LESSON 2: WRITING THESIS STATEMENTS

"If you have a goal, write it down. If you

do not write it down, you do not have a
goal-you have a wish."
~Steve Maraboli

ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS:

• Thesis statement is the controlling idea of our essay.

• An effective thesis, statement includes a specific subject and our opinion on
that subject.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:

• How does the thesis statement shape my writing?

• Why is a thesis statement integral to my writing?
• What strategies can I use to improve my thesis statements?

OBJECTIVES:

• To evaluate a thesis statement by knowing the characteristics of an effective

one; and
• To write an effective thesis statement.

Introduction

Have you ever been to a different province or a foreign country? Recall a

time you traveled to an unfamiliar destination with your family or friends. How did
you prepare for such an excursion?

There are many ways to plan for a trip to a new place. First, you can do
some research on the Internet about things to do and places to see. Next, you can
also consult a guidebook. Also, you can ask a friend about their experience in
going to that particular location. Whatever it is you decide to do, your goal not get
lost is to get information about that destination so that you will on your way there
and you can make the most of your time traveling.

In a similar way, a thesis statement prepares you guide and a roadmap to

your destination. The process for writing your essay. It serves as d of pre-writing
that you studied in the previous lesson helps you get ready to create thesis
statement for your paper. This lesson explains what a thesis statement is, how it
functions in your writing, and how to write an effective one.

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 Warm-Up

Describe a time when you had to travel to unknown place without any guide
or instructions. How did you feel? In what other ways is this experience related to
writing an essay? Write them in the lines below. Afterward, share your insights with
a partner. Take note of common ideas, and share them with the rest of the class.

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Defining the Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is the central idea of an essay, around which all other
ideas revolve. It is not just the most important idea; it also controls the essay by
determining what you should or should not include in your work. In one sentence,
it reveals and summarizes the argument you intend to develop and defend.

The thesis statement reflects your purpose for writing. It is a constant

reminder of your main point and your stand, directing the entire flow of your writing.

It should be clear that the thesis statement is not the subject or topic itself,
but an interpretation of the topic. For example, if you were asked, to write an essay
on Noli Me Tangere or Martial Law during President Marcos' time, your thesis
statement would inform the reader of how you understand such a topic and what
you deem to be important or debatable about it.

Formulating a Thesis Statement

The thesis statement comes as a result of pre-writing. It is the product of

thinking about your ideas, seeking evidence, and looking for relationships between
these. At times a potential thesis statement may become clear to you, especially if
an interesting angle on an issue catches your attention. Other times, you may need
to ask the following questions to help you find out a thesis statement:

• What main idea does most of my pre-writing support?

• What are the relationships that exist among my ideas?
• Which aspect of the topic seems to be given the most detail?
• Where does my stand seem to be the most consistent?
• What is the focus of the most interesting and significant points of my pre-writing?
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 • What ideas should I do more research on?

Whatever thesis statement you come up with initially is called a working

thesis statement, an argument containing your stand and that you intend to prove
with evidence in the essay. It is called such because you may have to adjust your
thesis statement depending on your research and writing.

Let us say you are writing a reaction paper about your school's Reserve
Officers Training Corps program for your fellow high school students. After going
over your pre-writing, you come up with the following working thesis statement:
"High school seniors become more responsible because of joining the Reserve
Officers Training Corps program.

However, while writing the essay, you discover that you need to specify
exactly what part of the program causes them responsible. You also remember
that not all to be more research, high school seniors are officers –some cadets.
After doing some more you the decide to revise the working the Reserve Officers
Training Corps program develop better leadership skills discipline instilled in them
by the program."

As you can see, creating a thesis statement results from looking at your
paper's general Subject and narrowing it down to something specific. In the
previous example. The general subject could be the school’s extracurricular
activities, A narrower the Reserve Officer Training Corps program. Because a
thesis statement should contain your opinion on the topic, you could mention your
belief that the program is beneficial for students because it teaches them discipline.

A helpful way to decide if your thesis statement is too broad or too narrow
would be to go back to your pre-writing and draft a list of the contents of your essay.
Adjust your thesis statement accordingly to reflect majority of the contents and the
requirements of the essay.

You can also look at your general subject and ask a specific question about
it. In the previous example, if the general topic were "high school extracurricular
activities" you might narrow it down by asking, "Which program best instills
discipline in high school students?” This will give you the idea of the Reserve
Officers Training Corps.

Characteristics of an Effective Thesis Statement

Now that you have learned how to formulate a thesis statement, how will
you know if your thesis statement is strong?

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 Below are the characteristics of an effective thesis statement:

1. Responds to the assignment by following instructions

Going back to the instructions can assure you that your thesis statement is
relevant and addresses what your teacher has prescribed. It can also refocus
your argument if needed.

2. Expresses the main idea in one to two sentences

A thesis statement should be comprehensive yet concise because you will
be spending the rest of the paper proving your point.
3. Focuses on a specific issue
Your thesis statement should be sufficiently narrowed based on the
boundaries of the issues so that your assignment, and should only discuss one
paper remains focused and you do or a few related parts undeveloped. not ramble
or leave some
4. States a stand on the topic
A thesis statement must reveal your attitude toward the topic. Your attitude will show
how you intended to interpret or discuss the issue, and this is what differentiate you
from other writers who may be writing about the same topic Your attitude also what
helps you elaborate on a topic, because there is only so much that can be said about
something factual.
5. Says something meaningful by answering the questions: "So what?"
"How?" "Why?"

A good thesis statement shows why the reader should care about your
work. The significance of your paper is clear to the reader if your thesis
statement is able to answer the question, "So what?" Next, your thesis statement
should be able to substantiate your claims by providing the reader evidence, or
an idea of how you intend to support your stand. This is usually answerable by
addressing "how" and "why"

6. Previews the rest of the essay by being placed in the introduction

A thesis statement is knowing what to usually placed in the introduction so
that the reader expects in reading your essay.
7. Reflects a tone and point-of-view appropriate to the identified purpose and
audience.

Your thesis statement should consider the writing situation you find yourself
in. This requires thinking about why you are writing and who you are writing

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 for. Does the way your thesis statement is written, reflect these concerns
adequately?

More Guidelines on Writing Thesis Statements

You can make your thesis statements more effective if you keep the following
guidelines in mind:

1. Avoid making overly-opinionated stands

While a thesis statement needs to not to reveal your attitude toward the
topic, be careful go to the extremes and write a thesis statement with an
exaggerated claim. This is because you need to prove your thesis statement first,
and opinion on the reader, avoid imposing your lest you affect their disposition
toward you. For example, instead of saying, "The officers of the Reserve Officers
Training Corps are merciless slave drivers who abuse their fellow students," you
might say, "The officers of the Reserve Officers Training Corps should exercise
more responsibility toward their authority by being sensitive to how they lead their
fellow students.' makes the same point without coming on the way this statement
is worded too strongly.
2. Avoid making announcements
Sometimes, it is easier just to tell your reader what might say, "In this you
intend to write about. You essay, I will be discussing the benefits of joining the
Reserve Officers Training Corps: "The problem with this statement is that it does
not specify what those benefits are or what your attitude toward the subject is.
3. Avoid stating only facts

As previously mentioned, your thesis statement must reveal your attitude

toward the topic. This is what allows your topic to be developed. If you rely only on
facts in your thesis statements, you will not have much room for discussion,
because facts are generally not as debatable as opinions. Your thesis statement
must contain a position that your readers can oppose. Thus, a Training Corps is
thesis statement like "The Reserve Officers program that prepares students to
serve in the military" does not invite much debate from reader because that
statement is generally accepted.

Exercises

A. In the table below, example of a general subject, specific topic, and thesis
statement are provided. Fill in the bank by deriving either a general subject
specific topic, or thesis statement depending on the given details.

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 General subject Specific Thesis statement
topic
1. sports Being part of high school
basketball team is a good
training ground for an
athlete who wants to play
for a collage basketball
team.

2. Facebook Face to face

interactions conversation are more
meaningful than
Facebook interactions
because they are more
personal.

3. Music Original Pilipino

Music (OPM)
4. Education The K to 12 program

5. Transportation The Metro Rail Transit 3

(MRT-3) fire hike is a
reasonable measure
because the additional
revenue generated can
go to the much-needed
improvement of the trains
coaches.

A. Choose one characteristic of an effective thesis statement and revise the given
thesis statement to reflect that. The first characteristic has been done for you as
an example.
Given thesis statement: "High school seniors who join the Reserve Officers
Training Corps program develop better leadership skills because of the discipline
instilled in them by the program."
Sample answer: If the instructions were changed to "Compare and contrast
two extracurricular programs that you consider beneficial to high school students,"
then the adjusted thesis statement would be, "Both the Reserve Officers Training
Corps Program and the Student Council develop leadership skills in students, but

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 are different because of the kind of activities students are provided."
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B. Read the thesis statements below. Place a check ( ) on the blank before the
number if the thesis statement is effective. If not, identify the flaw (A) for
announcement; (0) for opinion, and (F) for fact by writing flawed statements
accordingly. On the blank. Rewrite the flawed statement accordingly.

__________1. In this essay, am going to write about the advantages of wearing

uniform.
__________2. The President should resign because he is useless.
__________3. Schools should continue starting in June instead of August
because going to school in the heat of the summer will be unhealthy for students.
__________4. This paper will be about the pros and cons of adapting books into
movies.
__________5. Education is the solution to poverty.

Application
Write in appropriate thesis statement for each set of detail below. Afterward, identify
a possible purpose and audience for the thesis statement.

1. Thesis statement:
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a. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Integration will improve the
economy of Southeast Asian countries.
b. The ASEAN Integration will increase tourism in different parts of Southeast Asia.
c. The SEAN Integration will promote diplomatic ties among the nations.
Purpose:
_________________________________________________________________
Audience:
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 2. Thesis statement:
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a. High school stereotypes do not account for personalities. Differences in students'

b. They reinforce unrealistic ideals that students struggle to achieve.
c. They force students to label one another.
Purpose:
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Audience:
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3. Thesis statement:
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a. E-books strain our device. eyes when we read them for long time on a
mobile.
b. E-books cannot be read when our device run out battery .
c. E-books do not hold our attention in the same way traditional books do.

Purpose:
_________________________________________________________________
Audience:
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Evaluation
With a partner, choose your own broad subject. Agree on a pre-writing
technique the subject. Afterward, use another pre-writing technique to come to limit
up with details. Go over these details and create two possible thesis statements.
Critique each other's thesis statements using the characteristics given above.

Get an old essay of yours from another subject. Go back to what you have
written and locate your thesis statement, if you provided one. Write it below. If you
did not have one before, read the contents and create a new one. Write it on the
blank below. What do you think are the strengths of your thesis statement? How
can it be improved? How will your new thesis statement change your paper?
Thesis statement:
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Comments:
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