Thesis Statement, Main Idea, Conclusion

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Thesis Statement, Main Idea, Conclusion
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What is a thesis statement?

• It is usually a single sentence somewhere in your
  first paragraph that presents your argument to
  the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of
  the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that
  will persuade the reader of the logic of your
  interpretation.
• It must be a statement you can explain or defend
  not simply a fact that no one would deny.
• It must be a sentence not merely a topic.

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Why should your essay contain a thesis statement?

• To test your ideas by distilling them into a
  sentence or two
• To better organize and develop your argument
• To provide your reader with a guide to your
  argument

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A good thesis will usually

• Express one main idea
• Take on a subject upon which reasonable people
  could disagree
• Assert your conclusions about a subject

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How do I know if my thesis is strong?

• Do I answer the question?
• Have I taken a position that others might
  challenge or oppose?
• Is my thesis statement specific enough?
• Does my thesis pass the So what? test?
• Does my essay support my thesis specifically and
  without wandering?
• Does my thesis pass the how and why? test?

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The Main Idea

• To understand the concept of a main idea, it is
  useful to distinguish between the following
  terms
• Topic
• Main idea
• Topic sentence

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Topic

• The topic of a text is the subject, or what the
  text is about.
• A topic can be expressed as a noun or a noun
  phrase.
• Some examples of topics include
• Recycling
• Mammals
• Trees of Ontario

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Main Idea

• An idea is what you say about a topic.
• Ideas are expressed as sentences.
• Some examples of main ideas include
• Recycling is expensive in the short term, but
  yields long-term savings.
• All mammals are the same in certain ways.
• The trees of Ontario are the most beautiful in
  the world.

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Topic Sentence

• A topic sentence is the sentence in a paragraph
  that contains the main idea.
• Usually the topic sentence is the first sentence
  in a paragraph.
• Topic sentences are useful in determining the
  relationship between main ideas and supporting
  details.

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Main Idea, Supporting Ideas

• The points supporting a thesis are not always
  reasons. They may be
• Examples (to make your thesis clear)
• Steps (in a how-to paper)
• Descriptions (in a descriptive paper)
• Anecdotes (in a narrative paper)
• Whatever they are, they should convince your
  reader that your thesis is true for you.

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Main Idea, Supporting Ideas

• Graphic organizers (word web, spider map) can be
  useful for showing a main idea and the details,
  facts, arguments that support it.
• Can be used for analyzing a paragraph or a paper
• Can be used to create / map your ideas

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Organize each paragraph

• Organizing a paragraph is easy because its
  organized just the way an entire paper is
• Thesis stated in introductory paragraph
• First supporting point
• Second supporting point
• Additional supporting points
• Concluding paragraph

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Organize each paragraph

• Heres the way to organize a paragraph
• Topic sentence
• First supporting detail or example
• Second supporting detail or example
• Additional supporting details or examples
• Concluding sentence if needed
• Each paragraph should contain only ONE main idea.

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Transition Expressions

• Words/expressions like
• Also In the first place
• Furthermore Therefore
• make paragraphs read more smoothly.

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Transition Expressions

• Transition expressions are also important in an
  entire paper.
• They help the reader move from one supporting
  point to the next.
• Its a good idea to start each supporting
  paragraph in a paper with a transition expression
  such as
• The first reason Another example Also
• Secondly Equally important Furthermore
• Even more important Finally

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A Conclusion should

• Be the best part of your paper
• Stress the importance of the thesis statement
• Give the essay a sense of completeness
• Leave a final impression on the reader

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When writing your Conclusion

• Answer the question So what?
• Synthesize, dont summarize
• Redirect your readers
• Create a new meaning
• Echo the introduction
• Challenge the reader
• Look to the future

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When writing your Conclusion, AVOID

• Beginning with an unnecessary, overused phrase
  such as in conclusion, in summary or in
  closing
• Stating the thesis for the very first time in the
  conclusion
• Introducing a new idea or subtopic in your
  conclusion
• Ending with a rephrased thesis statement without
  any substantive changes
• Making sentimental, emotional appeals that are
  out of character with the rest of an analytical
  paper
• Including evidence (quotations, statistics, etc.)
  that should be in the body of the paper.

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Thesis Statement, Main Idea, Conclusion

• Re-read
• Re-work
• Revise
• Re-do
• Repeat.

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References

• Conclusions. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2008,
  from http//unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/conclusio
  ns.html
• Establishing the Main Idea. (n.d.). Retrieved
  March 17, 2008, from http//www.teachervision.fen.
  com/skill-builder/reading-comprehension/48706.html
  
• Strategies for Writing a Conclusion. (n.d.).
  Retrieved March 17, 2008, from http//leo.stclouds
  tate.edu/acadwrite/conclude.html
• Thesis Statements. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13,
  2008, from http//www.indiana.edu/wts/pamphlets/t
  hesis_statement.shtml