Writing Your Thesis Statement

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Writing Your Thesis Statement

• How can you get there if you dont know where
  youre going?

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What is a thesis? It

• tells the reader how you will interpret the
  significance of the subject matter under
  discussion.

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What is a thesis? It

• is a road map for the paper in other words, it
  tells the reader what to expect from the rest of
  the paper.

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What is a thesis? It

• directly answers the question asked of you. A
  thesis is an interpretation of a question or
  subject, not the subject itself.
• The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World
  War II or Moby Dick a thesis must then offer a
  way to understand the war or the novel that
  others might dispute.

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What is a thesis? It

• is usually a single sentence (or 2-3 sentences)
  somewhere in your first paragraph that presents
  your argument (or assertion) 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.

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If youre a formula person, this slides for you!

• The subject (or topic)
• opinion about the topic (assertion)
• a thesis

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Assignments that need a thesis

• Assignments that ask you to
• analyze
• interpret
• compare and contrast
• demonstrate cause and effect
• take a stand on an issue

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How do I get a thesis?

• A thesis is the result of a lengthy thinking
  process
• you have to collect and organize evidence
• look for possible relationships between known
  facts (such as surprising contrasts or
  similarities)
• think about the significance of these
  relationships

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Wait a minute

• Doesnt that sound a lot like annotation?
• YEP!

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How to Tell a Strong Thesis Sentence from a Weak
One.

• A strong thesis takes some sort of stand.

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• Strong
• Because Banana Herb Tea Supplement promotes
  rapid weight loss that results in the loss of
  muscle and lean body mass, it poses a potential
  danger to customers.

• Weak
• There are some negative and positive aspects to
  the Banana Herb Tea Supplement.

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How to Tell a Strong Thesis Sentence from a Weak
One.

• A strong thesis justifies discussion.

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• Strong
• Rum-drinking is essential to the life of a
  pirate and, historically, the success of piracy
  has primarily relied upon a continuous rum
  supply.

• Weak
• Pirates drink rum.

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How to Tell a Strong Thesis Sentence from a Weak
One.

• A strong thesis expresses one main idea.

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• Strong
• Because of the high-stakes adventure and the
  constantly shifting scenery of piracy, pirates
  always find themselves in a position to influence
  the world of trade.

• Weak
• There are good and bad things about being a
  pirate, and some of these good and bad things
  have positive and negative effects.

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How to Tell a Strong Thesis Sentence from a Weak
One.

• A strong thesis statement is specific.

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• Strong
• Hunger persists in Appalachia because jobs are
  scarce and farming in the infertile soil is
  rarely profitable.

• Weak
• World hunger has many causes and effects.

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• Did you get all that?

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• Good. Lets stop and do some practice.

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Practice Answers

1. Better
2. Best
3. Weak

• Best
• Weak
• Better

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Practice Answers

• 7. Weak
• No specificity
• 8. Strong
• Contains opinion and argument/assertion, is
  specific

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Practice Answers

• 9. Weak
• Avoid 1st person, no assertion/argument
• 10. Strong
• Contains opinion and argument/assertion, is
  specific

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Practice Answers

• 11. Weak
• Fact only, no opinion/assertion
• 12. Weak
• Contains non-specific opinion, no assertion

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Practice Answers

• 13. Strong
• Contains specific opinion, assertion/argument
• 14. Strong
• Contains specific opinion, assertion/argument

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Practice Answers

• 15. Weak
• Avoid 1st person, avoid This paper will show
  although it does have an opinion, the assertion
  needs to be more specific

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Thesis ChecklistQuestion 1

• Do I answer the question?
• Re-reading the question prompt after constructing
  a working thesis can help you fix an argument
  that misses the focus of the question.

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Thesis ChecklistQuestion 2

• Have I taken a position that others might
  challenge or oppose?
• Thesis statements that are too vague often do not
  have a strong argument. If your thesis contains
  words like "good" or "successful," see if you
  could be more specific Why is something "good"
  What makes something "successful"?

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Thesis ChecklistQuestion 3

• Does my thesis pass the 'So What? test?
• If a reader's first response is, "So what?" then
  you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or
  to connect to a larger issue.

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Thesis ChecklistQuestion 4

• Does my essay support my thesis specifically and
  without wandering?
• If your thesis and the body of your essay do not
  seem to go together, one of them has to change.
  Remember, always reassess and revise your writing
  as necessary.

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Thesis ChecklistQuestion 5

• Does my thesis pass the how or why test?
• If a reader's first response is "how? or why?
  your thesis may be too open-ended and lack
  guidance for the reader. See what you can add to
  give the reader a better take on your position
  right from the beginning.

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How to Answer an AP Question

• Give specific information in your answer.
• Don't be so general that you don't really say
  anything for example, "Many things happened in
  1968." The combination of using the right
  terminology and explaining processes will
  convince an AP exam reader that you understand
  the answer. You don't have to offer the tiniest
  details, however, to get full points.

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How to Answer an AP Question

• Answer each part of an essay question separately.
  
• Many of the AP essay questions ask several
  related questions. A single question, for
  example, may have two or three parts, each
  requesting specific information. You should
  answer each part of the question in a separate
  paragraph. This will help the reader recognize
  each part of your answer. Some questions are
  formally divided into parts, such as a, b, c, d.
  Answer these questions in separate paragraphs
  labeled a, b, c, and d.

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How to Answer an AP Question

• Answer all parts of an essay question.
• When you answer the essay questions, be sure to
  give a response for each part of the question.
  Don't overload the detail on one part at the
  expense of saying nothing in another part because
  you ran out of time. Each part of the question is
  assigned a specific number of points. If you give
  lots of information on one part, and nothing on
  the remaining parts, you receive only the maximum
  number of points allotted to the part you
  completed.

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How to Answer an AP Question

• Budget your time.
• Here's the best plan Answer all the essay
  questions adequately. You'll probably know
  something about every question, so be sure to
  record at least a few thoughts for each question.
  If you reach the last question with five minutes
  remaining, use that time to write as much
  information as possible. One or two points is a
  whole lot better than zero.

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How to Answer an AP Question

• Don't be overly concerned about grammar,
  spelling, punctuation, or penmanship.
• The AP exam readers don't marks points against
  you for incorrect grammar, spelling, or
  punctuation or poor penmanship. They are
  interested in content. However, if your grammar,
  spelling, or penmanship gets in the way of clear
  communication, the readers may not know what
  you're trying to say, and your score will suffer.
  

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How to Answer an AP Question

• Dive right in and answer the question directly.
• You most likely know how to write a
  five-paragraph "standard essay," which consists
  of an introduction, the body of the essay, and a
  conclusion. Cranking out five full paragraphs
  isn't necessary for the AP exam. A solidly
  supported three-paragraph essay, without an
  introduction or conclusion, can cover the
  subject. Test readers don't count paragraphs
  they do look for well-developed ideas and
  arguments.

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How to Answer an AP Question

• Pay attention to direction words.
• A direction word is the first word in an essay
  question that tells you how to answer the
  question. The direction word tells you what you
  need to say about the subject matter that
  follows. Here are common direction words found on
  AP exams

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Discuss

• Discuss means to consider or examine various
  aspects of a subject or problem.

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Describe

• Describe means to characterize, or give an
  account in words.

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Define

• Define means to give a precise meaning for a word
  or phrase.

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Explain

• Explain means to clarify or make understandable.

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Compare

• Compare means to discuss two or more items with
  an emphasis on their similarities.

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Contrast

• Contrast means to discuss two or more items with
  an emphasis on their differences.

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Bibliography

• Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University,
  Bloomington, IN
• The Writing Center, University of North Carolina
  at Chapel Hill
• The Jackson School Political Science Writing
  Center
• Dr. Margaret Procter, Coordinator, Writing
  Support, University of Toronto.
• CliffsNotes.com. Approach AP Essay Questions
  with Ease. 9 Oct 2007