Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region III-Central Luzon
Division of Bulacan
DOÑA CANDELARIA MENESES DUQUE HIGH SCHOOL
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Bambang, Bulakan, Bulacan

Reading and Writing

Topic Title: Writing Effective Thesis
Statement
Learning Competency:
Evaluate a written text based on its properties (organization, coherence and cohesion, language use and
mechanics)

After reading the content of this modules, you are expected to:

a. Explains the essence of writing effective and powerful thesis statement, and
b. Write effective and powerful thesis statement base on the guidelines given.

DIRECTIONS: Identify the following taglines below

“just do it”- “Have a break, have a ------ “

“I’m lovin’ it”- “We find ways”-
“Finger likin’ good”- “Never had it this good!”-
Guide Questions:

1. How many among the taglines above are you familiar with?
2. Do you think they are remarkable?
3. What do you think is the role of taglines like these in their products/ services?

Writing: Effective Thesis Statement

What is a “thesis statement” anyway?
You may have heard of something called a “thesis.” It’s what seniors commonly refer to as their final paper
before graduation. That’s not what we’re talking about here. That type of thesis is a long, well-written paper
that takes years to piece together.

Instead, we’re talking about a single sentence that ties together the main idea of any argument. In the context of
student essays, it’s a statement that summarizes your topic and declares your position on it. This sentence can tell a
reader whether your essay is something they want to read.

Categories of Thesis Statements: Informative and Persuasive

Just as there are different types of essays, there are different types of thesis statements. The thesis should
match the essay.

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For example, with an informative essay, you should compose an informative thesis (rather than
argumentative). You want to declare your intentions in this essay and guide the reader to the conclusion that
you reach.
Example:
To make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, you must procure the ingredients, find a knife, and spread the
condiments.

This thesis showed the reader the topic (a type of sandwich) and the direction the essay will take (describing
how the sandwich is made).

Most other types of essays, whether compare/contrast, argumentative, or narrative, have thesis statements
that take a position and argue it. In other words, unless your purpose is simply to inform, your thesis is
considered persuasive. A persuasive thesis usually contains an opinion and the reason why your opinion is
true.
Example:
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are the best type of sandwich because they are versatile, easy to make,
and taste good.

In this persuasive thesis statement, you see that I state my opinion (the best type of sandwich), which means
I have chosen a stance. Next, I explain that my opinion is correct with several key reasons. This persuasive
type of thesis can be used in any essay that contains the writer’s opinion, including, as I mentioned above,
compare/contrast essays, narrative essays, and so on.

The Qualities of a Solid Thesis Statement

When composing a thesis, you must consider not only the format, but other qualities like length, position in
the essay, and how strong the argument is.

Length: A thesis statement can be short or long, depending on how many points it mentions. Typically,
however, it is only one concise sentence. It does contain at least two clauses, usually an independent clause
(the opinion) and a dependent clause (the reasons). You probably should aim for a single sentence that is at
least two lines, or about 30 to 40 words long.
Position: A thesis statement always belongs at the beginning of an essay. This is because it is a sentence that
tells the reader what the writer is going to discuss. Teachers will have different preferences for the precise
location of the thesis, but a good rule of thumb is in the introduction paragraph, within the last two or three
sentences.
Strength: Finally, for a persuasive thesis to be strong, it needs to be arguable. This means that the statement
is not obvious, and it is not something that everyone agrees is true.

Example of weak thesis:

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are easy to make because it just takes three ingredients.

Most people would agree that PB&J is one of the easiest sandwiches in the American lunch repertoire.

Example of a stronger thesis:

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are fun to eat because they always slide around.

This is more arguable because there are plenty of folks who might think a PB&J is messy or slimy rather
than fun.

Composing a thesis statement does take a bit more thought than many other parts of an essay. However,
because a thesis statement can contain an entire argument in just a few words, it is worth taking the extra
time to compose this sentence. It can direct your research and your argument so that your essay is tight,
focused, and makes readers think.

Assessment number I: One time SHOT!

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DIRECTIONS: Write the best thesis staement on the news below. Your answer shall be a single sentence
corresponding to 20 points.

Baybayin is a writing system native to the Philippines, attested

from before Spanish colonization through to at least the eighteenth
century.1 The word baybay means “to spell” in Tagalog, which
was the language most frequently written with the baybayin script.
Apart from Tagalog, baybayin (with some necessary changes) was
used to write Ilocano (Iloko), Kapampangan, Pangasinan, Bisaya,
and Bikol. The identification of baybayin with languages other
than Tagalog is a contested subject, as I describe below.

Our sources for this writing are mostly from the Archives of the
University of Saint Thomas in Manila. The examples of baybayin are generally of two sorts. First, there is
abundant documentation from the Spanish colonizers who arrived in the Philippines starting from
Magellan’s arrival in 1521 (and especially after 1565, the first military expedition). Among these sources is
the famous Doctrina Christiana, a 1593 codex written in Spanish and Tagalog, with the latter written in both
Latin and baybayin scripts. As a bilingual, this document is our most valuable source for understanding
baybayin. The second kind of sources we have are a limited number of handwritten documents by proficient
users of baybayin. Most of these are fragmentary notes, signatures, and other short snippets. We have
only two longer documents: deeds of sale from 1613 and 1635. All other sources for baybayin are modern
and generally emulate these earlier examples.

Name: Section:

Thesisstatement:
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Assessment number II:

DIRECTIONS: Identify whether the following persuasive and informative.

1. People should add exercise into their daily routine because it decreases the risk of high
blood pressure and keeps the body at a healthy weight.

Reading and Writing Skills Page 3 of 4

 2. Not just negative stories, fairy tales also shed a negative impact on the psychology of
young children.

3. To make a jelly and peanut butter sandwich, you need to get the ingredients, find a knife
and spread the dressing.

4. The Internet of things and blockchain has emerged as the most exciting use cases for the
technological era.

5. We must save the whales because our planet's health depends on biological diversity.

6. Modern technology and science for renewable energy are indispensable for our future
economy and society.

7. Although there are different causes of world war 1, Militarism, Nationalism, Alliances,
Imperialism, and Assassination that led to the war’s beginning.

8. In “The Third and Final Continent”, the writer exhibits the characters by immigrants:
adaptation, tradition, and identity.

9. In “A Worn Path”, the writer creates a fictional character whose faith, determination, and
cunning behavior illustrate the invincible human spirit.

10. Rather than encouraging students to take admission in a famous and top-ranked
university, we should instead focus on improving our institutes and the validity of our education system.

Quotation of the day: “I hated every minute of training but I said, Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the
rest of your life as a champion.”

-Muhammad Ali

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