THE AMAZING THESIS WORKSHEET And it's printer friendly! A "thesis" is the point of your essay, the idea you wish to explain and defend. A "thesis sentence" is the sentence in your essay that presents your thesis. Duh! By doing this worksheet you will develop an outrageously wonderful thesis sentence. Yeah!
There are zillions of ways to write a good thesis sentence, but, in general, a thesis contains three elements: a qualification, a general reason why your thesis is valid, and the exact position you are presenting. Read the directions, read the examples, and fill in the blanks. It'll be fun, you'll see. . .And do remember that you will lose all of your work if you leave this page without printing.
Step One: The Topic The "topic" of your essay is the general category your essay is about. If in her wise and loving way, your teacher has gazed into your soul and assigned you a topic, just note the example below and fill in the blank. If in her cute and sparkly manner, your teacher has winked knowingly and told you to write about "anything", then you must decide on a topic. What do you have an opinion about? What are some things that interest you? Topics are just general categories--school, fishing, parenting, hunting, cars, women’s rights, racial issues, the law, etc...There is a page in this program that contains a list of questions, any of which may suggest a topic for you. To view it-- go Topic Generator. If all else fails, choose "essay writing". . . Program's Example of a Topic: School (Observe and enjoy the clever way I develop my thesis along with you.) Write your topic in the space below /> Step Two: The position What is one thing about your topic that you believe to be true, and that you wish to argue? You may already have a "position" in mind, or you may just have a general topic you know you wish to work with. If you do not yet have a position, making a cluster or a mapwith your topic in the center is a good way to help yourself find a position. You can find directions on the Prewriting page. Another good way is to begin a free write, "I'm supposed to write an essay about____________. . ." and see where it takes you. However you get there, write a short statement describing your position in the space below. Program's Example of a Position: Schools have too many people in them! Write your position in the space below. Step Three: The Qualification Is what you say always true always? Are there exceptions? Are there good reasons why your position may have a down side? How can you make your position have a reality check? What general reasons why your position may have problems can you admit up front? To make absolute statements usually causes your essay's thesis to seem foolishly simplistic. Get real!. Here?s a trick: begin your qualification with a word like "although" or "It is true that. . ." Don't worry if it's not a complete sentence. Program?s Example Qualification: Although schools of over a thousand students have flourished in America. . . Write your qualification in the space below. Step Four: The Reason In general why do you believe your position to be correct in spite of your qualification? What is the over all good to be gained by agreeing with your position? This is a general statement; your specific reasons will follow in the body of your essay. The Program’s Example of a reason: Small school populations lend themselves to building a good community of learners. Write your reason in the space below. Step Five: Put them all together. In one or two sentences, present your thesis, including a qualification, a reason, and a position. The classic, traditional way of combining is to first present your qualification. This immediately demonstrates your interest in accuracy. Then present your general reason which demonstrates your thinking process, and finally the punch line--your position. Notice how in the example the qualification comes first, then the reason and finally the position which has become a specific recommendation. The Program's Example Thesis: Although schools of over a thousand students have flourished in America, small school populations lend themselves to building a good community of learners, and therefore we should consider limiting school populations to a hundred. Write your thesis is the space below. Now, print this page, 'cause you're done! Besides if you don't print the page, you'll lose everything! All of it!!
With your questions, ideas, comments and/or pitiful cries into the night, comment your comments in the comments section below. | 