A distillation of your paper; a controlling purpose. The Thesis Statement A distillation of your paper; a controlling purpose.

The Thesis Statement There are three major reasons why you need a thesis statement, and none of them include your teacher’s malicious intent to ruin your life. These reasons are: To test your focus by distilling your ideas into a sentence or two. To better organize and develop your argument. To provide your reader with a “guide” to your argument. If you think of your thesis as the answer to the question that your paper explores, your thesis statement is effective.

A Good Thesis Statement Will: Express one main idea which is specific, not vague. Take on a subject that is controversial or upon which people may disagree. Be proven or supported with research. Assert your conclusion about the subject.

Tips for Writing a Thesis Statement If the topic is assigned: You should change the assignment topic into a question. For instance, if your assignment is “Write a report to the principal explaining the benefits of weekly dress-down days,” turn it into a question. Now you have “What are the benefits of weekly dress-down days?” Now, you must take your evidence, your reasons, the support for your stand and use them to answer your question: “The benefits of weekly dress-down days are…” The answer to the question is your thesis statement for the essay.

Step one: Brainstorm the topic If the specific focus is not assigned: When your assignment does not ask a specific question, you need to come up with a question on your own. To do this, you must follow five steps: Step one: Brainstorm the topic Perhaps you are doing a history paper. You find yourself interested in the war on terror. You start out with: The War on Terror This is a good start, but it is only a general subject. Your reader can’t tell what you want to say about it. So you must move to step 2.

Step Two: Narrow your topic You have been studying a lot of reports and articles. You have begun to believe that the soldiers in Iraq do not have sufficient resources to fight the war on terror. Your statement is now: Resources for the soldiers in Iraq. Now you have announced your subject, and it is narrow enough to be workable. But this is just a fragment, not a statement. It does not tell your reader what your position is. You must go to Step 3.

Step Three: Take a position You must take a position in your thesis. So, using our example, you decide that the government needs to take the needs of the soldiers more seriously. Your statement becomes: The government must take the needs of the military more seriously. Now you have taken a stand, but the words needs and more seriously are vague. You must move to step 4.

Step Four: Use Specific Language. You decide that what you mean by “needs” is that they do not have the right equipment, and that one way to take this “more seriously” is to appropriate more money. Your statement is now… The government must appropriate more money for armored vehicles and bomb detection equipment for the soldiers fighting the war on terror in Iraq. Now you have something to work with, but you haven’t asserted anything that can be supported. You must move on to Step 5.

Step Five: Make an assertion based on clearly stated support Because over half of the fatalities of U.S. soldiers is due to the ambushing of military vehicles and snipers, the government must appropriate more money for armored vehicles and bomb detection equipment for the soldiers fighting the war on terror in Iraq.

Keep These points in Mind for a Strong Thesis Statement A Strong Thesis Takes Some Sort of Stand. A Strong Thesis Justifies Discussion or Debate. A Strong Thesis Expresses One Main Idea. A Strong Thesis Statement is Specific.

If All Else Fails: What is the topic? Homework What is your opinion? Create your own Thesis Machine: Plug Your Answers In To the Following questions: What is the topic? Homework What is your opinion? Students Should Consider Hwk Impt. What is the strongest argument supporting your opinion? Homework reinforces skills Learned in School

Homework demonstrates Areas that need to be re-taught What is a good second argument that supports your opinion? Homework demonstrates Areas that need to be re-taught What is the Main argument against your opinion? Students don’t have enough time for relaxation Even though students don't have enough time for relaxation, students should consider homework important because homework demonstrates areas that need to be retaught and homework reinforces skills learned in school.