How To Write a Thesis Statement What is a thesis statement? A one sentence claim/argument that summarizes what your entire project will try to prove. Thesis statements are placed at the end of introduction paragraphs after your project topic has been explained and historical context has been provided to help your audience understand what was going on during the time period you are focusing on that made your topic so important.

How do I come up with a thesis statement? 1. Start with a research question. What do you want to find out about? Some examples are below. Notice how each question would take some research to answer. a. What did America’s Founding Fathers believe made people true patriots?

b. Why is gun violence such a big problem in the U.S. and what can our government do to make it better? c. What did Dr. Frances Kelsey do that made her such an important leader in the medical field?

2. Research enough to be able to take a stand. Add your opinion about the topic. Make sure it’s arguable

and can be supported with evidence from multiple sources. a. The arguments made in documents like the Declaration of Independence and John Adams’ Thoughts on Government suggest that our founding fathers believed real patriots are individuals that strive to be well-informed citizens and actively work to improve their democracy, even if that means being critical of their own government. b. The best way to decrease gun violence in the U.S. is to require comprehensive background checks for all gun purchases, create a national database that tracks all gun sales, and make it illegal to sell semiautomatic weapons as well as high capacity magazines to the general public. c. Dr. Frances Kelsey's leadership in stalling the release of the drug Thalidomide in the USA saved thousands of lives, inspired the foundation of the modern FDA through the 1962 Kefauver- Harris amendment, and led to global drug regulation.

What are the characteristics of strong and weak thesis statements? If your answer is YES to the following questions, you have a STRONG thesis… 

Is it clear what the project will be about?

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Does it take a stand? Is it arguable?

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Is the argument or claim clear and a b o u t a specific topic?

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Can the assertion be backed up by evidence or is it something that is difficult/impossible to prove?

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Does it express one main idea?

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Does it tell the viewer why the subject is historically significant? Does it answer the “So what?” question or show change over time?

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Is it presented as a statement, NOT a topic or question?

 Does it specifically mention the topic and the History Fair theme?

A weak thesis statement is…  just a statement of historical facts that are not debatable  written as a question  written as a topic  too vague and hard to identify  hard to prove with evidence  unrelated to your topic/theme

Directions:  Identify each thesis statement as either Strong or Weak.  Explain your reasoning using the characteristics of strong and weak thesis statements chart.  Choose 2 weak thesis statements to make stronger. Rewrite them at the bottom of this page  Once you have finished, have Mr. Kosiba check your answers. Once you have successfully completed ALL sections, you will be cleared to begin creating your own thesis statement Thesis 1)

Richard J. Daley died in 1976.

2)

Artists of Chicago: 1890- 1990

3)

The Juvenile Court system was established to remove children from the adult criminal justice system and help youth reform, but over the years it became a source of punishment and imprisonment.

4)

Pesticides kill thousands of farmworkers and must be stopped.

5)

German immigrants in Chicago had enormous difficulties during World War One as they were forced to choose between being “German and an enemy” or forsaking Germany to be “American”.

6)

Before Title IX, there were few female basketball players.

7)

How did The Jungle make an impact on the foods we eat?

8)

The reversal of the Chicago River, which improved sanitary and health conditions of Chicagoans, demonstrated that science, technology, cannot solve problems unless there is economic motives and political will.

Strong

Weak

Rewrite two of the weak statements to make them stronger.

Reasoning