LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET

IN ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

WEEK 4

Learner’s Name: _________________________

Grade Level/Section: ______________________
Date: __________________________________

I. LEARNING SKILLS

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to state the thesis statement of an
academic text (CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-Iac-6). Specifically, you should be able to:
a. Write a thesis statement effectively.
b. Write supporting details effectively.

II. INTRODUCTORY CONCEPT

Every thesis statement has to have supporting arguments, usually three to five of
them. You can think of the main ideas in supporting arguments as mini-thesis statements.
Consider, for example, the following:

Thesis Statement
• The cafeteria management is doing a good job.

Without supporting arguments, the statement above is simply an opinion. It is also

an opinion even with supporting arguments, but it is an opinion with an argument that
supports it.

Supporting Arguments
• Cafeteria hours accommodate every student’s schedule.
• The cafeteria offers a variety of main courses at each meal.
• The cafeteria serves plenty of food that is both healthy and tasty.
• The cafeteria has been citation free for over two years.

The four statements above offer evidence that cafeteria management is doing a
good job. If this were a thesis statement for an assignment, the bulk of the paper would
provide evidence for the four supporting arguments. For example, one paragraph might
“prove” the cafeteria is open to accommodate every student’s schedule by including the
earliest times that students need in the cafeteria, the latest times, and the fact that the
cafeteria is open during those times.

Thesis as a Strategy for the Writer and Reader

A thesis is both a writer and a reader strategy…

For the writer, the thesis statement is a writer strategy because it:
 • serves as a planning tool and one-sentence summary of the writer’s opinions
about a topic
• helps the writer determine the paper's real focus and lets the writer know if an
essay is wandering off in too many directions
• becomes an organizational framework for the topic sentences
• provides the writer with something to define, prove, and develop

For readers, the thesis statement is a reader strategy because it:

• serves as a contract with the writer, engaging and allowing readers to follow
through the paper
• keeps readers focused on the argument, so they know what to expect in the
essay
• allows readers to identify the main ideas and see exactly how each topic
sentence connects to the thesis
• offers enough detail for readers to grasp the writer’s argument

A thesis, thus, lets your reader know what to expect from your paper and allows
your reader to decide how well you’ve accomplished what you’ve set out to do. In fact,
some thesis statements might even give you an outline for your paper.

III. ACTIVITIES

A. Practice Tasks

TASK 1. Directions: Write T next to each thesis statement below. Write NT if there
is no thesis statement.

____1. My wife is a terrible cook.

____2. Violent video games should be made illegal, for it might incite some people
to commit violent acts.
____3. It’s not only rich people who can avail the vaccines.
____4. Justice delayed is justice denied.
____5. This paper will examine recent proposals to impose death penalty on
corrupt government officials.

TASK 2. Directions: Write G next to each good thesis statement. Write NG next
to statement that is not sufficiently restricted, unified, or specific and be prepared
to suggest revisions.

1. The way people shake hands can reveal something about their characters. ___
Suggestion: ____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
2. Exercise is a worthwhile activity. ___
Suggestion: ____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
 3. Common sense is sometimes the enemy of genius. ___
Suggestion: ____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
4. Teaching tricks to a dog is easier than most people think. ___
Suggestion: ____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
5. Thirst is harder to endure than hunger. ___
Suggestion: ____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

TASK 3. Directions: Write two arguable thesis statements, each with at least three
supporting arguments. They do not need to be complicated. The important thing is
that your thesis and supporting arguments logically align.

Example:
Sample 1 - Thesis: Random drug testing should not be allowed in high schools.
Supporting Arguments:
1. It is a violation of privacy.
2. It wastes taxpayer money because most students know how to “cheat”
on the tests.
3. It instills unnecessary fear in students and consequently affects their
academic performance in a negative way.

Sample 2 - Thesis: Education is important to have.

Supports:
1. It could enable one to get a better-paying job.
2. It makes a person a more interesting individual.
3. It makes a person a more informed citizen.

Thesis: _________________________________________________________
Supports:
1. __________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________

Thesis: _________________________________________________________
Supports:
1. __________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________

B. ASSESSMENT

Directions: Each item below contains a general subject and a narrower subject that
is derivative of it. Write an arguable thesis statement for each group of words in the
column labeled “Narrower Topic.” You may use an extra sheet of paper for your
answers.

General Topic Narrower Topic Thesis Statement

1. Education distance education ?

2. Family eating together ?
3. Dishonesty cheating in sports ?
4. Community volunteerism ?
5. Distance Learning home schooling ?

Directions: Read the following 3 paragraphs. Write a thesis statement for each
paragraph.

6._________________________________________________________________
People with good attitudes who tend to be more effective problem solvers, and team-
players are the types of people most employers are looking for. Being able to see the
positive side of a negative situation is a valuable character trait in the workplace.
Positive thinking contributes to more productivity and workplace harmony, whereas
someone who is negative and complains a lot could affect others with their negativity
and result in less productivity in the workplace, which is why most employers steer
clear of pessimists.

7._________________________________________________________________
Nothing is more frustrating to an employer than someone who cuts corners or leaves
work incomplete. Employers want to hire people who are not just positive about doing
work, but are willing to put in a bit of extra effort to get the work done. If you can show
an employer that you are willing to break a sweat to get a job done, they will take you
more seriously as a capable candidate for the position you are applying for.

8._________________________________________________________________
Passion and willingness to work hard can only offer a prospective employer so much.
Unless you can show how your experiences have helped prepare you for the position
you are interviewing for, the employers may decide to go with a candidate who has
completed the appropriate training already. It is costly and time-consuming to train a
new employee, which may make many employers hesitate before hiring less-qualified
applicants.

Directions: Underline the thesis statement.

9. When I was young, I always knew that I wanted to become a teacher someday.
When I played, I would often gather my dolls together and pretend to teach them how
to do math problems or how to read a book. As I grew older, my desire to become an
ESL teacher became clearer as I did some volunteer teaching overseas and in the
United States. As I look back on my reasons for becoming a teacher, there are three
 reasons that stand out. They are my love for the English language, my innate interest
in how people learn, and my desire to help other people.

10. Psychologists have argued for decades about how a person’s character is formed.
Numerous psychologists believe that one’s birth order (i.e. place in the family as the
youngest, oldest, or middle child) has the greatest influence. I believe birth order can
have a significant impact on the formation of a child’s character based on my own
experience growing up in a family of four children. Birth order can strongly affect one’s
relationship with parents, relationships with others, and how one views responsibility
as an adult.

IV. RUBRIC FOR SCORING

No performance and product tests.

V. REFERENCES

Barrot, J (2016). Academic reading and writing for senior high school. Quezon City:
C&E Publishing, Inc.

Department of Education, Region V Bicol. (2020) English for Academic and

Professional purposes: Quarter 1 – Module 4 (states a thesis statement on
Academic text.

Thesis statement. (2020). Louisiana Tech University.

https://www2.latech.edu/~bmagee/removed/thesis.html

collegeofsanmateo.edu (26_EP_ThesisTopicSentence_Final)

www.georgebrown.ca/tlc

Luman, Ruth: Modesto Junior College ppt.

Prepared by:

GLENN OLFINDO VALLEDOR

Teacher III
Panganiban NHS CAIC Compound,
SDO Catanduanes

Quality Assured by:

GINA B. PANTINO, Ed.D. and CLEOFE D. ARIOLA

Education Program Supervisors