1. Writing a Thesis Statement Definition: A thesis statement is the main point or idea a writer wants to prove and support in an essay.

2. Four Formulas for Writing a Thesis Statement

3. Formula # 1 Claim + Scope = Thesis Claim = the writer’s opinion or position on an arguable topic or issue Example: “Capital punishment should be made illegal.” Scope = a summary of your supporting evidence The scope answers the question “why do you make this claim and how will you prove this claim?” Example: “…because it does not effectively deter violent crime.” Sample Thesis Statement: Capital punishment should be made illegal because it does not effectively deter violent crime.

4. Formula #2 Specific topic + Attitude/Angle/Argument = Thesis Specific topic: E-coli contamination Attitude/Angle/Argument: should not happen. Thesis statement: E-coli contamination should not happen.

5. Formula #3 What you plan + How you plan to argue to argue it = Thesis Example: Downloading music on the Internet should be legal because it helps promote new artists and makes it easy for consumers to sample new music.

6. Formula #4 An interesting + The special part subject to emphasize = Thesis Example: Donna Shirley, who had been told, “Girls can’t be engineers,” went on to lead NASA’s Mars exploration program.

7. Other examples of well-written thesis statements Capital punishment should be kept legal because it effectively deters violent crimes. Because many Connecticut citizens cannot afford health care, the state legislature should increase its low-income health care programs.

8. Examples continued The causes of the Civil War were economic, social, and political. The Simpsons represents the greatest animated show in the history of television. The Simpsons treats the issues of ethnicity, family dynamics, and social issues effectively.

9. Things to Know About Writing Thesis Statements It is typically located in the opening paragraph (The opening paragraph serves to set the context for the thesis.) It is clear, strong, and easy to find. Is developed after topic is researched and studied thoroughly (may be a refining of the statement of controlling purpose (controlling statement))

10. Helpful websites for writing a thesis statement http://www.sdst.org/shs/library/samplethesis.html http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/composition/thesis.htm http://mciu.org/~spjweb/thesis.html http://www.hamilton.edu/academic/resource/wc/Intro Thesis.htmlhttp://www.hamilton.edu/academic/resource/wc/Intro Thesis.html

11. Websites continued http://uhaweb.hartford.edu/rlc/refiningthesis.html http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/579/01/ http://uhaweb.hartford.edu/rlc/questiontothesis.html