Writing a thesis statement

You and partner should read everything in this post carefully to write your thesis statement.

A strong thesis statement is key to writing a persuasive essay. The thesis statement presents your topic to the reader, provides your opinion on that topic (for most people the opinion will be that the topic is a bad thing in the world), and lists reason to support your opinion. A good thesis statement should capture all of these essential details in just one or two sentences. The thesis statement will appear in your introduction after the brief summary of your topic (the problem), and it should be the last sentence of your introduction.

The purpose of a thesis statement is to inform readers of:
the subject of your paper.
your claim (or opinion) of the topic.

Watch this video with your partner to learn about writing a thesis statement

How to write a thesis statement:

1. Pick a topic (you should have already done this with your partner)

2. Develop an question: What can we do about (your topic) to improve the world? The answer to this question should be the solution or organization you found to help with the problem

3. Develop reasons to support your solution (you should have already done this with your partner)

4. Put these three things together into a sentence as the example video shows. 

5. Type your thesis statement in your "I am somebody essay" Google Doc

After you finish your thesis statement, check to make sure it holds up to the tips listed below:

Express an Opinion

• Make sure that your point of view is clear. 
• An easy way to test your thesis is to ask yourself whether your reader could challenge or oppose your thesis statement. 
• Your thesis should not simply states facts that someone couldn’t disagree with.
• For example: "Animal abuse is a big problem in this country, and everyone should work together to stop it." This is a statement that can be argued. While no one would think that animal abuse is a good thing, some people may argue that it's not a big problem in this country. This statement expresses an opinion

Be Specific

• The reader should know exactly what you’re going to argue and why. 
• Example: “ASPCA is a good organization that helps animals” 
• This a weak thesis because it’s not specific or focused enough. 
• Example:  "The students of HTMS should donate money to support ASPCA because of the great work they do to help abused animals across the country.”
• This is a strong thesis because it is focused and has a clear point of view. 

Pass the "How and Why" Test

• Your thesis statement should answer one or both of two key questions: “how” and “why.”
•  For example: if you think that saving animals from captivity is the most important cause to support, then your thesis should tell readers how or why it’s important. 
• If a reader can't determine the "how" or "why" from your thesis statement, your thesis might be too open-ended, and you may need to clarify your point of view.

Works Cited
Mahoney, Amy. 'How To Create A Thesis Statement For A Persuasive Essay | The Classroom | Synonym'. N. p., 2015. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.

On Monday, I will check to see if your thesis statement is complete for a grade. Also, we will conference about your thesis statement to ensure that it is a good foundation for your paper. 

If you finish all of that. Begin drafting your body paragraphs. Since you and your partner only have one chromebook, you may choose to have the planning page pulled up and both hand write your paragraphs on a piece of paper. Then, you can type them in later. Use your written essay requirements to make sure you have all of the necessary components as your write your body paragraphs.