What's a Thesis Statement?

In this one-time class, your student will focus on the specifics of a thesis statement: what it is, why it's necessary, how to craft it, and how to elevate it. 

Students will compose at least five thesis statements during class time and will leave class with supporting materials to use in future writings. 

After a warm-up activity, the instructor will present a breakdown of a thesis statement. Students will be engaged in each step of the process, either orally or through chat, as they work to move from the art of simply stating a position to writing more complex three-pronged statements. Along the way, students will evaluate instructor-presented thesis statements for both grammar and ideas. We will move from using words to phrases to clauses for the prongs, while also discussing the importance of parallelism. 

Additionally, students will look at how the thesis statement might differ depending on the style, tone, and content of an essay. 

Finally, the class will work on how to elevate the language and style of a thesis.