dropped into the paragraph). Quotations MUST be
followed by a sentence or two of explanation.
Summary Information
A few sentences explaining your topic in general terms
can lead the reader to your thesis. Each sentence should
become gradually more specific until you reach your
thesis.
Then what?
 After the hook, spend several sentences outlining the points you
will cover in your body paragraphs. This should help you
transition from your hook to your thesis statement.
 Finish the paragraph with your thesis statement.
 Visualize your introduction as broad to specific. You will reverse
this process in your conclusion.
“Grabber” with information
thesis
Example
 What do you consider to be the greatest invention
that has shaped human’s lives and why?
 Thesis:
 Intro/grabber:
Conclusions
What’s in the conclusion?
 The purpose of your conclusion is to wrap up what
you have been discussing in your paper.
 After moving from general to specific information in
the introduction and body paragraphs, your
conclusion should begin pulling back into more
general information that restates the main points of
your argument.
What does the conclusion look like?
 Conclusions may also call for action or possible
connections to the larger world/society.
Restate
Thesis
Summarize key
points in 2-3
sentences.
Broader connections;
real-world significance
In other words, you should:
1. Restate your thesis/claim in different words.
2. Summarize main points from body paragraphs –
although this is a summary piece, try to state these
points in new and original ways.
3. Connect to the real world or society – think about
the larger importance/significance of your argument.
You should avoid:
 Bringing in new information – you won’t have time
to prove new information, so don’t include it here.
 Using “you” – don’t address the reader in your
conclusion.
 Incorporating irrelevant information – even if you
feel repetitive, you should stick to your main points
in the conclusion.
Body Paragraphs
The Body Paragraph
 Your paper should be organized in a manner that
moves from general to specific information. Once
you are in this specific information, you need to
remain specific throughout your body paragraphs.
 Body paragraphs stay in the specific, providing
details and analysis and connecting to your thesis.
Being specific!
 As the paragraph or paper progresses, you should
become more and more focused on the argument,
ending with specific, detailed evidence supporting
your claim.
 Lastly, you need to explain how and why the
information you have just provided connects to and
supports your thesis. Without this last piece,
you have not made the full connection for
your reader!
The 5 Elements of the Body Paragraph
1. A topic sentence that tells the reader what you will
be discussing in the paragraph.


Paper Topic Example: How the Civil Rights Movement
Affected America
Thesis Statement Example: Racism in America is less of a
problem today than in the past because of the Civil Rights
Movement.
Body Paragraph #1, Topic Sentence Example: The Civil
Rights Movement was a result of increasing tensions between
races which heightened in the 1960s.
Evidence
2. Specific evidence that supports one of your claims
and provides a deeper level of detail than your topic
sentence. Make sure this is related to your paragraph –
don’t wander off topic!
Analysis
3. Analysis of your evidence. Rather than assuming
the reader knows how your evidence connects to your
thesis, you need to analyze and evaluate HOW this
connection takes place.
 In a literary analysis paper, it is crucial to
summarize or explain your quotation and then
ANALYZE its importance.
Wrap it up!
4. A brief wrap-up sentence that tells the reader how
and why this information supports the paper’s thesis.
 The brief wrap-up is also known as the warrant.
The warrant is important to your argument because
it connects your reasoning and support to your
thesis, and it shows that the information in the
paragraph is related to your thesis and helps defend
it.
Transitions
5. A transition sentence leading in from a previous
paragraph to assure smooth reading. This acts as a
hand-off from one idea to the next.
 DO NOT END YOUR BODY PARAGRAPH
WITH A QUOTATION!!
It is virtually impossible to think of a task that people
complete with sole independence these days. Whether
examining large-world applications such as the
interdependence of tribes in the Amazon, to local
applications such as a visit to the grocery store, efficiency
depends on many people completing individual tasks.
Even when going to the grocery store, one is dependent on
many others to do their jobs. The farmer must grow the
food, the truck driver must deliver it, and the stocking
employees must load it off and put it on the shelves.
Thanks to this complex system of task completion and
interdependence, society is able to function at the highest
level possible, enabling individual and collective success.