Post on 25-Dec-2015
Thesis Statements
What the?
• 1-2sentence statement that condenses the whole argument or analysis.
• Eg. News Articles
• Tests your ideas by distilling them into a sentence or 2
• Better organises your thoughts
• Provides reader (and marker) with a guide
What is it? Why do you need it?
How to do it?
• Nearly all assignment topics can be reduced to a question.
• Once you have the question, it is just a matter of providing a brief answer to it. This is the thesis statement.
For example:
• Topic: “Write a report to the local school board explaining the potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class.”
• Question: “What are the potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class?”
• Thesis Statement: “The potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class are ...”
• Even if your assignment doesn’t ask a specific question, your thesis statement still needs to answer a question about the issue you’d like to explore.
How to Tell a Strong Thesis Statement
1. A strong thesis statement takes some sort of stand.
2. A strong thesis statement justifies discussion.
3. A strong thesis statement expresses one main idea.
4. A strong thesis statement is specific.