Friday, March 20, 2009

Turn in data match forms.

Turn in any homework/ late work.
Get out paper and pen/pencil.
Objective
Today we will learn about thesis statements.
Our goal is to write a strong thesis statement for our mythology
papers.
You will need all your note cards (sources 1-4) to write yoru
thesis statement and your paper. All note cards MUST have
page numbers. If you do not have them, find them and write
them on the cards!!!
If you do not have your note cards anymore because you lost
them, threw them away, or if you never did them at all…you
will need to go back and take notes in bravery strength, and
cleverness in all 4 stories (“The Golden Fleece,” “Perseus,”
“Theseus,” and The Odyssey). Have them finished by Monday!
Thesis Statements
Nonfiction compositions (like research papers and
essays) begin by telling readers what the paper will be
about.
An introduction to a nonfiction composition contains a
thesis statement.
Thesis statement: one- or two- sentence statement
that identifies the compositions:
Topic
Main idea
Purpose
Functions of a Thesis Statement
A thesis statement:
Builds reader interest
Helps a reader know what to expect
Helps a reader focus on the composition
Helps a writer check that necessary information is
included
Helps a writer decide when the research, arguments,
outline, or other pre-writing is complete
Helps a writer make edits—cuts and additions to—the
composition
A Thesis Statement SHOULD…
Tell the topic of your composition
State the view and purpose for writing
Suggest what the paper will be about and how it will
be organized
Be based on facts and information
Use clear and specific language
Engage the reader’s interest
A thesis statement should NOT…
Be an incomplete thought
Be a simple statement of fact
Express a sweeping opinion
Be stated as an announcement: “In this paper I will
show that…”
Be too general, trite, or emotional
Examples vs. Non-examples
Good Thesis Statement
As a result of computer
errors and outright fraud,
electronic voting is likely
to disenfranchise many
Americans on Election
Day.
What would you expect
the rest of this essay to be
about?
Bad Thesis Statement
Electronic voting, in my
opinion, is just going to
cause a whole lot of
problems.
Why is this a bad thesis
statement?
Examples vs. Non-examples
Good Thesis Statement Bad Thesis Statement
John Steinbeck’s novel John Steinbeck’s The

The Grapes of Wrath Grapes of Wrath is one of

America’s great novels.
portrays the search for
human dignity in a
hostile social
environment.

Why is this a bad thesis

What would you expect statement?
this essay to tell you?
Examples vs. Non-examples
Good Thesis Statement Bad Thesis Statement
Our continued reliance Our continued reliance on

on imported oil imported oil will soon bleed

America dry!
threatens to weaken the
dollar and lower the
American standard of
living.

Why is this a bad thesis

What would you expect statement?
to learn in this essay?
Group Practice
Pick the best thesis statement:
A. Silverton High School does not need a dress code in
any way, shape, or form.
B. Today I am going to explain to you why the proposed
Silverton dress code is a harebrained scheme.
C. The school board’s proposed dress code will deprive
Silverton students of their basic right to self-expression.

Answer: C, because it is specific, tells a reader what to

expect, and engages the reader; it is not an
announcement.
Group Practice
Pick the best thesis statement:
A. I really wish people understood that there’s more to
dance than toe shoes.
B. For creativity, excitement, and beauty, dance forms
like modern, jazz, tap, and folk dance can have as much
to offer as classical ballet.
C. Types of dancing include modern, ballet, jazz, tap,
and folk dance.

Answer: B. It creates interest, is specific, and previews

the paper.
Strategy for Writing a Thesis Statement
1. Look over your research (notes and note cards).
Think about all the facts and ideas you have collected.
2. Ask yourself: What is the main idea about the topic
that these facts and details suggest?
3. Write a sentence or two expressing this idea or
opinion.
4. Then reread it and revise it, making sure you use
specific language, clarified your main idea, and
supported your position.
Writing a Thesis Statement Model
I want to write a paper about Marie Antoinette. I have researched her and I
have taken notes. Here are my notes:
Marie Antoinette had an arranged marriage to Prince Louis XVI of France in
1770, when she was 15 years old; she became Queen at 19.
Marie Antoinette was taunted for not producing an heir for seven years. She was
under a lot of pressure to produce an heir or her marriage could be annulled.
Marie Antoinette loved fashion and spent a lot of money on lavish clothes,
shoes, and wigs. The public ridiculed her.
Many Nobles were insulted by the Queen because she stuck to an elite group of
friends in social settings. They distributed pamphlets in the country encouraged
hatred of the Queen.
Rumors spread that when asked about the poor people in her country, Marie
Antoinette coldly said, “Let them eat cake,” but she probably never said this and
actually did a lot of charity work for the poor.
Marie Antoinette was tried and executed for treason.
Writing a Thesis Statement Model
After looking over my notes, I decide the main idea is that
Marie Antoinette was an unpopular Queen. I also decide she
was treated unfairly because she was under a lot of pressure
and she was only a teenager when she became Queen.
 I write a few thesis statements to express this main idea:
Marie Antoinette was treated unfairly by the French.
Marie Antoinette, the teenage Queen, suffered from an
unearned bad reputation which led to her death.
Marie Antoinette was an unpopular Queen who did not deserve
her ill reputation.
Marie Antoinette died of a bad reputation, which was
undeserved.
Pairs Practice
Look over the following notes about Disney villains and with your
partner, decide what the main idea of the paper would be and write a
thesis statement.
Many Disney villains are evil women, such as in the movies Snow White,
Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland, and The Little
Mermaid.
In Snow White and Cinderella the villain is a stepmother.
In Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and The Little Mermaid, the villain is a
witch with magic powers.
In Snow White, and Alice in Wonderland the villain is a Queen.
The Disney villainesses are all powerful in some way.
The Disney villainesses are all jealous or greedy.
Most of the Disney villainesses try to kill the protagonist (which is
usually a beautiful princess).
Assignment
You need to create a thesis statement for your mythology
essay paper.
1. Look over your note cards. What are they about? What
main ideas do you see across all your notes?
2. What should your paper be about? What is the main idea
of your paper going to be?
3. Write at least three possible thesis statements for your
paper.
4. Read over the good thesis statement checklist. Make
sure you have at least one strong thesis statement.
5. Circle the thesis statement you think is your strongest.