Writing an Effective Thesis Statement

 A thesis statement, or controlling idea, is

the main point that a writer attempts to
support in a piece of writing

 It introduces the essay’s topic and provides a

summary of its main points

 A thesis statement gives direction to an

essay
 An essay without a thesis statement is like a car
without a driver
 IDENTIFICATION – what is the topic you are talking about?

 CLAIM – what do you believe about the topic?

 DIRECTION – what are the 3 main reasons you can use to

support your claim? (these 3 reasons will become the
body paragraphs of your essay)
 Thesis statement:
High school sports unquestionably have a positive influence on
high school students because they teach social skills, reinforce
time-management skills, and provide exercise to students.

 IDENTIFICATION – What is the topic?

 High school sports

 CLAIM – What does the person believe about the topic?

 They have a positive influence

 DIRECTION – What are the three reasons the person gives to support the claim?
 Teach social skills
 Reinforce time-management skills
 Provide exercise to students
A factual statement

A topic sentence

Ex: Burma is a country in Southeast Asia.

 A thesis statement…

 addresses the prompt clearly

 makes a claim or presents an argument

 is arguable (an opinion)

 is in the first & last paragraphs of essay

 does not use first person (NO “I” “me” “my”)

 Are vague – raise an interesting topic or question but do not
specify an argument

 Offer a plot summary or obvious truths instead of an argument

 Offer an opinion rather than an argument (opinions cannot be

proven with text evidence)

 Are too broad or too complex for the length of the paper
 High school is better than middle school.
 Explanation: This thesis statement is vague and is also an opinion. Why is high
school better? How can it be proven that high school is better than middle school?

 There are too many chemicals in the world that are causing damage.
 Explanation: This is a broad thesis statement. It fails to explain what kind of
chemicals, where in the world it is referring to, and the damage being caused.

 Hemmingway’s war stories are very good.

 Explanation: This is a weak thesis statement because it is a very brief summary and
only states the author’s opinion.
 Answer a specific question

 Take a distinct position on the topic

 Are debatable

 Allow the reader to anticipate the organization of the essay

 Because high school offers a more dynamic class choice,
increased personal freedoms, and additional
extracurricular activities, it is a better educational
institution than middle school.

 Explanation: This is a strong thesis because it lists specific

factual reasons why high school is better than middle
school and these reasons can be developed with examples
throughout the essay.
 A thesis statement…

 addresses the prompt clearly

 makes a claim or presents an argument

 is arguable (an opinion)

 is in the first & last paragraphs of essay

 does not use first person (NO “I” “me” “my”)

Weak thesis statements… Strong thesis statements…

 Are vague – raise an interesting  Answer a specific question

topic or question but do not specify
an argument
 Take a distinct position on the
 Offer a plot summary or obvious topic
truths instead of an argument

 Offer an opinion rather than an  Are debatable

argument (opinions cannot be
proven with text evidence)
 Allow the reader to anticipate
 Are too broad or too complex for the organization of the essay
the length of the paper