Your Thesis Statement:

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Your Thesis Statement

• The Only Sentence Worth More
• Than A Thousand Words

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Your Introduction Paragraph
First, grab you readers attention with a general
statement about your topic .
Then, give your reader a brief explanation (2-5
sentences) of what you will be explaining about
your topic.
End your introduction with a strong
statement/claim that tells your reader what you
intend to prove to them about your topic.
Attention Grabbing
Brief Explanation of topic
Thesis
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What to think about

• Define a problem and state your opinion about it
• Put forth a possible solution to a problem
• Look at an issue/topic from a new, interesting
  perspective
• Theorize how the world might be different today
  if something had or had not happened in the past
• Put out your ideas about how something was
  influenced to be the way it is or was.

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Thesis Statements Are Not As Hard As You May
Think

• First, lets look at
• what a Thesis Statement
• is NOT!

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Your Thesis Statement is NOT Your Topic!

• Your thesis tells your reader your position on
  your topic. For Example
• WWI was a direct result of the alliance system
  had it not been for the alliance in place
  previous to the start of the war, WWI may have
  not involved as many countries.
• This is a successful thesis statement!

• Your topic tells your reader what you are talking
  about. For Example
• I will discuss WWI.
• This is not a thesis, it is only a topic.

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The Thesis Statement is NOT JUST A FACT About
Your Topic!

• Surprisingly, your thesis should be an arguable
  OPINION backed on fact NOT JUST A FACT!
• WHY? Because that is what makes your paper
  interesting to your reader!
• Your thesis should always be a statement that
  demands PROOF!
• If not, what will you write in the following
  pages?

• You spend the rest of your paper CONVINCING your
  reader of why YOUR OPINION is TRUE!
• Your thesis prepares your reader for the facts
  that will prove your opinion about your topic to
  be true -- it can not be a fact itself.

Your Thesis Should Take A STAND!
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Lets Look At An Example
Since the Native Americans knew how to hunt, make
weapons, and housing, they were smarter than the
settlers from Europe who needed the Native
Americans to help them survive.
Native Americans have the ability to live off of
the land without any modern technology.
That is a fact, not a strong thesis!
Now, that is a strong thesis!
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What a Thesis Statement is

• It is the sentence that answers your readers
  biggest question

What on Earth Is Your Point?
By telling your reader your point in the first
paragraph, you set the tone and make sure they
are not frustrated and confused while reading the
rest of your paper.
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Requirements For a Strong Thesis
Lets look at each of these requirements a bit
closer

1. It should not be TOO BROAD!
2. It should not be TOO NARROW!
3. It should not be TOO VAGUE!

There Are Three (3) Requirements For A Strong
Thesis Statement.
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A Strong Thesis Should Not Be Too Broad!
If your point is too wide or too deep for you...
You may find yourself drowning in information,
unable to prove your point!
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A Strong Thesis Should Not Be Too Broad!
Lets Look At An Example
People liked helping during World War II because
of propaganda.
The propaganda committee initiated by President
Wilson was so effective that by the time
President Roosevelt was in office, he had
millions of Americans volunteering during World
War II.
That would definitely leave you drowning TOO
BROAD!
Much Better! That definitely is an opinion narrow
enough to be proven in an essay!
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A Strong Thesis Should Not Be Too Narrow Either!
If your thesis is too specific for you...
You may find yourself trying to stretch your
information and begin repeating yourself too much
in the paper!
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Lets Look At An Example
That looks like a thesis statement we wouldnt
have to stretch far!
Though this may be interesting, it would take
some tugging to stretch it into an entire essay!
At the turn of the 19th century, females were
viewed as adults by the time they were teenagers,
which caused their lifestyle to be vastly
different than the teenagers in 2011.
Most girls living in the Midwest, in the town of
Oklahoma City, were married before they were 18
years old, which caused them to be mothers at a
young age.
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A Strong Thesis Should Not Be Vague!
If your claim is not specific or clear enough
Your paper will not make any sense
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Requirements For a Strong Thesis
A Strong Thesis Should Not Be Vague
Lets Look At An Example
The word HORRIBLE is hard to define! It makes
this thesis Too VAGUE!
If the United States were to eliminate the
welfare system, it would aggravate an already
severe homeless problem and cause a rise in
crime.
To Fix It Define the term horrible idea for
your reader. Outlining the major points of your
essay would also help.
Getting rid of welfare in the United States is a
horrible idea.
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Where To Start
Once you have gathered your information, Ask
Yourself a Few Questions
What has my research shown me about my topic?
What will be the point of my paper?
What is the most important thought that I have
about my topic?
What would my reader want to know about my topic?
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STOP!
Remember the structure of your THESIS
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Thesis
A Thesis is Made Up of Two Parts
Your Provable Opinion
AND
Your Topic
For Example
during World War II should be viewed as best type
of new technology that changed the world,
especially since the Atomic Bomb was released
from a plane over Japan.
Planes
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Refining Your Working Thesis
To turn your Working Thesis into a Final Thesis
Statement, compare it to the requirements for a
strong thesis statement

• Is it TOO NARROW?
• Is it TOO VAGUE?

1. Is it TOO BROAD?

IT IS PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE TO REWORD YOUR THESIS,
ESPECIALLY ONCE YOUVE FOUND MORE INFORMATION!