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Writing a Thesis

Writing a Thesis. Greenville County Schools. Remember…. The thesis statement is the controlling idea of your paragraph or essay - it must have a point of view. In other words, what do you want the reader to learn by reading what you have written?

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Writing a Thesis

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  1. Writing a Thesis Greenville County Schools

  2. Remember… • The thesis statement is the controlling idea of your paragraph or essay - it must have a point of view. • In other words, what do you want the reader to learn by reading what you have written? • What is the big idea? Take a position in your thesis.

  3. The Situation • Your teacher has assigned you the following topic and has asked you to write an essay. • Here is the topic you were assigned: Was Christopher Columbus a great explorer? • First, you know you must create a thesis to focus your ideas. Use the following slides to help you create a thesis statement for this essay.

  4. Previewing Parts of a Well-Written Thesis 1. Subject 2. Opinion (or commentary) about that subject that can be developed with evidence 3. One sentence 4. No qualifiers

  5. 1. Subject • Address the subject or topic of the essay. If the topic is a question, your thesis will answer the question. Was Christopher Columbus a great explorer? Thesis Step 1: On your paper, address the subject.

  6. Thesis Step 1 • Christopher Columbus was a somewhat great explorer. This is a good place to start for a thesis. It addresses the subject of the topic.

  7. 2. Opinion that can be developed with evidence • Your thesis should contain an opinion about the topic which can be developed with evidence Was Christopher Columbus a great explorer? Thesis Step 2: On your paper, make sure that your thesis has an opinion that can supported with evidence.

  8. Thesis Step 2 • Christopher Columbus was a somewhat great explorer. This thesis contains a subject and an opinion, but can it be developed the way that it is written? How would you look up evidence for “great”? The writer has to narrow down what “great” means in order to be able to support this thesis with evidence. Try to do this on your own, or see how this is addressed on the following slide.

  9. Thesis Step 2 • Christopher Columbus was a somewhat great explorer. He can be considered the first imperialist. This thesis now contains a subject, an opinion, and an idea that will need to be developed within the essay. It will be the author’s job to give examples to support this idea and prove the thesis.

  10. 3. One sentence • The thesis should be limited to one sentence so that the audience doesn’t have to search for the focus of the essay. A one-sentence thesis is clearer for the audience. Was Christopher Columbus a great explorer? Thesis Step 3: On your paper, make sure that your thesis is just one sentence.

  11. Thesis Step 3 • Christopher Columbus was a somewhat great explorer because he can be considered the first imperialist. This thesis now contains a subject, an opinion, an idea that will need to be developed within the essay, and it is one sentence.

  12. 4. No qualifiers • Be confident in your opinion – it’s easier for your audience to understand what you are trying to say • Avoid “qualifier” words like maybe, might be, sometimes, perhaps, usually Was Christopher Columbus a great explorer? Thesis Step 4: On your paper, make sure that your thesis is free from qualifiers.

  13. Thesis Step 4 • Christopher Columbus was a somewhat great explorer because can be considered the first imperialist. This thesis now contains a subject, an opinion, and an idea that will need to be developed within the essay. It is written as one sentence with no qualifiers.

  14. Practice Directions: Revise each of the following thesis statements. • English is a fun class. • Is Lebron James the best basketball player? • Dress codes are usually a good idea. Sometimes they help improve discipline. They can even help students feel better about themselves.

  15. Possible Answers • English is a fun class. There is a subject and an opinion, but it is not specific enough yet to support with evidence. English is a fun class because we enjoy the books we read and we have great class discussions.

  16. 2. Is Lebron James the best basketball player? There is a subject, but the opinion is not clear. We also need to give reasons that can be supported with evidence. Lebron James is the best basketball player because he has speed and shooting skills.

  17. 3. Dress codes are usually a good idea. Sometimes they help improve discipline. They can even help students feel better about themselves. There is a subject, an opinion, and evidence which can be supported; however, this thesis needs to be edited into one sentence with no qualifiers. Dress codes are good because they improve discipline and help students feel better about themselves.

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