English

GRADE 12 for
Academic and
Professional
Purposes
Quarter 1, Week 5
Identifying Thesis Statement and Outlining Reading Texts
in Various Disciplines

ACTIVITY SHEET
Prepared by:

Mary Joy L. Tangbawan

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Identifying Thesis Statement and Outlining Reading Texts
in Various Disciplines
LEARNING COMPETENCY
The module focuses on this lesson:
1. Identify the thesis statements in given academic texts.
2. Critique a good thesis statement.
3. Outline reading texts in various disciplines.
4. Value the importance of thesis statements.

BRIEF DISCUSSION OF THE LESSON

Definition of Terms
1. Thesis Statement - A thesis statement clearly identifies the topic being discussed, includes the
points discussed in the paper, and is written for a specific audience.
2. Academic Text - Academic text is defined as critical, objective, specialized texts written by
experts or professionals in a given field using formal language.
3. Outlining – Outlining in writing helps you define and organize your topic and subtopics so that
you bring the reader on a logical journey from your thesis, through your supporting evidence, to your
conclusion

THESIS STATEMENT

The thesis statement is a single, clear, focused sentence that communicates your paper’s central focus
or argument. It should give your audience a quick and easy-to follow idea of your position on the
topic of the paper. The thesis statement also offers a guide to how your paper is organized.

Journalism and reporting also rely on explicit thesis statements that appear very early in the piece–the
first paragraph or even the first sentence.

There are several key elements for a thesis statement:

• Can’t be a simple fact
• Not an opinion
• Must be arguable
• Can’t be a question

What makes a good thesis statement?

Let us look at this example:

School dress codes result in reduced social conflict, a more serious learning environment, and less
peer pressure.

This sample thesis statement shows the subject and the direction of the whole topic.
Subject = School dress codes
Direction = result in reduced social conflict, a more serious learning environment, and less peer
pressure
(The Direction gives you an idea of the purpose of the text.)
Thus, a good thesis statement can be summarized in this formula:
Thesis Statement = Subject + Direction

Qualities of a Good Thesis Statement

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1. It’s declarative. Never phrase your thesis statement as a question because it isn’t supposed to be
one. Instead, declare it as your position where you’ll explore and make a case for throughout the
duration of the piece.
2. It completely conveys the topic. All the reader needs to be sufficiently informed about what
you’re going to discuss, and it should be covered by the thesis statement. No more, no less.
3. It conveys something interesting. The reader should want to read about the topic you’re writing
about. A lot of this will depend on the reader, of course, so it pays to know who your audience is
before proceeding.
Strategies in Identifying Thesis Statement
1. Read the title of the text and make inferences on its purpose.
2. If the text has no abstract or executive summary, read the first few paragraphs as the thesis
statement is usually located here.
3. Check the conclusion as the authors sum up and review their main points.

Four Questions to Ask When Formulating Thesis Statement

1. Where is your thesis statement?

You should provide a thesis early in your essay -- in the introduction, or in longer essays in the
second paragraph -- in order to establish your position and give your reader a sense of direction.
Tips on how to write a successful thesis statement
 Avoid burying a great thesis statement in the middle of a paragraph or late in the paper.
 Be as clear and as specific as possible; avoid vague words.
 Indicate the point of your paper but avoid sentence structures like, “The point of my paper
is…”

2. Is your thesis statement specific?

Your thesis statement should be as clear and specific as possible. Normally you will continue to
refine your thesis as you revise your argument(s), so your thesis will evolve and gain definition as
you obtain a better sense of where your argument is taking you.
Tips on how to formulate specific thesis statement
 Are there two large statements connected loosely by a coordinating conjunction (i.e.
"and," "but," "or," "for," "nor," "so," "yet")?
 Would a subordinating conjunction help (i.e. "through," "although," "because," "since")
to signal a relationship between the two sentences?
 Or do the two statements imply a fuzzy unfocused thesis?
 If so, settle on one single focus and then proceed with further development.

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3. Is your thesis statement too general?
Your thesis should be limited to what can be accomplished in the specified number of pages.
Shape your topic so that you can get straight to the "meat" of it. Being specific in your paper will
be much more successful than writing about general things that do not say much. Don't settle for
three pages of just skimming the surface.
The opposite of a focused, narrow, crisp thesis is a broad, sprawling, superficial thesis. Compare
this original thesis (too general) with three possible revisions (more focused, each presenting a
different approach to the same topic):

Original thesis:
There are serious objections to today's horror movies.

Revised theses:
Because modern cinematic techniques have allowed filmmakers to get more graphic, horror flicks
have desensitized young American viewers to violence.
The pornographic violence in "bloodbath" slasher movies degrades both men and women.
Today's slasher movies fail to deliver the emotional catharsis that 1930s horror films did.
4. Is your thesis statement clear?
Your thesis statement is no exception to your writing: it needs to be as clear as possible. By being
as clear as possible in your thesis statement, you will make sure that your reader understands
exactly what you mean.
Tips on how to write clear thesis statement
Unless you're writing a technical report, avoid technical language. Always avoid jargon, unless
you are confident your audience will be familiar with it.
 Avoid vague words such as "interesting,” "negative," "exciting,” "unusual," and
"difficult."
 Avoid abstract words such as "society," “values,” or “culture.”

These words tell the reader next to nothing if you do not carefully explain what you mean by
them. Never assume that the meaning of a sentence is obvious. Check to see if you need to define
your terms (” socialism," "conventional," "commercialism," "society"), and then decide on the
most appropriate place to do so. Do not assume, for example, that you have the same
understanding of what “society” means as your reader. To avoid misunderstandings, be as
specific as possible.
Compare the original thesis (not specific and clear enough) with the revised version (much more
specific and clear):

Original thesis: Although the timber wolf is a timid and gentle animal, it is being systematically
exterminated. [if it's so timid and gentle -- why is it being exterminated?]
Revised thesis: Although the timber wolf is actually a timid and gentle animal, it is being
systematically exterminated because people wrongfully believe it to be a fierce and cold-blooded
killer.
Original: "is, are, was, to be" or "to do, to make"
Revised: any great action verb you can concoct: "to generate," "to demolish," "to batter," "to
revolt," "to discover," "to flip," "to signify," "to endure..."
Use your own words in thesis statements; avoid quoting. Crafting an original, insightful, and
memorable thesis makes a distinct impression on a reader. You will lose credibility as a writer if
you become only a mouthpiece or a copyist; you will gain credibility by grabbing the reader with
your own ideas and words.
A well-crafted thesis statement reflects well-crafted ideas. It signals a writer who has intelligence,
commitment, and enthusiasm.

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 OUTLINING
An outline shows the framework of a text through division and subdivision of ideas. It is another way
of determining a text structure.

Outline Format
A traditional outline starts with a thesis statement (TS). This is a one-sentence statement of the main
idea of the article. Then the body article is divided and subdivided this way:

a. Main Ideas are labelled with Roman numerals. (1st level of an Outline)
b. Supporting ideas developing the main ideas are labeled with capital letters, indented. (2nd level
c. Details developing the supporting ideas are labeled with Arabic Numbers indented. (3rd Level)
d. Minor details developing the details are labeled with small letters, indented. (4th level)

A one-sentence summary of the idea used in the Introduction and another for the Conclusion may be
added to the outline.

Your Outline may look like this:

Thesis Statement: ______________________________

I. Introduction
II. Main Idea
A. Supporting Idea
B. Supporting Idea
1. Detail developing
2. Another detail Developing
III. Main Idea
C. Supporting Idea
D. Supporting Idea
IV. Conclusion

Types of Outline

1. Sentence Outline – the heading off each level is one sentence.

Example Sentence Outline

The following outline is for a 5-7-page paper discussing the link between educational attainment and health.

I. Introduction
A. Current Problem: Educational attainment rates are decreasing in the United States while healthcare costs
are increasing.
B. Population/Area of Focus: Unskilled or low-skilled adult workers
C. Key Terms: healthy, well-educated

Thesis Statement: Because of their income deficit (cite sources) and general susceptibility to depression (cite
sources), students who drop out of high school before graduation maintain a higher risk for physical and mental health
problems later in life.

II. Background
A. Historical Employment Overview: Unskilled laborers in the past were frequently unionized and adequately
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 compensated for their work (cite sources).
B. Historical Healthcare Overview: Unskilled laborers in the past were often provided adequate healthcare and
benefits (cite sources).
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C. Current Link between Education and Employment Type: Increasingly, uneducated workers work in
unskilled or low-skilled jobs (cite sources).
D. Gaps in the Research: Little information exists exploring the health implications of the current conditions in
low-skilled jobs.
III. Major Point 1: Conditions of employment affect workers' physical health.
A. Minor Point 1: Unskilled work environments are correlated highly with worker injury (cite sources).
B. Minor Point 2: Unskilled work environments rarely provide healthcare or adequate injury recovery time
(cite sources).
IV. Major Point 2: Conditions of employment affect workers' mental health
A. Minor Point 1: Employment in a low-skilled position is highly correlated with dangerous levels of stress
(cite sources).
B. Minor Point 2: Stress is highly correlated with mental health issues (cite sources).
V. Major Point 3: Physical health and mental health correlate directly with one another.
A. Minor Point 1: Mental health problems and physical health problems are highly correlated (cite sources).
B. Minor Point 2: Stress manifests itself in physical form (cite sources)
VI. Major Point 4: People with more financial worries have more stress and worse physical health.
A. Minor Point 1: Many high-school dropouts face financial problems (cite sources).
B. Minor Point 2: Financial problems are often correlated with unhealthy lifestyle choices such unhealthy food
choices, overconsumption/abuse of alcohol, chain smoking, abusive relationships, etc. (cite sources).
VII. Conclusion
A. Restatement of Thesis: Students who drop out of high school are at a higher risk for both mental and
physical health problems throughout their lives.
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B. Next Steps: Society needs educational advocates; educators need to be aware of this situation and strive for
student retention in order to promote healthy lifestyles and warn students of the risks associated with dropping
out of school.

2. Topic Outline – the heading of each level is a phrase.

Several aspects must be considered in writing a topic outline.
1. Recall that all headings and subheadings must be words or phrases, not sentences.
2. Also, the wording within each division must be parallel.
3. Finally, as in any outline, remember that a division or subdivision cannot be divided into one part;
therefore, if there is an "A" there must be a "B," and if there is a "1" there must be a "2."
Example of Topic Outline
I. Family Problems
A. Custodial: Non-custodial Conflicts
B. Extended Family
C. Adolescent's Age
II. Economic Problems
A. Child Support
B. Women's Job Training
C. Lower Standard of Living
D. Possible Relocation
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 1. Poorer Neighborhood
2. New School
III. Peer Problems
A. Loss of Friends
B. Relationships with Dates

ACTIVITIES/ EXERCISES
ACTIVITY 1
Direction: Identify the thesis statements in the following paragraphs. Write your answers in your
answer sheet.
A. (1) Previous studies have revealed that meaning-focused instruction (MFI)and form-focused instruction
(FFI) are two of the most effective approaches in developing the overall language skills of second language
learners, separately. (2) However, no experimental studies have been conducted to prove their effectiveness
when integrated. (3)This study, therefore, aims to fill in this gap by investigating the effects of combining
MFI and FFFI in developing the speaking, writing, and grammar skills of selected secondary ESL students
in public high schools in the Philippines. The participants involved in this study are 480 third year high
school students (Grade 9). (4) These students were divided into four groups.
Source:Communicate Today: English for Academic & Professional Purposes for Senior High School
B. 91)Filipinos are frequent moviegoers. Perhaps because of the comic relief that comedy films promise. (2)In
1984 Guinness Book of World Records, the Philippines was listed as the nation with the world’s most avid
film-going public. (3)In a more recent statistic, the country has also been known to have the highest level of
theatre admission in South-East Asia. (4) Oddly enough, however, we as constant consumers of these
motion pictures tend to patronize those that are made particularly international.
Source:Communicate Today: English for Academic & Professional Purposes for Senior High School

ASSESSMENT
Read and understand each item and choose the letter of the correct answer. Write the letter off your
choice in a separate sheet of paper.
Part I
1. Which of the following terms identifies the topic being discussed in a text?
A. Academic Writing C. Thesis Statement
B. Outlining D. Thesis
2. Which of the following shows the framework of a text through division and subdivision of ideas?
A. Academic Writing C. Thesis Statement
B. Outlining D. Thesis Writing
3. Which term is being defined as critical, objective, specialized texts written by experts or
professionals in a given field using formal language?
A. Academic Text C. Thesis
B. Outline D. Thesis Statement
4. Which among the following is not a characteristic of a good thesis statement?
A. An opinion C. Not a Question
B. Must be arguable D. Can’t be a simple fact
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5. What are the two types of Outline?
A. Thesis Outline and main Outline C. Sentence Outline and Topic Outline
B. Sentence Topic and Topic Sentence D. Sentence Outline and Topic Sentence
6. What type of outline has the heading of each level written in one
Sentence?
A. Main Outline C. Topic Outline
B. Sentences D. Sentence Outline
7. What type of outline has the heading of each level written in phrase?
A. Main Outline C. Topic Outline
B. Phrasal Outline D. Sentence Outline
8. Which format shows the correct way of outlining?
A. I. Main Idea
B. Subtopic
a. Developing detail
1. Another detail
B. I. Main Idea
A. Subtopic
1. Developing detail
a. Another detail
C. I. Main Idea
I. Subtopic
a. Developing detail
1. Another detail
D. I. Main Idea
1. Subtopic
a Developing detail
1. Another detail
9. Which of the following doesn’t show a strategy of identifying a thesis statement?
A. Write down all the details that you have read.
B. Read the title of the text and make inferences on its purpose.
C. Check the conclusion as the authors sum up and review their main points.
D. If the text has no abstract or executive summary, read the first few
paragraphs as the thesis statement is usually located here.
10. What do you think makes Outlining Important before writing an
academic text?
A. It is important because it is part of our lesson.
B. It is important because it is a requirement of your teacher.
C. It is important because it will help you organize your thoughts.
D. It is important because it guides you in understanding the text that you have read.
11. Which of the following is not true about a good thesis statement?
A. The opposite view to your thesis statement should be equally as valid a point.
B. Unchallenged truths might make for easy writing, but they always end up as boring
material for reading.
C. It conveys something interesting. The reader should want to read about the topic you’re
writing about.
D. All the reader doesn’t need to be sufficiently informed about what you’re going to discuss
should be covered by the thesis statement.
Part II

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Each item contains a strong thesis statement. Choose the letter corresponding the option with the
strong thesis statement and write your choice in a separate sheet of paper.
12. A. Teachers have the noblest job.
B. Teachers should be paid more than other jobs.
C. Teachers have the important job of educating the children.
D. Teachers have the important job of educating our children and should
be paid higher wages to reflect the importance of this task.

13. A. Vegetarians live longer lives.

B. It is not right for so many people to eat so much meat.
C. This essay is about the reasons why you should consider a healthier, vegetarian diet.
D. A well-balanced, vegetarian diet provides significant health benefits, and Americans could
benefit from becoming vegetarians.
14. A. There are many solutions to the problem of childhood obesity.
B. The percentage of children in the United States who are obese
increased from seven percent in 1980 to nearly 20 percent in 2008 (CDC, 2012)
C. I know a lot of parents who are really struggling with the issue of childhood obesity.
D. With the number of children with obesity on the rise in the US parents need to be better
educated about the causes of childhood obesity.
15. A. It results in the loss of muscle and lean body mass.
B. It poses a potential danger to all the customers.
C. Banana Herb tea Supplement promotes rapid weight loss.
D. 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.

Part III
Directions: Study the outlines based on the passages and answer the questions that
follow. Write the letter of your choice in your notebook.
Read this passage and look at the outline:
The English Lab, housed in the Administration building, consists of two adjoining rooms which
contain 70 Macintosh computers and 2 laser printers. In addition to a server which allows instructors
to make assignments and materials available over the Internet and to the local intranet, each computer
in the lab contains a word processor, a web browser, telnet and hundreds of commercial and teacher-
authored programs appropriate for students who are building their English skills. There are also 3
video stations, and a terminal to the college VAX machine which is used for record-keeping.

I. English Lab
A. Physical Plant
1. in Administration building
2. two adjoining rooms
B. Resources
1. computers
2. video stations

16. In the above outline, which is the most important idea?

A. English Lab
B. Resources
C. Computers
D. Two adjoining rooms
E. Physical Plant

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17. In the above outline, which is the more important idea?
A. Physical Plant
B. Resources
C. Physical Plant and Resources are equal adjoining rooms
D. Two adjoining rooms
E. computers

Read this passage and look at the outline:

The Internet is an incalculable tool for research. It is a network of thousands of computers
across the world. Researchers, students, government agencies, schools, businesses and individuals
have left multi gigabytes of free information on these computers, available to anyone with a computer
and an Internet connection. There are thousands of "web sites", as they are called, with text, pictures,
sounds, and movie clips. You can see this material by simply sending out the appropriate Internet
address, and after a few moments, it appears on your screen. You can type in the address directly, or
you can automatically invoke an address by tapping on an icon or an underlined "link" on the home
page of a web site that you already have on your screen. Often the information can be printed or
downloaded (copied) directly to your local computer and saved on your own diskette.
I. The Internet
A. What it is
B. Web Sites
1. How to see them
2. How to save the information

18. In the above outline, which is the most important idea?

A. Web Sites
B. What it is
C. How to see them
D. How to save information
E. The Internet
19. In the above outline, which is the more important idea?
A. How to see them
B. What it is
C. How to save the information
D. are all equal.
E. What shall I do
20. In the above outline, you could...
A. substitute "Web sites" for "The Internet"
B. substitute "How to see them" for "How to save the information"
C. substitute "What it is" for "How to see them"
D….and still not change the meaning of the outline.
E. all of the above

PERFORMANCE TASK
Write a 200-word essay about “The New Normal”. Your Output should have two parts. The first part
should have your Outline and the second part will be your 200-word essay. WRITE YOUR ESSAY
IN YOUR ANSWER SHEET.

Criteria:
Content - 20points
Outline - 20 points
Mechanics - 10 points
TOTAL - 50 points

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