Keeping it focused!!
What do you already know about writing a
thesis statement?
What do you already know about writing a
thesis statement?
 It is the last sentence of your Introduction.
 It states your topic.
 It tells the readers what sub topics they will
read about.
 It makes a strong, clear, statement to really
grab the reader’s interest.
To develop a thesis statement you start with
your actual research topic.
Elvis Presley

Ask yourself, how can I show my readers that
my topic impacted American culture? What
was important or special about it?
In the case of Elvis Presley, his rock and roll
music definitely inspired fans and musicians
and continues to do so.
Now, take a look at the sub topics in your
outline. Which subtopics definitely help to
answer the question “How has Elvis impacted
American culture?”
His early life
His music and career
His family
His death
Legacy – fans and inspiration
Next, you want to put together the topic with
the ideas or subjects you want the reader to
know using subtopics to summarize how your
topic has had an impact on American Culture.
Though Elvis Presley’s untimely death
cut short a revolution in rock and roll
music, it was this inspirational music
and the adoration of millions of fans
that created an impact on American
culture for all time.

Though Elvis Presley’s untimely death cut
short a revolution in rock and roll, it was
this inspirational music and the adoration
of millions of fans that created an impact
on American culture for all time.
Does it:
1. Make a strong statement?
2. Summarize how the research question will be answered in your
paper using information from some sub topics that will
actually BE in your paper?
3. If YES to both, then it is probably GOOD!





From a successful commercial art career, to his glamorous pop
art prime years striking new trends in popular culture, Andy
Warhol has made a great impact on culture in America and all
over the world.
From its humble beginnings as a glider and its revolution of the
transportation industry, to its use as a weapon of terrorists on
9/11, the airplane has impacted American society.
Emmet Till lived a very short life, suffered a painful death at the
hands of a brutal, racist Southern community, and his story has
made a huge impact on civil rights advances in America.
In the 1950’s, Americans never realized that the technology to
watch moving pictures and stories right in their own home on a
Television set would have such a lasting impact both positive
and negative on American culture.
From his charming, whimsical artistic style to his quirky rhyming
stories, Dr. Seuss has educated and inspired generations of
Americans and become a beloved childhood icon.
Now you try!
Here are the steps one more time:
1. Decide how your research question (“How has
____ impacted American Society/culture?”) can
be answered.
2. Look at your subtopics and identify a few that
you will definitely use to help answer the
question in your paper.
3. Turn it into a bold and interesting statement.
Make sure that your thesis essentially
summarizes the answer to your question.
4. You are ready to write it into your final outline
and paper intro!