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Ch. 5 developing and supporting a thesis

1. 1. Developing and Supporting a Thesis I have an idea, now what?

2. 2. • Thesis statement (or central thought) • Main point of an essay • Explain what the
essay will be about and expresses the writer’s position on the subject • Does for an essay
what a topic sentence does for a paragraph • Example • Playing team sports, especially
football and baseball, develops skills and qualities that can make you successful in life
because these sports demand communication, teamwork, and responsibility What is a
Thesis Statement?
3. 3. • The idea for your thesis usually will come from your prewriting. • Don’t expect to sit
down and just write it. • Working Thesis • Go over your prewriting and highlight details
that link to the same subtopic. • Write a word or phrase that describes each group •
Example on page 106 Developing Your Thesis
4. 4. • Make an assertion • Assertion – takes a position, expresses a view point, suggests
your approach to a topic • • • • • Be specific Focus on ONE central point Offer an original
perspective on your topic Avoid making an announcement Use your thesis to preview the
organization of the essay Writing an Effective Thesis Statement
5. 5. • Thesis statements should always be in the FIRST (or introductory) paragraph. • It can
go anywhere in that paragraph Placement
6. 6. • Evidence • Any type of information that will convince your reader that your thesis is
reasonable or correct • Examples, statistics, expert opinion • This evidence is then
organized into paragraphs to make up the body of your essay. Support Your Thesis with
Evidence
7. 7. • Analyze your purpose, audience, and thesis to determine what types of evidence will
be most effective. • Unfamiliar audience • Definitions, historical background, explanation
, factual and descriptive details • Persuade • Compare/contrast, advantages/disadvantages,
examples, problems, statistics, and quotes. • Table 5.1 on page 110 • What types of
evidence would you use for this thesis statement (informative essay): • “The pressure to
 become financially independent is a challenge for many young adults and often causes
them to develop social and emotional problems.” Choosing Types of Evidence
8. 8. • Visualize yourself speaking to your audience. • Develop a skeletal outline of major
headings with plenty of blank space under each. • Draw a graphic organizer of your
essay, filling in supporting evidence as you think of it. • Discuss your thesis statement
with a classmate; try to explain why he or she should accept your thesis as valid. Collect
Your Evidence
9. 9. • • • • • • Make sure the evidence is relevant. Provide specific evidence. Offer a variety
of evidence. Provide a sufficient amount of evidence. Provide representative evidence.
Provide accurate evidence. Choose the Best Evidence
10. 10. • For academic writing • Personal experiences and opinions are not considered valid
evidence • Use objective evidence • • • • • Facts Statistics Historical background Research
evidence Expert opinion Choosing Evidence for Academic Writing
11. 11. • • • • • • Use your library NC Live Interviews Newspapers Professional
Magazines/Journals See Ch. 19 for more ideas Using Sources to Support Your Thesis
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