Developing a Thesis Statement and Supporting Ideas PDF

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Unit Two: Identifying Main Idea ENC 0017C Lesson Title: Developing a Thesis Statement and Supporting Ideas 9/5/18

 Learning Objectives: Identify the three questions used to develop a thesis statement. Develop a thesis statement with supporting ideas. In this lesson, you will learn how to develop a thesis statement and the supporting ideas that explain your purpose for writing.  Thesis Statements Every essay has a thesis, which is an overall argument, idea, or belief that a writer uses as the basis of the work. Most of the time, essays have a stated thesis statement that has been explicitly expressed; however, sometimes it is not. When it is not, the essay has what is called an implied thesis statement, or an indirect overall argument. In either situation, every essay must clearly identify a topic and purpose for writing about it, which are the two essential components of a thesis statement. You can develop a thesis statement by answering three questions: 1. What is my topic? 2. What am I trying to say about that topic? 3. Why is this important to me or my reader? The thesis statement is placed within the introduction of the essay. It is usually found at the end of the first paragraph, but if the essay is particularly long, the thesis may also appear in the second or third paragraph. If the "essay" is only one paragraph long, the thesis statement is usually in the first or second sentence.  Supporting Ideas Once you have written a thesis statement, you can then identify what information you must include to explain it to your audience. To do this, you need to identify supporting ideas by asking yourself the questions, "How?" or "What?" in response to the thesis statement you have written. For example, consider an essay that has a short introduction such as: Summer camps have long been a staple of American children's youth adventures. Parents who have never sent their children to summer camp before can rest easy knowing resources are available to help guide them in their search for the perfect summer camp experience for their children. You can see that the thesis is the second sentence. You can then begin identifying supporting ideas by asking, "How can parents find resources?" or "What resources are available to parents?" Finding the answer to either of these questions will help you choose supporting ideas to write about.

Unit Two: Identifying Main Idea ENC 0017C Lesson Title: Developing a Thesis Statement and Supporting Ideas 9/5/18

For instance, some resources that are available to parents seeking out a good summer camp are family friends, school teachers, religious leaders, social media like Facebook or Twitter, and camp websites. Those examples would become the supporting details for the body of the essay.  Example Using the general topic of "Best or Worst Restaurants," choose a specific restaurant and work through the three questions for writing a thesis statement and supporting ideas. 1. What is my topic? Answer: Best restaurant: Bitsy's Slice of Home Diner 2. What am I trying to say about that topic? Answer: I am writing about why Bitsy's Slice of Home Diner is the best made-from-scratch restaurant in the Midwest. 3. Why is this important to me or my reader? Answer: Many people who travel don't want to eat at chain restaurants. Using your answers to the three questions, write a thesis statement. Many people who travel don't want to eat at chain restaurants. They should know about Bitsy's, including where it is, and what it is like, so they have an alternative to the "same old thing." Now, ask yourself a "How" or "What" question about your thesis statement to develop supporting ideas. 4. What will draw people to Bitsy's? Finish by writing some supporting details that answer your question.   

Made-from-scratch meals Friendly service Relaxed, "no-rush" atmosphere

 Metacognitive Questions 1. What is the most important element you will take away from this lesson about writing a thesis statement? Answer: I always thought writing a thesis statement was some mysterious process that only really good writers could do well. Now I have learned that thesis statements aren't really that

Unit Two: Identifying Main Idea ENC 0017C Lesson Title: Developing a Thesis Statement and Supporting Ideas 9/5/18 difficult once you think about them in terms of answering three questions. Learning that made the task much simpler than I thought it would be.

2. Explain how asking questions about the thesis statement using "how" or "what" is an important part of identifying supporting ideas. Answer: When I ask myself "how" or "what" about a thesis, I realize that I need to dig deeper into what I am really writing about. This helps me think through my topic more and decide if it is really a good topic to write about....