 A thesis statement is the MAIN IDEA of your PAPER.  In other words, it is the BASE from which your ENTIRE paper is WRITTEN.

 All SUPPORTING paragraphs and RESEARCH should PROVE your THESIS statement to be TRUE!

 First, you need to have a TOPIC you are WRITING your RESEARCH paper about.  Choose your topic and two supporting points!

 Then, you need to WRITE one SENTENCE on which to BASE your paper.  In other words, all of the FACTS and EXAMPLES you present in your PAPER should PROVE your THESIS.

 Remember: your thesis must be SPECIFIC to your TOPIC. You should NOT write about anything that does not CONNECT to your THESIS!

 When WRITING your paper, your THESIS will appear at the END of your INTRODUCTION (first) paragraph.

 If you need to CHANGE any portion of your TOPIC, make sure you make the CHANGE in your THESIS as well.

 The media greatly influenced American culture.  What is this paper about exactly?

 The media has greatly changed the way Americans view people of foreign cultures through negative portrayal of these people in movies and on the Internet.  What is this paper about exactly?

 The Internet is bad.  Do you know exactly what this paper is about?

 Inappropriate language and sexually explicit content have changed the way Americans approach the use of the Internet, which is a vital portion of society today.

 Now draft a thesis statement for your research paper.  Remember, you must NARROW your topic! Write about the IMPACT of your media and ethical issues you are examining – be specific!