Introduction to Thesis Statements

Thesis Statements

The thesis statement is the most important sentence in your whole essay. It controls the entire essay and summarizes your argument. You must have a clear thesis before you begin writing (although you can adapt your thesis as you write). Every time you finish a paragraph, it's a good idea to check your thesis to ensure you are still focused on the question. The thesis statement should be one sentence and should be clear enough to stand alone. It should not rely on any other sentences. Your thesis statement is included at the end of your introduction paragraph. When you write your thesis statement, you need to: 1) make a statement to explictly show how you will answer the essay question 2) explictly introduce the main idea from each body paragraph

Thesis Statements

This essay will argue that creativity should be taught as a school subject because it would benefit individuals as a 21st century workplace skill, reduce the education system’s reliance on testing, and help improve wellbeing in society as a whole. Read the thesis statement above. Which essay question is it answering?

A. Why is creativity good?

B. Should schools teach creativity?

C. Is creativity good for people and society?

Thesis Statements

Should schools teach creativity? This essay will argue that creativity should be taught as a school subject because it would benefit individuals as a 21st century workplace skill, reduce the education system’s reliance on testing, and help improve wellbeing in society as a whole. Read the thesis statement again. What will be the three main ideas (the three main paragraphs) in the essay? Check your answers by clicking the numbers.

Thesis Statements

The same information can be introduced in different orders in the thesis statement:

Reasons then main argument

Main argument then reasons This essay will argue that creativity should be taught as a school subject because it would benefit individuals as a 21st century workplace skill, reduce the education system’s reliance on testing, and help improve wellbeing in society as a whole.

Because it would benefit individuals as a 21st century workplace skill, reduce the education system’s reliance on testing, and help improve wellbeing in society as a whole, this essay will argue that creativity should be taught as a school subject.

Thesis Statements

Discuss: - Which essay question are you planning to write about? - Do you have any idea what your thesis statement might be yet? Remember: When you read a thesis statement, you should know: - what question the writer is answering - what the writer's view is about the question - what the main paragraph topics will be