Thinking in Threes
All good things come in threes.
Norwegian proverb
Do Now:
• Make a list of things that come in threes.
Thinking in Threes
The number three has a great deal of power
when it comes to writing. Learning how
to harness the power of three helps
make persuasive essays clear and
effective.
Today we will use the power of three to write
our thesis statements.
Position Statement vs. Thesis
What is the difference between a position
statement and a thesis?
Position statement = What side are you on?
Thesis = What side are you on and why?
The 3 Ps of the Thesis
A good thesis statement includes three “p’s.”
It is a three-pronged parallel preview of your
essay.
What does that MEAN???
THREE PRONGED
Prongs are simply your reasons for
why you hold the position you
do.
In a strong essay, you should have
THREE reasons why (three
prongs) you feel the way you do.
THREE PRONGED
Let’s use an example from last week:
Should school go year round?
•
•
School should go year round so students could
learn more, take vacations in different
seasons, and see their friends more often.
School should not go year round because it
would negatively affect long vacations, present
childcare issues for parents, and cause
students to get burnt out.
THREE PRONGED
You try:
Create a three-pronged thesis statement based off
the question you worked on last week:
Should women be allowed in combat?
Should the minimum wage be raised?
PARALLELISM
What does parallel mean in math?
In writing, items are in parallel form when
they have the same grammatical
structure.
Homecoming
Decorate halls
Float building
The football game
Homecoming
Decorate halls
Build floats
Attend football game
PARALLEL TIME!
Revise:
-3 sentences need to be revised for
parallelism
-1 sentence is perfect as it is
-1 sentence uses parallel form, but could
be revised for simplicity.
Please revise your sentences for the “sin” of
the pronouns YOU and YOUR—
sometimes called the “lazy writer’s
pronouns”.
ANSWERS
1. Sports benefit a person’s overall health
because they relieve stress in the muscles,
work the cardiovascular system, and provide
the brain with oxygen.
2. Computers are a way to communicate, to
complete work faster, and to entertain.
Notice that sentence revision often involves the
elimination of extra and unnecessary words. Every
time you write a student should try to “streamline”
several sentences by revising them for excess words.
ANSWERS
3. William Shakespeare is influential because of
his poetry, his plays, and his new words.
4. Every student should complete high school
because graduates earn more, find better
jobs, and have more choices.
5. Perfect as it is!
Look at your sentence.
Revise it for parallelism!
PREVIEW
Previews let you know what is coming.
Pre = before
View = sight, way of thinking
By providing three prongs in a parallel form, you
are previewing your essay for your reader.
By reading just the thesis, your reader knows
what to expect in each of the three paragraphs
in the body of the essay.
Let’s write a thesis!
Topic: Should teens be able to buy
violent video games?
Step One: Make a pro and cons chart.
Step Two: Use the chart to decide which position
you will take.
Step Three: Star or circle the THREE reasons you
will use.
Step Four: Write your thesis statement (3 Ps!).
HOMEWORK- due tomorrow!
Choose one of the questions.
First, make a pros and cons chart.
Then, use the chart to decide what side you are
on.
Finally, write a thesis statement. Remember to
follow the 3 Ps!