Name __________________________
Date: ________________
Section: 12.1
12.2
(circle one)
Modern World History
Classwork: Thesis Statement Reteach
Do Now
1. What jobs does a thesis statement in a history paper need to accomplish? List as
many specific examples as you can.
Debrief (save this space for later)
-States argument in response to
prompt
-Previews claims and structure of
paper
-Makes the author sound smart
2. What makes a thesis statement in a history paper excellent (as opposed to “good” or
“okay”)? List as many specific qualities as you can.
Debrief (save this space for later)
-Concise
-Original argument
-Key terms
-Synthesize arguments – don’t just
list them
-(Restate the argument at the end)
Thesis Statement Rubric
This is a slightly more detailed version of the rubric that I use to evaluate your thesis
statements on DBQs. For each category on the rubric, be ready to answer the questions: (1)
What makes a thesis statement good (i.e., a 3)? (2) What makes a thesis statement great (a
4)?
Defensible
response to
prompt
Previews
argument
Specificity of
language
4
Thesis presents
a wellconstructed and
defensible
argument that
directly
responds to the
prompt
Thesis precisely
integrates the
full breadth of
claims into a
coherent
argument
Thesis is
written with
precise and
concise
academic
language
3
Thesis presents
a defensible
argument that
directly
responds to the
prompt
2
Thesis is
defensible and
responds to the
prompt
1
There is a
statement
related to the
prompt
Thesis precisely
indicates the full
breadth of
claims
Thesis partially
indicates the
claims the essay
will make
Thesis does not
preview any of
the claims the
essay will make
Thesis is
written with
precise
academic
language
Thesis is
written in clear
but imprecise
language
Thesis is
difficult to
understand
Practice: Evaluating Thesis Statements
Now, use the rubric to rate each of the following thesis statements. These thesis statements
respond to the prompt, “Is it fair to blame Belgium’s colonial practices for the 1994
genocide in Rwanda?”
Thesis 1: “Its unfair to blame the Belgian for the genocide in Rwanda.”
Defensible response to prompt: ____/4
Previews argument: ____/4
Specificity of language: ____/4
Thesis 2: “The Belgians deserve most of the blame for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, but
other factors also played a role.”
Defensible response to prompt: ____/4
Previews argument: ____/4
Specificity of language: ____/4
Thesis 3: “While Hutu extremists and the international community both deserve some
blame for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, the genocide could not have happened without the
racially divisive practices of the Belgian colonial regime.”
Defensible response to prompt: ____/4
Previews argument: ____/4
Specificity of language: ____/4
Practice: Fixing Thesis Statements
Each of the following thesis statements is a sample of student work from the midterm. As a
reminder, the prompt for the midterm was, “How did the instability of the Weimar
Republic contribute to Hitler’s rise to power?” On your own, edit each example so that it
would earn at least a 3 on each section of the thesis statement rubric.
Example 1
Hitler and the Nazi’s were able to rise to power by influence and completing tasks that the
Weimar Republic could no longer handle.
Hitler and the Nazis were able to rise to power due to the fact that the Weimar
Republic could neither get Germany out of hyperinflation and the Great Depression
nor restore its national pride.
Example 2
During the Weimar Republic experiment, democratic parties took little efforts in ending
hyperinflation; Hitler, however, had deliverd a sence of comfort for Germany and plans for
ending hyperinflation.
Example 3
Due to the instability of those in charge of the Weimar Republic, Hitler in the 1930s started
motivating Germans to believe in him and the Nazi party.
Due to the economic and political instability of the Weimar Republic, the Nazis were
able to win the support of Germans by promising jobs, opportunity, and a renewed
sense of national pride.
Example 4
The Weimar Republic contributed in helping Hitler and the Nazis rise to power by being
unreliable in their tactics of changing the economic status of Germany and degrading their
power with laws that hindered progression.
Practice: Writing Thesis Statements
Your exit ticket for today is to draft a thesis statement, given the following DBQ prompt and
outline. (Note: The documents are fictitious – you can assume they support the given
claims.) Your thesis statement should be able to earn at least a 3 on each section of the
thesis statement rubric.
Prompt: Is it fair to blame Belgium’s colonial practices for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda?
Thesis:
Outline
I. Hutu extremists and international inaction deserve some of the blame for the
genocide.
A. Hutu extremists planned and executed the genocide (Document B) – they should
be held responsible
B. Ordinary Hutu who joined in the genocide also deserve some blame
C. The US and UN knew about the genocide but didn’t do anything (Document A)
II. However, the Belgian colonial regime was ultimately responsible for dividing Hutu
and Tutsi
A. Hamitic theory justified favoritism towards Tutsi – considered them closer to
whites
B. Identification cards/census (Document C)
C. Favored Tutsi in government jobs and education
D. Genocide could not have happened without this division
III. The Belgians also directly supported the Hutu extremists who took over after the
colonial era
A. Belgians held elections, which inevitably favored Hutu
B. Encouraged Hutu to blame Tutsi, not Belgium, for their inferior status
(Document D)