1. The Thesis Statement

2. A Thesis Statement…
Makes a claim that someone else might dispute (it is arguable)
Usually single sentence in the first paragraph
Is a plan for your whole research
Is dynamic (you can make slight changes)

3. A Thesis Statement… Avoids vague or general language
Avoids the first person
“I believe”, “I think”, “In my opinion”

4. 3 Types Explanatory Analytical Argumentative
Explains something to the reader
Analytical
Breaks down an issue or idea into smaller parts then evaluates the issue or idea
Argumentative
Makes a claim about a specific topic and justifies this claim with specific evidence

5. Explanatory Thesis Statements
The music that students listen to is directly related to where they live.
Rap music is derogatory to females.

6. Analytical Thesis Statements
An analysis of computer use shows that high school students spend more time on social websites than doing research for a project.
An analysis of first person documents shows that foot soldiers are more confident when they know an air strike is planned.

7. Argumentative Thesis Statements
The Pearl Harbor attack would not have occurred if the U.S. had not docked so many ships in one place, making them an easy target.
High school students should complete one year of military service immediately after graduation in order to become more mature and more disciplined.

8. Is It a Thesis? Television is too violent for children
Violence on television leads to aggressive behavior in preschool children
Explanatory Thesis
Argumentative Thesis

9. Developing a Thesis - 1 Topic: Video games
Topic II: Video games and education
Interesting Question: Are video games educational or just for fun?
Working Thesis: Video games are beneficial to increasing student understanding of school topics
Final Thesis: War based video games are good for students to understand specific wars and wartime strategies.

10. Developing a Thesis - 2 Some questions that might guide your research
What types of war video games are there?
How well were those games reviewed?
Are those games realistic?
Are there people I could interview?
Is there any research in this area already?

11. Civil War Thesis Development
The North and South fought the Civil War for different reasons.
The different reasons that the North and the South fought the Civil War can be explained as moral versus self-governing.
The Civil War developed because of the Northerners’ belief in the moral issues of ending slavery versus the Southerners’ belief in the importance of the right to self-government.