Writing a Thesis Statement

Constructing a thesis statement

Think of a thesis statement as a controller for your Xbox or Playstation.

What would happen if you were playing a video game and the controller was disconnected from the game console?

It’s the same with a thesis statement…

If you don’t put a solid thesis statement in your essay, your essay will die, and you will lose your audience.

Key to a winning essay: Having a well-built thesis statement.

What is a thesis statement?

A thesis statement: Alerts the reader to the subject matter that will be discussed. is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to

expect from the rest of the paper. directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an

interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel.

makes a claim that others might dispute. is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that

presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.

How do I get a thesis?

Creating a thesis statement is not the first step to essay writing.

Step one is collecting and organizing evidence and information on your topic. While researching look for:

- evidence to support your main idea - look for possible relationships between facts (such as surprising facts or contrasts)- background/need to know information

about your topic

Creating a thesis

The prompt:

Write an essay about your favorite TV show.

In this case, we’ll say, Spongebob Squarepants

Next: Think about three reasons why Spongebob Squarepants is special to you.

I came up with the following three reasons:

1. Spongebob is always getting into trouble.2. Squidward hates everybody.3. Bikini Bottom is an exciting place to live.

Finally, I can begin my thesis statement using key words taken directly from the prompt.

Spongebob Squarepants is my favorite TV show because Spongebob is always getting into trouble, Squidward hates everybody and Bikini Bottom looks like an exciting place to live.

Your turn

Now write your own thesis statement about your favorite TV show.

Restate the prompt:

My favorite TV show is __________ because of 1., 2., and 3.

Topic Sentences

Now that you have a thesis statement, you need three topic sentences.

Topic sentence number one is in charge of paragraph #1.

Topic sentence number two is in charge of paragraph #2

Topic sentence number three is in charge of paragraph #3

Back to Spongbob

Creating topic sentences based on the three reasons given in the thesis:

Topic sentence #1 goes in body paragraph #1. Everything written in this paragraph has to be about “Spongebob is always getting into trouble.” and so on…

Your Turn – Topic sentences

When writing your topic sentence for Body paragraph number one, look at the first reason you wrote in your thesis statement.

Use key words from the prompt or thesis to create your topic sentence.

Use transitional phrases

Repeat this process for body paragraphs 2 & 3

Works Cited

Teachers.net – Using Spongbob to Teach Thesis Statements and Topic Sentences

The Writing Center. Thesis Statements. North Carolina University. http://writingcenter.unc.edu/resources/handouts-demos/writing-the-paper/thesis-statements