WHAT IS A THESIS STATEMENT?
• Definition: “a short statement, usually one sentence, that
summarizes the main point or claim of an essay, research
paper, etc., and is developed, supported, and explained in the
text by means of examples and evidence.”
• It is the roadmap & preview for your paper.
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WHAT 5 THINGS DO I NEED
1. Topic with Background
2. The Claim That You’re Making
3. Preceded by An Arguable Adverb
4. The 3 Points or 3 Reasons That Back or Support
Your Argument
5. Universal Theme or Idea
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TOPIC WITH BACKGROUND
• “Topic with background” means that you must
introduce what you’re going to talk about in your
writing &/or speech. You will do this by talking a
little bit about it your topic as if your audience has
never heard your topic & otherwise would have no
idea what was going on in your piece.
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THE CLAIM
• Your claim is the argument you’re making; it is
what you are trying to persuade your audience to
believe.
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WHAT’S AN ADVERB?
• Definition: An adverb is a word that modifies.
• Okay, so what do they modify? Adjectives.
• As you may recall, adjectives are words that modify
nouns (person, place, thing or idea).
• If you get confused, it’s any arguable word that
modifies + -ly
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ARGUABLE ADVERBS
• So, now that we know what an adverb is we need to
figure out what an arguable adverb is.
• What makes an adverb arguable?
• http://www.enchantedlearning.com/wordlist/adve
rbs.shtml
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3 POINTS, 3 TOPICS
• You must have at least 3 points/topics that you use
to support your claim. These must be apparent in
your thesis statement.
• Remember, you can have more than 3 points, but
have at least to in support of your argument, & at
least one in opposition of your argument.
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UNIVERSAL THEME/IDEA
• A universal theme or idea is something that is
relatable to every person across the world.
• See left wall entitled “Universal Themes.” These
may help you/
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