thesis+statement+page

Heroes Research Paper: Thesis Statement Step



Directions (again) (4) Once your note-taking form has been submitted, approved, and returned to you, you're ready to work on your thesis statement. Visit the thesis statement page (this page) of this wiki to access helpful sites and documents which discuss what a thesis statement is, give examples of thesis statements, explain why one is important for your research paper, and show how to write one .


 * Read through __all __ the sources available here.


 * Write out or type your working thesis (double-space, please).


 * Check your thesis against the thesis statement checklist, then submit your thesis for approval.

__**What is a thesis statement? **__
==== A thesis statement tells the reader of your paper what the paper is about. It's not the topic of your paper, but rather, what your paper is going to say **//about//** the topic. The __**topic**__ of your paper might be **//Timothy Treadwell//**, while the __**thesis statement** __ of your paper might focus on **how he was a hero for his attempts at educating the public about the brown bears of Alaska **. ====

====A thesis statement is __a statement you can prove with evidence and support__. It is something that you can argue. It is NOT a statement of fact. For example, using the Timothy Treadwell topic from above, here are some examples of what a thesis statement is **__not __**: ====
 * ===<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">"//Timothy Treadwell is a hero __because he lived among the brown bears of Alaska for roughly thirteen years__//." -- **<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">NOT ** a thesis. This is a statement of fact. It's something you could look up. There is no opinion here, nothing argumentative, nothing to prove. ===


 * ===<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">"//Timothy Treadwell is a hero __because he faced many hardships of the Alaskan wilderness while living among the brown bears of Alaska for many years__//." -- a tad better, but **<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">STILL NOT ** a thesis. Think about what you want to prove or argue about his actions - what lesson did his work with the bears teach? ===



__<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">What a thesis is not: __
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Please do <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">NOT write a thesis that looks like any of, or I'll have no choice but to decorate you with one of these "thesis reject" virtual buttons that you see above :->

__<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">What a thesis is: __
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Here are some examples of thesis statements - including some by other freshman students who had this same assignment!!! (what fun!)


 * =====<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">** Think of a thesis statement as the road map to your research paper - it guides the organization and 'flow' of your research, keeping both you (and your reader) on track .** ===== ||

====<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">You may first want to visit this site, which explains how to focus your topic more clearly and zero in on what exactly you want your paper to be about - it's called a Statement of Purpose. It's not required, but you may find it very, very helpful, and I do suggest it! ====

====<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Here is an excellent handout that explains, in detail, what a thesis statement is, why you need one for a research paper, and how you create one (Taken from The Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) ====

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> **__Why do I need a thesis statement?__**
====<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Again, your thesis statement is the road map to your research paper - it's going to create the focus of your paper and guide your research and your writing. Everything you write in the body paragraphs of your paper should further support your thesis statement - **everything**!! ====

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">__**What's a strong thesis look like?**__
====<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Click here to access a short checklist of sorts to determine if your thesis statement is strong and sufficient. ====

====<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Click here to read about the process one person took to narrow in on her thesis statement. She starts off with a very weak, very generalized and broad statement, and ends up with a thesis that is much more focused and manageable. ====

====<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Here are some more examples of research paper topics and how those topics were transformed into thesis statements (scroll down the page to the heading "What does it look like?") ====


 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">More examples of revised thesis statements can be found here . **

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">From subject, to focused topic, to main supporting ideas = thesis statement!

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