Thesis Statements: 1. Provable, 2. Arguable, 3. How you will prove your argument (Roadmap)
4. So what – why is your topic important?.
Comparison: A Thesis is like a roadmap for your paper. It points you in a direction and suggests
how to get there.
Now you make one:
A thesis is like _________________________ because
_______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Writing your thesis statement
What is a thesis? The thesis is the controlling idea around which you construct the rest of your paper. Every word of your
paper should support your thesis. Information you do not directly relate to your thesis will appear irrelevant. This means, of
course, that in a paper with a weak or no thesis, much of the paper will appear to be irrelevant and unguided.
How do I present the thesis? The thesis should be contained in one or two sentences that are concise and grammatically
correct. This is usually at the end of the first paragraph. More than one sentence may be necessary to establish the thesis, and
that is fine. The remainder of the introductory paragraph should draw the reader's attention to the problem the thesis
confronts, and define what the reader needs to know to understand the thesis.
The thesis is a scholarly argument. Most writing attempts to convince the reader of something. Even a poetic description
of a rock is an attempt to convince the reader that the rock appears a certain way. In this paper you will be arguing that your
issue impacts American teens and other groups in a certain way, and argues that there are certain solutions to the issue.
Examples:
1. Stress impacts both teens and adults physical and mental health. A lifetime of stress is not
necessary, relaxation strategies and a positive mindset can ease the pain on both of these groups.
2. While teenagers experience more stress today than they did in the 1960s, it has had an overall
positive impact on their success and quality of life: we have a much wealthier and connected
American public. Stress can be good and we should all stop “stressing” out about this issue.
3.
While American teens are engaged in a rat race to success, Icelandic teenagers are taught that failure
is valuable and they feel less pressure to succeed. Restructuring American values is necessary to
make teenagers happier.
Your thesis is a roadmap: Did you notice all of these were two sentences? For what you are required to do with this paper
(compare two groups and provide solutions), two sentences makes sense. Each one talks about the impact of your issue on
American teens and another group, and provides a solution of some sort.
CONSTRUCTING A THESIS: Two exercises
How do I develop a good thesis?
The next two exercises are focused on how to make a thesis. A common thesis is an “XYZ” thesis: one with three supports.
This is not the magic number! BUT, for this essay I am asking you to do three things, and a quality thesis will mention all of
them. Think about: how do you characterize American teens experience of this issue? Has another group been impacted in
the same or a different way? What solutions has your research yielded or can you conclude yourself after learning about this
problem?
1. Groups you studied: (American teens, global, girls, boys, teens today vs. the past, etc.)
2.
Why is your topic an issue to American teens? How has it impacted other groups?
3.
What solutions can you provide for this problem?
Another approach to thesis construction: Here is another exercise that might help you develop your thesis. Complete the
following sentences:
(1) Dear Reader: I want to convince you
that_______________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________[This is your claim or an argument]
(2) The main reasons why you should believe me are that
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________
(3) You should care about my thesis
because____________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
[This provides the seeds of your conclusion, and checks the significance of your thesis.]
WRITE A DRAFT OF YOUR THESIS BELOW AND BE READY TO SHARE.