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Crafting an Effective Thesis Statement for Your Essay

Learn what a thesis statement is, its importance, and how to differentiate it from a topic sentence. Discover the key elements and structure of a thesis statement and how it guides the organization of your essay. Determine the difference between general and specific thesis statements and their impact on your writing.

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Crafting an Effective Thesis Statement for Your Essay

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  1. Unit 5 Seminar THE THESIS STATEMENT

  2. What is the thesis statement? • It is your “what’s the point?” • What do you want your readers to know. • The main idea you are trying to get across. • Your message. • The point you want to make.

  3. The thesis statement is • Generally stated in a single sentence. • Expresses an point of view, not a topic. • Limits the topic. • Indicates the kind of support to follow. • Helps to organize the supporting material • Is precisely worded. • It does NOT announce by saying: I am going to tell you about….or My essay will explain….

  4. The thesis statement • The thesis statement is a statement of your topic and a comment about it. • The thesis statement usually appears at the end of the introduction.

  5. Thesis statement vs. topic sentence • Where does the thesis statement appear? • Where does the topic sentence appear? • What is the purpose of the thesis statement? • What is the purpose of the topic sentence? • Which gives a broader overview? • Which gives a more narrow overview?

  6. General vs. specific thesis statement • General thesis statement: Sunshine offers people many benefits. • Specific thesis statement: Sunshine activates vitamin D, alleviates depression, and minimizes energy costs. • Remember, a standard research paper is 5 paragraphs—introduction, 3 body paragraphs, conclusion. • Each of the body paragraphs begins with a topic sentence THAT MUST BASED ON THE THESIS STATEMENT. • Looking at the specific thesis statement, determine what the first, second, third body paragraphs will be about. • What will the first, second, third topic sentence say? • If you use the more general thesis statement, what will the first, second, third body paragraphs be about? • What will the first, second, third topic sentence say? • Which thesis statement is better—the general or the specific?

  7. And, now all together . . . • What’s with our public schools? Identify the thesis of this article. • http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2010/0929/Waiting-for-Superman-to-reform-education-He-s-already-here

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