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Your Thesis Statement: The Only Sentence Worth More Than A Thousand Words {Click Mouse to Continue}

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Your Thesis Statement:. The Only Sentence Worth More Than A Thousand Words. {Click Mouse to Continue}. How to Navigate Through a PowerPoint Workshop. This PowerPoint Presentation is designed to be experienced as a workshop. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: Your Thesis Statement:

Your Thesis Statement:

The Only Sentence Worth More

Than A Thousand Words

{Click Mouse to Continue}

Page 2: Your Thesis Statement:

How to Navigate Through a PowerPoint Workshop

• This PowerPoint Presentation is designed to be experienced as a workshop.

• To ensure that you do not miss important information, only use your mouse at this prompt:

{Click mouse to continue}{Click Mouse to Continue}

Page 3: Your Thesis Statement:

Setting the Tone-Your Introduction Paragraph

Think of your introduction paragraph like a funnel.First, grab you readers attention with a general

statement about your topic .

End your introduction with a strong statement/claim that tells your reader what you intend to prove to them

about your topic.Attention Grabbing Opening

Brief

Explanation

of to

pic

Thesis

Then, give your reader a brief explanation (2-5 sentences) of what you will be explaining about your

topic.

Today’s Focus-Your

THESIS

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Page 4: Your Thesis Statement:

First, let’s look at what a Thesis Statement

is NOT!

Thesis Statements Are Not

As Hard As You May Think…

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Page 5: Your Thesis Statement:

What a Thesis Statement is Not:

Your topic tells your reader what you are talking about. For Example:

I will compare marijuana usage over the last 5 years.

This is not a thesis, it is only

A Topic.

Your Thesis Statement is NOT Your Topic!Your thesis

tells your reader your position on your topic. For Example:

Marijuana usage has decreased over the past five years due to the successful “War on Drugs.”

This is a Successful

Thesis Statement

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Page 6: Your Thesis Statement:

What a Thesis Statement is Not:

Surprisingly, your thesis should be an arguable OPINION - NOT A FACT!

WHY? Because that is what makes your paper interesting to your reader!Your thesis should always be a statement that demands PROOF!

If not, what will you do for the next 2-10 pages???

You Thesis Statement is NOT A Fact About Your Topic!You spend the

rest of your paper CONVINCING your reader of why YOUR OPINION is TRUE!Your thesis prepares your reader for the facts that will prove your opinion about your topic to be true-it can not be a fact itself.

Your Thesis Should Take A

STAND!

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Page 7: Your Thesis Statement:

What a Thesis Statement is Not:You Thesis Statement is NOT A

Fact About Your Topic!

That is a fact, not a strong thesis!

Now, that is

a strong thesis!

Let’s Look At An Example

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Page 8: Your Thesis Statement:

What a Thesis Statement is…

It is the sentence that answers your readers

biggest question:

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By telling your reader your point in the first paragraph, you set the tone and make sure they are not frustrated and confused

for the rest of your essay.

Page 9: Your Thesis Statement:

What a Thesis Statement is…

Now That You Know What A Thesis Statement Is,

Let’s Look At What Makes A Strong Thesis Statement…

It Tells your Reader Your Topic It Tells the Reader a Fact About Your Topic

It Tells the reader your Point

Which of the following is TRUE about your THESIS STATEMENT?

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Page 10: Your Thesis Statement:

Requirements For a Strong Thesis:

1. It should not be TOO BROAD!

2. It should not be TOO NARROW!

3. It should not be TOO VAGUE!

There Are Three (3) Requirements For A

Strong Thesis Statement.

Let’s look at each of these requirements

a bit closer…

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Page 11: Your Thesis Statement:

Requirements For a Strong Thesis:A Strong Thesis Should Not Be Too Broad!

You may find yourselfdrowning in information,

unable to prove your point!

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Page 12: Your Thesis Statement:

Requirements For a Strong Thesis:A Strong Thesis Should Not Be Too Broad!Let’s Look At An ExampleThe death penalty should be banned

in the United States.That would definitely leave you drowning:

TOO BROAD!

The death penalty in Alabama has been ineffective in deterring crime and

should be replaced with more efforts to reform criminals and not murder them.

Much Better!That definitely is an opinion

narrow enough to be proven in a

college essay!

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Page 13: Your Thesis Statement:

Requirements For a Strong Thesis:A Strong Thesis Should Not

Be Too Narrow Either!You may find

yourselfTrying to stretch the small amount of information that you find to fit your

essay!

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Page 14: Your Thesis Statement:

Requirements For a Strong Thesis:

Let’s Look At An ExampleIn Lord of The Rings, the sward given to Frodo by his uncle represents the passing down of a legacy.

Though this may be

interesting, it would take

some tugging to stretch it

into an entire essay!

In Lord of the Rings, the

author carefully chose a weapon

for each character that was symbolic, and revealed

something about them to the

reader.

That looks like a thesis statement

we wouldn’t have to stretch

for!

A Strong Thesis Should Not Be Too Narrow!

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Page 15: Your Thesis Statement:

Requirements For a Strong Thesis:A Strong Thesis Should

Not Be Vague!

You may find your reader

Dazed and Confused!

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Page 16: Your Thesis Statement:

Requirements For a Strong Thesis:A Strong Thesis Should

Not Be VagueLet’s Look At An ExampleGetting rid of welfare in the United States is a horrible idea.

The word HORRIBLE is

hard to define! It

makes this thesis

Too VAGUE!

If the United States were to get rid of welfare, it would

aggravate an already severe

homeless problem, cause a rise in

crime, and remove the only safety net

that our country has in place.

To Fix ItDefine the term

“horrible idea” for your reader. Outlining the

major points of your essay would

also help.

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Page 17: Your Thesis Statement:

Where To StartStart Off With Your Topic!

Usually, your instructor will provide your topic: – It may be a general topic such as

family.–Or something more specific like

• The role that biological age played in Romeo and Juliet or

• Comparing and contrasting the philosophies of Descartes and Plato.

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Page 18: Your Thesis Statement:

Before trying to decide on a thesis, gather all of the

information available on your topic!

Where To Start

Why?1. How can you have an educated opinion about something that you know little

about? o The more that you know about your topic, the easier it will be to form a

provable opinion (thesis) about it.2. It is easier to write a thesis statement that explains what you have found in your

research, than to find research that explains what you have written in your thesis!3. You want the opinion that your thesis states to be provable by facts that you have

gathered. If you gather the facts first, you KNOW that it can be proven!

REMEMBER: Your Thesis and Your Topic are NOT the same. You must choose your topic before beginning your research.

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Page 19: Your Thesis Statement:

Where To Start

Depending on your topic, the research that you do will be different.

Your Family

The role that biological age played in Romeo and Juliet

Comparing and contrasting the philosophies of

Descartes and Plato.

Use your own memories & those of family members. **Be sure to

write the memories down to organize your research. **

Use notes from class and your text book. Then, use the Internet or

texts from the library to discover what experts have said on the

topic.

Use notes from class as well as you course text book. Then, find other pieces of writing from each person and expert commentaries on them.

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Page 20: Your Thesis Statement:

Where To StartOnce you have gathered

your information, Ask Yourself a Few Questions:What

would my reader want to know

about my topic?

What is the most important thought

that I have about my

topic?

What will be the point of my paper?

What has my research shown

me about my topic?

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Page 21: Your Thesis Statement:

Before You Write Your Thesis…

First Write A WORKING

THESIS{Click Mouse to Continue}

Page 22: Your Thesis Statement:

A Working ThesisA Working Thesis is Made Up of Two Parts:

AND

may mean different things to different people, but it is an important part of every culture.

Family

For Example:

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Page 23: Your Thesis Statement:

2. Is it TOO NARROW?

3. Is it TOO VAGUE?

Refining Your Working ThesisTo turn your Working Thesis into a Final Thesis Statement, compare it to the requirements for a strong thesis statement:

Family may mean different things to different people, but it is an important part of every culture.

1. Is it TOO BROAD?

This Working Thesis needs to be made more specific.

It is too BROAD!

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Page 24: Your Thesis Statement:

Refining Your Working Thesis

Family may mean different things to different people, but it is an important part of every culture.

Possible Revisions To Make The Broad Statement More Specific:

A. As in many countries, family has a huge impact on American culture.• This is more narrow because we have reduced it to one specific culture.

B. The strength of the family unit impacts each individual regardless of their society.• This is more narrow because family is reduced to the family’s strength

and society is reduced to the individual. This can be more easily proven in a collegiate essay.

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Page 25: Your Thesis Statement:

So…How Do You Write A Thesis Statement?

1. Start off with your TOPIC!2. Before trying to decide on a thesis, gather all of the

information available on your topic!3. Once you have gathered your information, Ask

Yourself a Few Questions:• What is the most important thought that I have about

my topic? • What has my research shown me about my topic?• What would my reader want to know about my topic? • What will be the POINT of my paper?

4. Use your answers to write a Working Thesis.5. Turn your Working Thesis into a Final Thesis

Statement by comparing it to the requirements for a strong thesis statement:

Is it too broad? Is it too narrow? Is it too vague?

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Page 26: Your Thesis Statement:

Need More Help Writing Thesis Statements?Visit the

LRCOr ask for tutoring!

{Click Mouse to End Workshop}