Writing a Claim (Thesis Statement)

The thesis statement is undoubtedly the MOST important sentence of your entire essay! It serves as the
blueprint, or road map, for your essay, so it is crucial that your thesis statement is clear and logical
before beginning the body of the essay. A fully developed thesis statement has two basic parts. These
parts can span across one to two sentences, but the thesis statement must have these two parts in
order to construct a clear outline for the direction of the essay. As a rule, the thesis should always
appear as the last part of the introduction paragraph to establish the essay’s purpose for the reader.

Part 1: Claim. This is the part of the thesis statement that contains your opinion, which is your
interpretation/declaration about a things importance or meaning. This interpretation should come in
the form of a statement.

Example Claims:

Literature: To Kill a Mockingbird is an essential read because it really

teaches you about the importance of understanding others.

Sports: John Stockton is the most overrated player in the history of the
NBA.

Food: Spanish cuisine is the best choice for everyday eating.

Fashion: The Air Jordan XI is the most important sneaker of all time.

Part 2: Evidence. This is the part of the thesis statement in which you mention the specific pieces of
evidence you will discuss to PROVE your CLAIM. For this essay, the evidence should include three
aspects about your topic.

Example Thesis Statements:

Literature: To Kill a Mockingbird is an essential read because it

teaches you about the importance of understanding others through
Scout’s development, the trial, and Boo Radley’s appearance at the end.

Sports: John Stockton is the most overrated player in the history of the
NBA due to the Jazz’s system, his lack of post season success, and his
dependence on Karl Malone.

Food: Spanish cuisine is the best choice for everyday eating thanks to its
lower calorie count, variety of nutrition, and use of unique herbs and
spices.

Fashion: The Air Jordan XI is the most important sneaker of all time due
to its ground-breaking design, amazing sales statistics, and how it
solidified the Air Jordan brand.
Practice thesis statements for your five topics below:

Thesis for first topic:

Thesis for second topic:

Thesis for third topic:

Thesis for fourth topic:

Thesis for fifth topic: