1. Thesis Statements One sentences that says it all.

2. The Thesis Statement The most important sentence in your essay. Establishes your claim and your reasons for that claim. In other words, what you believe and support for why you believe it. A reader should know what you will discuss in your essay through reading your thesis. You cannot begin a paper without first establishing your thesis. How will you know what direction to take if you don’t even know what you’ll be discussing?

3. How to structure your thesis. Identification of the topic What is the topic of your essay? Claim What do you believe about this topic? Reasons What are your three reasons to support your claim? Your reasons will outline the body paragraphs of your essay. Identification of Topic + Claim + Reasons = 1 Thesis Statement Thesis statements are 1 sentence and 1 sentence only!

4. A good thesis statement is… Short and simple: it should be no longer than one sentence, regardless of essay length. Good Example: Success is a result of consistently doing the right things. Bad Example: In a world full of success gurus and books about success, it becomes ever so more important to delineate the one trait that ultimately determines success: doing the right things consistently. Limited to one main idea. Good example: The key to successful dieting is focusing on a specific goal. Bad example: The key to successful dieting is focusing on a specific goal, which is also the key to successfully running a business and coaching a football team. A declarative sentence with no qualifiers (might, maybe, perhaps, etc.): Good example: Lebron James' ability to score, pass, and rebound make him the league's most valuable player. Bad Example: Lebron James' ability to score, pass, and rebound just might make him the league's most valuable player.

5. Example