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.