10th GRADE Student Packet FOCUS: Writing Thesis Statements Name_________________________________ Session 1A—Modified Miami Dade County District Materials: HOW TO WRITE A THESIS STATEMENT 1. Have students examine the writing prompt carefully. 2. Tell students to use some of the language from the prompt in their thesis statement. 3. The thesis statement should introduce the main points to be discussed in the writing piece. 4. Remind them to write a thesis statement, not a question. I. The thesis statement in an Expository essay will tell your audience: a. what you are going to explain to them b. the order you are using to organize your explanation II. In a Persuasive essay, students should brainstorm their topic and make a “pro’s & con’s” list to facilitate making a decision. To narrow the focus, identify strong reasons from the brainstorm list. The reasons should all support your position. Expository Prompt: Explain why a healthy diet is important. Strong Thesis: A healthy diet is important because it increases your energy level, prevents illness, and promotes longevity. Weak Thesis: Too narrow: People should include five servings of fruits and vegetables in their diet every day. Persuasive Prompt: Convince your reader whether or not school uniforms should be mandatory in public schools. Strong Thesis: School uniforms should not be mandatory in public schools because it would stifle students’ creativity, take away students’ rights, and cause students to lose interest in school. Weak Thesis: Too narrow: Students who are forced to wear school uniforms have their creativity stifled. Try to formulate a parallel thesis Parallelism Grammatical parallelism - maintaining balance by using the same part of speech (for instance, all adjectives) or the same part of the sentence (for example, all clauses) Non-parallel: "She likes dancing, swimming, and to box." Parallel: "She likes dancing, swimming, and boxing." Non-parallel: "He admires people with strong convictions, forceful characters, and who think for themselves." Parallel: "He admires people with strong convictions, forceful characters, and independent minds." Parallel: "He admires people who have strong convictions, who have morals, and who think for themselves." (wordier but grammatical) Conceptual parallelism - maintaining balance by keeping all three parts at the same level of generality Non-parallel: "She likes dancing, swimming, and breathing." Parallel: "She likes dancing, swimming, and boxing." Practice formulating parallel thesis statements --J. Fishbein Sample Prompt: Most teenagers have chores. Think about why it is important for teenagers to have chores. Now write to explain why it is important for teenagers to have chores. The thesis statement is the central premise of the entire essay. By reading this one sentence the reader knows what the entire essay will set out to prove. The thesis is usually 3 pronged. The thesis sentence stating 3 reasons in one sentence is the last sentence of the introduction. (Use semi-colons if each one of your reasons is a sentence unto itself.) The thesis should reiterate the prompt and repeat keywords in the prompt if necessary. Make sure your thesis sentence states 3 distinct, separate reasons. Try to make the thesis parallel. ORDER OF REASONS—SAME IN THESIS AND BODY PARAGRAPHS: The order in which you state your reasons in the thesis should be the same order in which you place them in your body paragraphs. Sample parallel thesis: Teenagers should have chores because having chores teaches teens skills they need in the real world, alleviates the amount of work parents have to do, and inculcates a sense of responsibility. Assigned Prompt: Americans are facing an obesity epidemic. Think of reasons why Americans are gaining weight and becoming obese. Write to explain reasons that Americans are fighting a weight battle. Part 1 --Directions: 1. Write a thesis statement for the following Expository Writing Prompt. 2. Show it to your neighbor(s) and get feedback. (Your peers may write comments on your paper.) 3. This is a formative assessment graded using the codes: Got it, Almost Got it, Beginning to get it. Questions to ask yourself: Is the thesis one sentence? Is it parallel? Does it reiterate keywords in the prompt? Part 2-- Directions: 1. Revise the thesis statement for the following Expository Writing Prompt based on the feedback your peers gave you. 2. Show it to your teacher and get feedback. Part 3 – Self-reflection: What did you learn from this process?