Thesis Statements (Page 2 of 2) in pdf

Thesis Statements, Cont’d

Thesis Writing Strategies

Prompt Strategy:

Some professors may give you a writing prompt. Use the prompt to identify key words and turn them into a

question. For example:

Prompt - Your paper should describe the mood and theme of “Sticks,” by George Saunders, and what the

elements contribute to the story.

Key Words - Mood & Theme.

Question - How do the elements of mood and theme in “Sticks” contribute to the story?

Answer - The father ’s self-imprisonment behind his decorative bars creates a theme of entrapment within

the story.

Mood

Theme

Question Strategy

Some professors may give you a broad topic or let you choose your own topic. For broad topics, you may

narrow down your ideas by asking progressively more specific questions. Begin to answer these questions

and create more specific ones through research. Use your answers to specific questions to create a thesis. For

example:

General Topic - Fair y tales and child development.

Question - Ar e tr aditional fair y tales appr opr iate for childr en?

Specific Question - Ar e the dar k themes and conclusions found in tr aditional fair y tales beneficial to

children?

Thesis - The dar k themes of tr aditional fair ytales teaches childr en how to under stand and deal with

internal fears and insecurities.

They Say/I Say Model:

This model incorporates different viewpoints and responds to them. Start with the phrases “they say” and “I

say.” For your final thesis, revise the statement without those phrases.

Rough Draft - T hey say, “Cell phones distr act students.” I say cell phones can help students lear n.

They say

I say

Final Thesis - Many par ents ar gue that cell phones ar e simply a distr action for students, but educator s

understand that utilizing new mobile technologies can turn cell phones into indispensable

learning tools.

Other Templates

The implication of_____________________is___________________________________________________

Even though_________________________actually______________________________________________

I believe*___________________________because______________________________________________

In___________________(Title),_________(

) uses___________________________________________

Author

after drafting your thesis statement remove “I believe”

Thesis Statements Page 2