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How to Write a Thesis Statement
About this worksheet:.
Practice developing thesis statements with this writing introduction worksheet! Students will learn how to improve their writing with a strong, attention grabbing thesis statement. This activity helps build writing skills by asking students to create a statement for the topics provided, such as: “What was the greatest challenge in your life?”.
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Activities to Teach How to Write A Thesis Statement
Research Writing , Secondary Literacy , Writing
If there’s any literacy skill you would want your English Language Arts students to master, it would probably be how to write a thesis statement . If you want to teach your students how to write powerful, eloquent, and exceptionally captivating thesis statements, then you’ll love the activities in this article.
The key to any good essay is a strong thesis statement. A strong thesis statement sets the tone and clarifies the author’s purpose : it tells you the writer’s opinion, along with the level of thought and criticism that has gone into formulating it.
A strong thesis statement also creates an alluring introduction paragraph. This makes each paper in your grading pile a lot more inviting.
How do you teach students to write a thesis statement to make their audience continue reading? This blog post explores six activities to teach how to write a thesis statement.
1. Differentiate Between Strong and Weak Thesis Statements
Writing a thesis statement might be a new skill for your students. Thesis statements are often taught as a topic sentence or the “whole essay boiled down into one sentence.” This can be a challenging concept for your students to grasp.
To teach how to write a thesis statement, have a discussion about what makes a strong thesis statement. You can turn this into a collaborative lesson by brainstorming clarifying statements ; these statements dictate what a thesis is and is not.
For example: “ A proper thesis statement is written in one sentence ,” or “ a proper thesis statement is directly related to the rest of the essay .” This is a great opportunity to teach students the difference between concepts like a “topic sentence” or a “hook.”
Your students can use this free bookmark to differentiate between a strong thesis statement and a weak one. This slideshow lesson also explores clarifying statements with detailed examples.
2. Evaluate Thesis Statement Examples
Now that students have plenty of guidelines, challenge their understanding by evaluating thesis statement examples . You can use thesis statement examples from past students’ essays. You can even write your own examples based on the clarifying statements you create with your class.
If you’re open to your students receiving constructive, anonymous criticism , you can even have them write a thesis statement and evaluate each one as a class. I’ve had success with providing students with a thesis statement topic and having them write a thesis statement. Then, I prompt them to swap with their elbow partner to offer feedback.
If you’d rather provide a comprehensive list of thesis statements that reflect the common errors you would typically see in students’ essays, there are several student examples in this introductory lesson on how to write a thesis statement – this is one of my favourite activities for teaching thesis statement writing!
3. Provide a Thesis Statement Template
One of the easiest ways to teach how to write a thesis statement is to offer a thesis statement template . There are a variety of thesis statement templates that students can use as a framework for their essays. I start with a basic template that involves the three parts of a thesis statement: a topic, position, and evidence . I then demonstrate to students how they can create variations of this template, depending on which order they introduce each part. You can find examples for each template in these thesis statement handouts .
You can also introduce a few sentence styles to your students. These styles scaffold eloquent thesis statements. They also offer students the space to articulate their thoughts without exceeding the one-sentence limit.
Sentence Styles for the Three Parts of a Thesis Statement
Here are a few sentence styles that incorporate the three parts of a thesis statement. Each style also includes an example written by a real student:
- Style A : “Noun phrase; Noun phrase; Noun phrase – Independent Clause” Example: “The promotion of hygiene; the presence of medical professionals; the prevention of death – these are all reasons why supervised injection services are an important facet of public health.”
- Style B : If (subject + verb + object phrase), if (subject + verb + object phrase ), if (subject + verb + object phrase ), then (independent clause) Example: “If taxpayers do not wish to have their money allocated to cruelty, if more than 100 million animals die from animal testing a year, if alternatives to animal testing exist, then governments should ban the practice of testing on animals.”
- Style C : Independent clause: subject + verb, subject + verb, subject + verb Example: “College education should be entirely funded by the government: student debt would be eliminated, education would not be commodified, and access to education would not be exclusive to privileged people.”
All of these sentence styles are outlined in these practice worksheets for how to write a thesis statement, with writing prompts to reinforce each thesis statement template through repeated practice.
4. Daily Practice Activities to Teach How to Write a Thesis Statement
One of the most effective ways to teach how to write a thesis statement is through repeated practice. You can do this by incorporating daily bell ringers into your persuasive writing unit. To assign this activity, I provide students with three topics to choose from. I then prompt them to develop an opinion and write a thesis statement for one.
I’ll also include bell ringers that provide a thesis statement that students need to evaluate. Students really enjoy these drills! They get the opportunity to develop opinions on interesting topics, and many of them choose to explore these ideas as the subject of their final research paper.
If you’re looking for pre-made worksheets with thesis statement activities, these daily thesis statement bell ringers include one month’s worth of thesis statement prompts, graphic organizers, and templates in both digital and ready-to-print format.
5. Use a Self-Assessment Thesis Statement Anchor Chart
You can provide students with a thesis statement anchor chart to reference the guidelines and rules they’ve learned. A personalized anchor chart is best – like this free thesis statement bookmark – so that students can have it on hand while they are reading and writing.
You can distribute the anchor chart at the beginning of your research paper unit. Students can refer to it while evaluating thesis statement examples or completing daily practice activities. A thesis statement anchor chart has been a complete game-changer in my classroom, and I’m pleased to learn that many of my students have held on to these after completing my course.
6. Provide Engaging Thesis Statement Topics
You can collaborate with your students to generate an engaging list of good topics for thesis statements. Start by writing down every topic that your students suggest. Then, you can narrow this list down to avoid broad, far-reaching thesis statements that lead to a watered-down essay. When I make this list with my students, we end up with topics that are truly engaging for them. I also have the opportunity to clarify which topics might be a little too vague or broad for an exceptional essay.
For example, students often suggest topics like “racism” or “the problem with school.” These are learning opportunities to demonstrate to students that a great thesis statement is the essential starting point for an even greater essay.
To elaborate, a topic like racism has different implications all over the world. It is far too complex to explore in a single, 750-word essay. Instead, we work together to narrow this topic down to something like “racism in the media,” or even better, “representation in Hollywood.”
Additionally, a topic like “the problem with school” is more of a conclusion. To solve this, we work backward to identify some of the aspects of our school that make it an obstacle . This can include uniforms, early starts, or cell phone policies. This process leads students to a more concise topic, like “cell phone policies in twenty-first-century schools.”
If you’re looking for engaging thesis statement topics to inspire your students, I’ve included a list of 75 argumentative essay topics in this practice unit for how to write a thesis statement .
Tying it All Together
There are plenty of fun thesis statement activities and practice lessons that you can incorporate into your curriculum. Give thesis statements the love and attention they deserve in the classroom – after all, they truly are the most important part of a research essay.
All of the worksheets, lessons, and activities explored in this blog post are included in Mondays Made Easy’s unit for teaching how to write a thesis statement . This bundle has everything you need to teach your students how to master their thesis statements and apply these essential literacy skills to their writing.
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One way to think about a thesis statement is:
An effective thesis is one that is not obvious; rather it is one that is discussible, arguable, and interesting.
Avoid self-evident statements.
In the US, movie stars are greatly admired.
A strong thesis will give readers an idea of the general direction of your paper and the evidence you will provide.
Because definitions of obscenity change as society changes, the Supreme Court has handed down three contradictory decisions on censorship in the past five years.
A few things to keep in mind:
- A thesis must be a complete sentence(s), not a fragment(s).
- A thesis should not be worded as a question.
- A thesis should neither be too broad nor too specific.
- A thesis should not contain elements which are extraneous or irrelevant to your paper.
- A thesis should avoid phrases like I think and in my opinion because they weaken the writer's argument.
Having said all of that, let's venture into never-never land, take a trip to the world of happily-ever-after. Let's look at fairy tales.
Take a common fairy tale. Little Red Riding Hood , for example. Your average tale of good vs. evil, right?
In my opinion, Little Red Riding Hood is a classic tale of good versus evil.
Now, there's a thesis that is sure to keep you up at night. Interesting. Innovative. Imaginative. I think not.
Let's try something else. How about:
Because she dares to defy societal norms of acceptable female behavior, Little Red Riding Hood faces death at the hands of the Big Bad Wolf, who embodies patriarchy.
Little Red Riding Hood serves as a feminist tale, demonstrating how an independent, intelligent woman subverts the entrenched forces of male power and privilege.
The forest in Little Red Riding Hood--with its various elements of danger, fear, and foreboding--symbolizes a young girl's rite of passage into womanhood; by challenging the elements in the forest, the naive and trusting Little Red Riding Hood emerges an empowered, mature, confident young woman.
Television shows and movies also offer a wealth of possible thesis statements. Consider the following:
As the middle child, Jan Brady is insecure and demonstrates a negative self-perception: she feels inferior to Marcia, who embodies the qualities of the "ideal" teenager and to Cindy, the "innocent" child and center of the family's attentions.
While appearing to be a simplistic situation comedy about a group of castaways, Gilligan's Island is actually a complex representation of vice; each of the characters represents one of the seven deadly sins.
While Star Trek : The Next Generation may appear to represent an ideal version of a multicultural, gender-equal society, the command structure on the Enterprise, headed by Picard and Riker, reinscribes western, patriarchal notions of power.
Although praised for its realism, Saving Private Ryan glorifies American patriotism and heroism, excluding alternative perspectives.
Now it is your turn. Construct an interesting, compelling thesis using a fairy tale, television show, popular song, or movie.
Luisa Giulianetti Student Learning Center, University of California, Berkeley ©1998 UC Regents
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
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Writing a Thesis Statement Free Lesson Plan
Here is a guided writing workshop to teach students how to brainstorm and draft a thesis statement. This activity provides students an opportunity to consider their prompt and develop a claim that is effective and arguable. Three handouts are included in each download, with the teacher version also containing instructions on how to conduct the workshop.
This lesson plan can be used with any persuasive, argumentative, or research-based essay.
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LESSON 21 PRACTICE WORKSHEET A Writing a Thesis Statement Directions: Circle the letter of the best thesis statement for each composition. 1. a composition about the importance of eating lunch a. Lunch is one of my favorite meals, delicious and nutritious. b. Eating lunch boosts health and provides needed afternoon energy. c.
Writing Center. Workshop Lesson Plan . Thesis Statements. Lesson Objectives: 1. To understand the purpose of a thesis statement 2. To convey the importance of a one sentence thesis statement Preparation: 1. Review lesson plan, student handouts, and the activity answer key. 2. Check if there are enough copies of all student handouts. Make copies ...
About this Worksheet: Practice developing thesis statements with this writing introduction worksheet! Students will learn how to improve their writing with a strong, attention grabbing thesis statement. This activity helps build writing skills by asking students to create a statement for the topics provided, such as: "What was the greatest ...
Activities to Teach How to Write a Thesis Statement in High School. 1. Differentiate Between Strong and Weak Thesis Statements. Writing a thesis statement might be a new skill for your students. Thesis statements are often taught as a topic sentence or the "whole essay boiled down into one sentence.".
Thesis Activity. One way to think about a thesis statement is: An effective thesis is one that is not obvious; rather it is one that is discussible, arguable, and interesting. Avoid self-evident statements. In the US, movie stars are greatly admired. A strong thesis will give readers an idea of the general direction of your paper and the ...
Work through good and bad thesis statements together with the students. (5-10 min.) 4. Give students the second handout containing problematic thesis statements in need of correction. 5. Have the students break into groups to correct the thesis statements. (5-10 min.) 6. Discuss the corrections as a class.
Writing a Thesis Statement Free Lesson Plan. Here is a guided writing workshop to teach students how to brainstorm and draft a thesis statement. This activity provides students an opportunity to consider their prompt and develop a claim that is effective and arguable. Three handouts are included in each download, with the teacher version also ...
Microsoft Word - Document1. Directions: Carefully read the writing prompt and the Bad Thesis Statement. Then, rewrite a Good Thesis Statement. State the subject and tell the author's purpose for writing or the point to be proved. A good thesis statement will directly respond to each part of the writing prompt.
Exercise Directions: Create a thesis statement based on the following information. Topic 1: Education is important to have. It could enable one to get a better paying job. It makes a person a more interesting individual. It makes a person a more informed citizen. Topic 2: Bowling is a sport for everyone.
Topic Sentences & Thesis Statements Read the following 3 paragraphs. Write a topic sentence for each paragraph. When you have completed the topic sentences, write one thesis statement that would be appropriate for an essay on the same topic. Answers will vary. For screen reader users, space to write is indicated with *. 1.
These thesis statement worksheets include one month's worth of practice activities to help your students master writing thesis statements. These bell ringers feature thesis statement templates, examples, and graphic organizers to prompt students to analyze thesis statements and practice argumentative writing. Suitable for distance learning ...
Exercise 3: Order the following ideas from general (1) to narrow (5). Underline the topic, circle the controlling idea, and double underline the sub-topics in the following thesis statements. e.g. My roommate has her own unique systems for studying, writing essays, and cleaning our living room.
Finally, students will practice writing their own thesis statements. Exercise 1: Choose the thesis statementExercise 2: Choose the strongest thesis statement Exercise 3: State if thesis statement is weak or strong and whyExercise 4: Write a t. Subjects: English Language Arts, Writing, Writing-Essays. Grades:
Writing a Thesis Statement Blinn College - Bryan Writing Center Fall 2022 Step 3: Writing a Thesis Statement This worksheet will help you draft a solid thesis statement. Remember, the thesis holds your paper together and guides your research, so be sure it says exactly what you mean. The spaces below are provided for you to write notes; you ...
Arguable thesis statement: The government should ban smoking altogether. Statement of fact: Small cars get better fuel mileage than 4x4 pickup trucks. Arguable thesis statement: The government should ban 4x4 pickup trucks except for work-related use. Statement of fact: On average, people with college degrees earn more money in the workplace.
5. A troublesome thesis is a fragment; a good thesis statement is expressed in a complete sentence. Example: How life is in New York after September 11th. Better: After September 11th, the city of New York tends to have more cases of post-traumatic disorder than other areas of the United States and rightfully so.
This quiz and worksheet allow students to test the following skills: Reading comprehension - ensure that you draw the most important information from the related lesson on writing a thesis ...
Here's how it works: Step 1: Write an essay prompt on the board. I vary my questions between informative and argumentative topics. KQED's Do Now series is an excellent place to grab writing prompts! Step 2: Put students into small groups and give them 5 minutes to construct a solid thesis statement in response to the essay question.
Common Core Standards. Teaching thesis statements satisfies the following common core standards and establishes the basis for teaching all the common core standards in writing for all grade levels. W.9-10.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
To answer the first point, before you can answer the question posed by the prompt, you have to answer how you feel about the question for yourself. In other words, do a little brainstorming to see ...
A thesis statement is one to two sentences in the introduction of an essay that the writer uses to "set the stage" for the reader. The thesis statement provides the focus for the writing that follows and lets the reader know what the essay is going to be about. State the topic Example: Football for middle school boys STEPS IN WRITING A ...
Thesis statement practice for argumentative writing should be fun and engaging! These Common Core, TEKS task cards are awesome for stations and for individual learning, and will have students whipping out perfect thesis statements in no time. This is a MUST-DO lesson before teaching argument writing.
Worksheet Crafting a Thesis Statement: Literary Essay Writing. Writing a thesis statement requires practice and revision! This activity will afford your fourth graders the chance to think about the claim they want to make in their literary essays and give them practice writing an introductory paragraph. ... Related Guided Lesson. Informational ...