Gives readers an idea as to what the paper will be about.
Main idea
Guide of the essay
Identify subject and purpose
A thesis statement is a sentence sued in an essay that serves as the guide for the essay and directly answers the question or task asked of you
A thesis statement expresses the main idea of the paper
Thesis is NOT
A factual statement
Big spring is a small brown in West Texas.
(This is factual, topic sentence; therefore, it is not a thesis statement)
This doesn't go anywhere
It is just a fact
A topic sentence
Characteristics of a thesis statement
Address the prompt correctly and clearly
Makes a claim, or…
Presents an argument
Is arguable (an opinion)
In first paragraph of essay
How to write a thesis statement from an informative essay
What information are you going to include in your paper
Your thesis statement must be broad enough to cover all aspects of your paper, but narrow enough to stay specifically on topic
Problems of Teenage Binge Drinking
Example of too broad: “Alcohol abuse has consequences.”
Example of too narrow: “Alcohol abuse at my high school has resulted in the expulsion of two students.”
Example of usable thesis: “Cases of alcohol abuse in high schools across America have increased in number and severity over the last ten years.”
An informative (or expository) thesis statement will:
1. State what you are going to explain
2. Outline the organization of your explanation
Bad example: The lifestyles of barn owls include hunting for insects and animals, building nests, and raising their young.
This thesis is informative because it established that the paper will provide information on the lifestyles of barn owls. This thesis does not take a stand or make a claim that needs to be provided This thesis is also an example of using subdivisions for this thesis statement are:
Hunting for insects and animals
Building nests
Raising their young
Each category is a separate subdivision, which will each be a separate paragraph (if not more).
A great thesis statement never begins with the phrase :In this essay I will talk about…” or any sentence in a similar vein.