Instruction
Thesis Writing
Read and consider the following material. After reading, draft a thesis for your assignment.
What is a Thesis?
A thesis must include your essay’s main idea and the reason you have that idea. In
a reading response, you might have only 1 or 2 reasons to support your main idea,
and in an elaborate research paper, 3 reasons might be more likely.
Why do we write them?
The thesis is such a great tool, not only because it helps readers understand what
the author hopes to say in the essay, but also because it helps you as the writer! If
you know the reasons you plan to discuss, you know what your body paragraphs
will be about. It’s difficult to get stuck or have writer’s block when you know where
you are headed.
Example Two-Point Thesis Visual Aid
This illustration shows the main idea and 2 supporting reasons. Those reasons will become the topics
(first sentences) of the body paragraphs in the essay.
Main Idea
Agreement with the Author
Reason One
Technology reduces attention
span
Reason Two
Smartphone technology is
addictive
Putting together an image like this one can help create a thesis statement that might look like this:
Nicholas Carr’s point of view in “Is Google Making Us Stupid” is
correct because smartphone technology shortens attention span,
and was made to be addictive by design.