Writing The Outline and Thesis Statement

Facts and OpinionsThomas Jefferson was the third president of

the United States.

Thomas Jefferson was a great leader.

Writing a Proposition

• A “proposition” is an idea claimed to be true

• You will be creating 3 propositions. – One for your pro paragraph– One for your con paragraph– One for your position paragraph.

Pros and Cons• Using the graphic organizer on page eight, brainstorm a

list of pros and cons for your topic.• Try to develop a con for each pro that you come up with

and a pro for each con that you come up with – match up your parallel examples the same way you would in a compare/contrast essay.

• Reduce your list of pros and cons to three main reasons, and the specific examples that go along with them (you will use these reasons to outline your essay).

Simplify your Pros and Cons to 3 Reasons

For example: Should the federal government open up the Alaska Wildlife Reserve for oil drilling?

• Environmental Effect

• Cost• Time

Pros Cons

Creates Jobs Does not create high paying jobs in multiple industries and locations

Reduces the need for foreign oil

Infrastructure would need to be created

Area is uninhabitable so few people would be displaced

Area is a wild animal preserve and land that has been set aside for animals

Develop position or opinion statements for each of your three body paragraphs

• Marijuana should be legalized in the United States (Pro), Marijuana should not be legalized in the United States (Con), The United States would increase tax revenue, save valuable law enforcement resources, and provide agricultural opportunities if it would legalize marijuana.

• The death penalty is unconstitutional (Con) or The death penalty is constitutional (Pro), or the death penalty is an appropriate deterrent and punishment for premeditated violent crimes that is not unreasonable according to the US Constitution.

Find evidence (one of each of the following) to support your proposition

1. Facts

2. Statistics

3. Examples

4. Expert Authority

5. Logical Reasoning

REMEMBER!

• Each reason needs support through information. An opinion is extremely weak without information to support it.

• This paper is primarily about RESEARCH. • Research drives the paper, not your

individual opinion.• Using your position statements, three

reasons (pro and con), and your 5 pieces of evidence, create your outline (pg 17 & SB page 179)

Outline (turn to page 18)

– Pro paragraph• Position• Three reasons• 5 pieces of evidence

– Con paragraph• Position• Three reasons• 5 pieces of evidence

– Position paragraph• Your position• Three reasons• 5 pieces of evidence

Thesis Statement

• The thesis statement is a sentence about your paper’s central purpose. Every paragraph in your paper exists in order to support your thesis statement. It should be one sentence in length (two if necessary for grammatical reasons).

• Thesis statements explain the theme for a paper by succinctly stating the purpose and conclusion of the paper.

• Each body paragraph of an essay should support the thesis statement

• Include your three reasons and stance on the topic

• Use your ‘yes or no’ question from the research planning sheet to create your thesis.

– For example, “Should nuclear weapons be banned?

– The answer to the question is foundation for your thesis statement

How to tell a strong thesis statement from a weak one

A strong thesis statement takes some sort of stand.• Remember that your thesis needs to show your

conclusions about a subject.

A strong thesis statement justifies discussion.• Your thesis should indicate the point of the discussion.

A strong thesis statement expresses one main idea.• Readers need to be able to see that your paper has one

main point. If your thesis statement expresses more than one idea, then you might confuse your readers about the subject of your paper.

A strong thesis is specific.• A thesis statement should show exactly what your paper

will be about, and will help you keep your paper to a manageable topic.

Scoring Guide

Criteria Weak OK Great

Does the thesis match the organizational strategy?

1 2 3

Does the thesis statement have sufficient detail to outline the specific points you are going to argue?

1 2 3

Does your thesis keep you limited to a manageable topic? Is it specific?

1 2 3

Work on your Thesis!

• Does the thesis inspire a reasonable reader to ask, “How?” or “Why?”

• Would a reasonable reader NOT respond with “Duh!” or “So what?” or “Gee, no kidding!” or “Who cares?”

• Does the thesis avoid general phrasing and/or sweeping words such as “all” or “none” or “every”?

• Does the thesis lead the reader toward the topic sentences (the subtopics needed to prove the thesis)?

• Can the thesis be adequately developed in the required length

If you cannot answer “YES” to these questions, you need to change your thesis!

Introduction

Write an opening that introduces the topic of your pros and cons essay. The introduction should give a brief overview of the subject and present a thesis statement that tells your audience your goal, or what you intend to prove or disprove, by the end of the essay. A thesis statement could be as simple as, "While owning your own home provides a sense of security, the cost of maintaining your home can overshadow that security." Give readers some idea about your stance in the introduction.

Body Paragraphs

The body of the essay should present the pros and cons. You should write one paragraph of elaboration for the pros and one paragraph of elaboration for the con side of the argument. Some writers present pros and cons in alternating paragraphs, which is acceptable, but this method tends to produce the opposite effect of what the writer intends. Rather than create a smooth flow, presenting a pro and then shooting it down immediately with a con tends to create a mine-is-better-than-yours tone that leaves the readers feeling stilted. Present the argument for pros first, then follow with the argument for the cons.

Conclusion

Conclude your essay by weighing both sides, interjecting your subjective thoughts and then making a determination based on the material presented in the essay.