Handout: Building a Thesis

You recall in Lesson 4 how you defined and wrote out the main idea, or point you were trying to prove in your essay. You create a thesis in the same way, but along with telling the main idea you also tell the reader how you are going to develop your essay. You actually create, in one sentence, a statement and a map of what you are going to say. Below, I am going to try to explain how to create a thesis statement.

 As you did in the last lesson, identify the main idea and your attitude towards it.

State how you are going to deal with your subject. (Return to the lesson on paragraphs to see a list of approaches: narration, description, example, compare/contrast, cause and effect, define, classify.)

Make a list with two to three main ways that you will support your argument or claim

Example of constructing a thesis statement:

I will start with the main idea I used in Lesson 4

Students who are US citizens should be permitted voting rights at age 18.

Next I decide that I am going to develop my essay by explaining that at age 18 they are required to take on certain responsibilities and this should entitle them to vote. I am going to list three responsibilities in the order I want to present them in my essay. I will then include this information in my thesis statement.

Responsibilities

Males must register for the draft

No longer considered a minor

I now write my thesis statement.

When students who are US citizens turn 18 years age they must take on the responsibility to register for the draft as well be adults in the eyes of the law, therefore they should be permitted voting rights

You now have a thesis statement that tells your reader what you want to prove and presents your plan for proving it.

A topic that is not too broad

Broad: Swimming

Narrowing: Swimming for health

Narrow focus: Swimming for health two hours a week.

A controlling idea that you can defend

Swimming two hours a week brought about a dramatic chance in my health

An indication of  what strategy of development is to be used in your essay:

Swimming two hours a week at Heather Farms eased my shoulder pains, helped me lose weight and gave me more energy.