Thesis Statement, Topic Sentences & Supporting Details

Thesis Statement, Topic Sentences & Supporting Details

Thesis Statement

Supporting Details

Group Task

Topic Sentences

Sample Essay

Thesis Statement

• Last sentence of an introductory paragraph.
• The controlling idea of a text.
• All of the discussion in that text will serve to develop and/or support that thesis.

For Example

The Audience & Purpose

• Understanding who your intended audience is will help you shape your writing.

• Your purpose will depend on what effect you want your writing to have on your audience.

Topic Sentences

• Control the development and flow of the information contained in the paragraph.

• This more focused idea helps you determine the parts of the topic.

Supporting Details

• The job of the paragraph body is to develop and support the topic.
• Types of support might include reasons, facts, statistics, quotations, and examples.

Here are some questions you might think about as you’re deciding what to write about and how to shape your message:

• What do I know about my audience? (age, gender, interests, biases, or concerns; Do they have an opinion already? Do they have a stake in the topic?)
• What do they know about my topic? (What does this audience not know about the topic? What do they need to know?)
• What details might affect the way this audience thinks about my topic? (How will facts, statistics, personal stories, examples, definitions, or other types of evidence affect this audience? What kind of effect are you going for?)

What is the goal of your writing? What do you hope for your audience to think, feel, or do after reading it? Here are a few possibilities:

• Persuade/inspire them to act or think about an issue from your point of view.
• Challenge them/make them question their thinking or behavior.
• Argue for or against something they believe or do/change their minds or behavior.
• Inform/teach them about a topic they don’t know much about.
• Connect with them emotionally/help them feel understood.