Writing Skills

Purpose of a Thesis

• Your Thesis tells the audience your purpose and what you will be discussing in your essay. It MUST contain the following:– It should answer the question– It should contain all the evidence you plan to use.

REMEMBER THE RULE OF THREE!!!

– In looking at the following thesis, does it do these things?

Sample Thesis

• When Barack Obama became President, he faced economic problems like Franklin D. Roosevelt.

• Does this answer the question?• Does it cover ALL the evidence that will be

used? (Remember the Rule of 3!)

Sample Thesis

• President Obama is going to have to deal with some problems that are like challenges President Lincoln faced.

• Does this answer the question?• Does it cover ALL the evidence that will be

used?

Sample Thesis

• Both of these Presidents have & will have to make decisions about our economy, the war, and global warming.

• Does this answer the question?• Does it cover ALL the evidence that will be

used?

Sample Thesis

• Both presidents began with the economy in the worst depression of the century, had to deal with a war overseas, and had opposition from the Republican Party; however, FDR’s presidency is past and Obama’s is that of the future.

• Does this answer the question?• Does it cover ALL the evidence that will be used?

Purpose of Conclusion

• Your conclusion is like a lawyer’s closing argument in a trial. You should go back over your thesis and show how you proved it with your evidence.

• This is also your opportunity to draw any final conclusions or fact based assumptions about what might happen in the future

Don’t be so general!

• Many of you are being too general in your essays. Your thesis and everything you write should be fact based. If you are too general, you are wasting your time and will get no points. This is time you could be spending to draw more fact-based conclusions that you will get credit for!

Examples of general statements

• Both had to deal with similar and different aspects of the US.

• Of these challenges, some were similar and some were different.

• NO KIDDING! These get you zero points!

Get rid of opinion not based on fact

• In your last essay, many of you wrote about your personal opinion. The question did not ask you about your opinion – you were not asked to write a newspaper editorial or a posting for a political blog. The question asked you to compare challenges in two presidencies.

Examples of opinion

• In George W. Bush’s first term, he did a pretty good job so he got elected again for a second term.

• This is your opinion. No facts were given to support this statement.

• How could we change this and make it fact based?

Examples of opinion

• The foreign policy that was so important to President Bush has become of little importance to Obama because of our economic crisis.

• Again, this is opinion. How could we change this and make it fact based?

Final word

• Remember the following when writing:– Don’t use symbols in your writing – in a formal essay,

you write these things out!• Examples: &, #, %

– After a first reference, refer to the person you are writing about by their last name, NEVER just the first.• Example – First Reference – Barack Obama• Second reference – Obama• After a first reference, refer to the person you are writing

about by their last name, NEVER just the first.